Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Melting the Ice: Energy Transfer

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students study thermal energy and energy transfer to sea ice processes. In this energy transfer lesson, students make their own ice cream and discuss energy transfer and thermal energy. Students view a radiation overhead and its role in...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Energy At Play

For Teachers 4th - 8th
If you can find Tinker Toys™, then this may be a fun assignment for your physical science class. Using the construction set and a few other toys, they examine the forces involved when it they are being played with. For each, they...
Lesson Plan
NOAA

Oceans of Energy

For Teachers 7th - 8th Standards
Are the earth's oceans really just giant batteries, waiting for their energy to be harnessed? Middle school mechanical engineers will be shocked by the amazing amount of energy that forms around them after diving into part four of a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Energy Transformation with a Top

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders examine both potential and kinetic energy. After discussing the difference and examples of potential and kinetic energy, they participate in a game of "Show Me Potential Energy/Show Me Kinetic Energy" using toy tops.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Converting Fuels to Obtain Energy

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students experiment with converting fuels to energy. They also must identify different types of fuels and ways to conserve energy.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Energy Transformation with Balance Toys

For Teachers K
Students explore and identify the concepts of potential and kinetic energy. They define kinetic and potential energy and discuss examples of each. Students then play a game involving balance toys, demonstrating both kinetic and potential...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Solar Kit Lesson #3 Parts of a Solar Panel - Part I

For Teachers 4th - 6th
A solar cell is similar to a rechargeable battery in many ways. Science lab groups connect each in a series circuit to run a mini motor and then compare and contrast them by answering questions and completing a Venn diagram. This is an...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Matter and Energy

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students explore energy by completing a science worksheet in class. For this principles of matter lesson, students define the vocabulary terms force, gravity, nuclear, and electromagnetic before reading assigned text about energy....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Energy Debate - Energy of Peanut

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students articulate the difference between the terms heat and temperature. They calculate the amount of energy associated with a given temperature rise and design an experiment to measure the energy of a fuel.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Comparing Different Energy Resources

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Young scholars examine the advantages and disadvantages of the different sources of energy.  In this energy lesson students complete an experiment and worksheet.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Solar Energy - Dehydration

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders explore process of drying food using solar energy. They cook and/or dry food such as pumpkins, watermelon, corn, and deer meat, explain how solar energy changes foods, and compare and contrast solar energy with other forms...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Momentum and Energy

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students study how to calculate momentum, kinetic, and potential energy. They apply each form of energy to real world situations including demonstrations, watching videos, and designing a Power Point presentation. They investigate in...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Energy Activities

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students conduct a variety of experiments related to solar energy, heating, cooling, gravity, physical insulation and wind. They consider how the experiments relate to energy and the consumption of energy and then participate in a class...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Shrinky Dinks® Palettes

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Here is a fun and clever lesson for teaching physics classes how to calculate wavelength if given the energy and frequency data. On a worksheet, they compute wavelengths using a table of information that you provide. On a paper palette,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Flame Tests

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students perform flame tests on 12 elements. In this flame tests lesson plan, students experiment with elements to observe their visible light spectra emitted as electrons jump from one energy level to another. Students record their...
Lesson Plan
NASA

The Cycle of Matter

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
An educational lesson focuses on the idea of conservation of matter through a demonstration of the water cycle, a discussion of digesting food, and the path of carbon and oxygen atoms as they change form. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Polar Energy

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Learners define and read an article on polar energy.  In this polar energy lesson plan, students answer questions about the article.  Learners participate in activities related to isotopes, half-life and radiocarbon. ...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Heat Energy and Water

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders brainstorm the differences between heat and temperature. In groups, they determine the best way to melt ice without touching the ice. They record their observations and compare them with other groups. To end the lesson,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Light Can Heat Too!

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders explore absorption and reflection of light energy. In this solar energy instructional activity, 3rd graders explore how light energy transfers to heat energy through the construction of a solar water heater. Students will...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Energy

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students distinguish between kinetic an potential energy. They recognize that energy is conserved when changing from one form to another. Students compare the scientific meaning of work with its everyday meaning.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Electricity and Magnetism: From Fun to Function

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders experiment with electricity and magnetism and build an electromagnetic motor. In this electromagnetism lesson, 4th graders use household objects to show electrostatics and magnets and compasses to show magnetism. They...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Solar Hot Box

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students investigate how different colors and materials create various temperatures and apply this it the concept of solar energy.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Trash to Gas

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners experiment with biomass materials as alternative energy sources. In this biomass material activity, students participate in an experiment with cow manure to determine how it can be used as an energy source. They record their...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

An Environmental Puzzle: The Carbon Cycle

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students are introducced to how respiration and photosysnthesis cycle carbon through ecosystems. They read background information that describes the role of the Sun as Earth's ultimate energy source and explains how the energy...