Curated OER
Linear Motion
In this fantastic physics and math lesson, student pairs create a ramp that will transport a rolling marble in order to learn about linear motion. Students use cardboard, straws, toothpicks, marshmallows, and paper clips in order to make...
Curated OER
The Wonderful World of Waves (Wave Basics)
Young scholars define amplitude, wavelength, frequency, and period, calculate period given frequency, and calculate frequency given period, define crest and trough and locate both on diagram of wave, differentiate between latitudinal and...
IOP Institute of Physics
Physics in Concert
What do physicists and musicians have in common? A lot more than you might think. After first viewing a slide show presentation and completing a series of skills practice worksheets on the physics of light, sound, and...
Curated OER
Help Wanted: A Lighting Engineer For Popular Rock Group
Students are assigned to groups, and determine each member's role in the group. They will design an experiment to determine a way to produce the three primary and five secondary colors. Students discuss color and mood. They listen to a...
Curated OER
How Wind Works
Second graders investigate the process that creates wind. In this wind lesson plan, 2nd graders create a wind diagram. Students write an essay to accompany their diagram.
Curated OER
Falling Motion
Students design and conduct an experiment on Galileo's Rule of Falling Bodies. In this physics lesson, students collect and analyze data. They create a presentation and share it with the class.
Curated OER
Energy: Light -- Spinning Color Wheel
Second graders make spinning color wheels to determine how energy effects what colors look like. They paint or color a color wheel with the seven colors of the spectrum. Next, the spin the wheel to determine what happens. In order to...
Curated OER
Harnessing Solar Energy
Students discover the properties of light (radiant) energy from the sun by experimenting with solar collectors, cookers, and calculators. After a lecture/demo, students create their own solar collectors and test their efficiency.
Curated OER
Escher-Esque Tessellations
Middle and high schoolers participate in a seven-part lesson creating Escher-Esque tessellations. They demonstrate their knowledge of geometric transformations after viewing a PowerPoint presentation, conducting Internet research, and...
Purdue University
Design of a Door Alarm
How does electricity work? Budding scientists explore the concepts of electrical currents and open and closed circuits with class discussion and a hands-on activity using a battery to turn on a light bulb. Learners also make predictions...
Curated OER
Dancing Levels in Space
Learners practice mirroring human moves by performing a dance in class. In this physical education activity, students utilize different spaces around them to perform a dance expressing their full motion. Learners cooperate in...
Curated OER
Still Movement
Students explore constant motion. Using photography equipment and a dark room, students develop photographs that depict motion. Students demonstrate the proper use of photograph equipment.
Curated OER
Rover Landing Design Challenge
Students examine the concepts of forces and motion. They work together to design protective devices for their egg rovers as they are dropped from a specific height. They record their observations and discuss.
Alabama Learning Exchange
This Is How We Roll!
Students research how roller coasters work. In this physics instructional activity, learners research the history of roller coasters and the safety factors in the design of a roller coaster on the website...
Curated OER
Who Turned on the Lights?
Seventh graders discuss how energy is transformed from one form to another. In this physics lesson, 7th graders design and build their own hydro generator. They identify the factors that affect its energy production.
Curated OER
The Impact
Students investigate the impact inventions have on people. In this technology lesson, students explore inventions, such as the light bulb, and identify ways the invention impacted society. Students design a simple project that could...
Curated OER
Floating and Falling Flows
Students discover fluid dynamics related to buoyancy through experimentation and optional photography. Using one set of fluids, they make light fluids rise through denser fluids. Using another set, they make dense fluids sink through a...
Curated OER
Electromagnetic and Physical Waves
Students compare and contrast electromagnetic and physical waves. In this wave lesson, students discover that all waves reflect, refract, and diffract energy. Students work in small groups to experiment with waves and evaluate the type...
Curated OER
Reflection, Refraction & Lenses
High schoolers are able to describe what happens to light when it strikes different materials. They describe the law of reflection. Students are able to explain why a mirror froms a virtual image. They are able to describe diffuse...
Curated OER
Getting Down with the Alphabet
Students view magazines and discuss photographs that impacted on them. In this digital photography lesson, students use digital pictures to photograph the letters of the alphabet. Students look at lighting, framing and composition and...
Curated OER
Energy Defined
Fourth graders complete activities to study the sources of energy and forms. In this energy lesson, 4th graders discuss the origin of energy and define it. Students participate in several experiments to further study energy including a...
Curated OER
Lights, Camera, Action!
Students add various types of multimedia to a website they have created about volcanoes. They review what would best enhance their website and determine what the value and cost be in adding that particular piece of multimedia.
Curated OER
Seeing Interference Fringes with a Telescope
Students construct an interferometer using a simple telescope. In this physics lesson, students explain how light waves create the fringe patterns. They observe patterns made by different objects in the sky and compare them.
Curated OER
Compass Rose: Dance and Quilt
Fourth graders identify the cardinal directions by listening to a song entitled, "Stand," and by reviewing the lyrics to that song. They notice the cardinal directions that are posted around the classroom. They perform the motions as...