Utilizing the Nebraska State Quarter, pupils learn about the pioneers who had wagons that were pulled across Nebraska by oxen during the westward movement. Excellent worksheets are embedded in the plan that guide them through this fine...

Students discover that one way to change how something is moving is to give it a push or a pull. They design their own boats and work with 'The Great Boat Push' worksheet to compare how their boats move when they are pushed or pulled and...

Has your class wondered how fast a human could run or how high they are capable of jumping? Help them understand these concepts as they explore acceleration and use an accelerometer to make semiquantitative measurements of acceleration...

Fourth graders observe and explain how balloons rubbed on a shirt create positive and negative charges. In this positive and negative charge lesson plan, 4th graders record their results and explain their findings.

Learners discover that different things move at different speeds. They compare the distance a car travels on a ramp with and without a push. They push the car with one finger the first time, let it move without a push the next time (no...

Learners examine different types of movement and causes that may affect those movements. In this online interactive forces and motion lesson, students use toy cars to observe push and pull and then make predictions and collect data...

Fourth graders explore the earth's gravitational force. They discuss objects in motion and the concepts of pulls and pushes. Students investigate the idea that falling and gravity can be useful in connection with various sports...

What led Americans to head west in the 1800s? Using an interactive map and journals from those who traveled, pupils explore the stories of those who migrated. In addition, they see how the numbers fluctuated in response to the push-pull...

Here is a nice set of activities and discussion questions to accompany your class reading of No Pretty Pictures, a memoir of a young girl's experiences and struggle for survival during the Holocaust.

Young scholars create a car using physics. In this forces and motion lesson, students create a car and test which changes in design change the performance of the car. Young scholars complete a graphic organizer with the...

Fourth graders apply concepts of Newton's Laws in scientific inquiries. Use this lesson to have your charges test and identify the characteristics of objects that make them easier or harder to push. After a teacher-led demonstration,...

Students examine how the movements of bones are dependent on the interaction of pairs of muscles. They design and construct a prototype of an artificial limb using a syringe system, and determine whether water or air makes the appendage...

Light is such an amazing thing! Elementary schoolers explore the wonderful world of light and shadow. The lesson is meant to be carried out on a whiteboard. Objects are placed in front of a light source, and learners must predict what...

Fifth graders pull a paper clip sitting on paper with a magnet beneath the paper. They experiment to see what happens if they substitute the paper with thicker paper and other materials (plywood, glass, foil, etc.)

Students examine the concepts push and pull. In this push or pull lesson, students identify objects that push, pull, or do both. Students then apply their knowledge in order to test toys and identify them as toys that are pushed, pulled....

Human migration—often the result of push and pull factors—sometimes has dramatic outcomes for both those leaving their homelands and the host countries. Using a variety of case studies, learners consider those issues. Then, by completing...

Students examine a large box and determine how they may move the box to a specified point. After the class makes predictions, they test them and decide what worked and what didn't work. Through their tests, push and pull are introduced....

Students investigate the forces of pushing and pulling by participating in a whole group activity involving a toy car. Students then participate in a small group experiment involving a toy car, small weights and various materials....

Drinking straws are a pretty simple device ... or, are they? Explore the possibility of sipping a beverage 30 feet away with an engaging activity that's sure to keep pupils guessing. Just place a long piece of plastic tubing in a glass,...

Seventeen pages of material leave you well-prepared to carry out this lesson on levers and pulleys. Photos and diagrams make the instructions clear; resource links provide additional information. The missing aspects of this teacher's...

First and second graders see that everyday objects are made from a variety of materials. They interact with objects such as keys, plastic spoons, a wooden ruler, a towel, and a plastic bag. A discussion ensues which leads them to...

Students discover there's more than one way to move a heavy load. In this problem solving lesson, students use observation and problem-solving skills as they experiment with simple machines in order to transport loads.

Using maps, images, websites, and handouts, learners work to understand the nature of human migrations. They compare and contrast human migration from the past to the present, identify causes for migration, and trace migration routes on...

Pupils discover how air can move things by using their breath. In this physics lesson, students hypothesize then attempt to move a pencil 1 meter using nothing but their breath. Pupils record data from their experiment including...