Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Give Me a Brake
Learners explore the concept of how brakes can stop or slow mechanical motion. They examine the operation of a bicycle brake and use low cost materials to devise a simple braking system. Finally, they work as a team to suggest...
Curated OER
Slam On the Brakes!
Fifth graders study the concept of momentum and its application by Newton in his studies. They view a demonstration and complete an experiment with toy cars on a racetrack that shows them the properties of momentum and how velocity and...
Curated OER
Science: The Bicycle as a System
Students explore how the different parts of a bicycle relate to each other and identify the subsystems. They discover how bicycles work and investigate their history. In groups, students research each of the subsystems and present...
Curated OER
MARS Dead or Alive
Pupils describe the design and construction of the Mars Exploration Rovers (MERs). They imagine that they can visit Mars and think about what they want to find out about the planet. The review the solar system and discuss distances...
Teach Engineering
Six Minutes of Terror
Help your class understand the design challenges when trying to land a remote spacecraft on a planet. Class members examine the provided information to understand how each component of a spacecraft is designed in order to safely land a...
Curated OER
Sliders - Static and Kinetic Friction
Students work in groups to conduct experiments the demonstrate the differences between static and kinetic friction. They consider how friction affects us in our everyday lives, determine the effects of weight on friction and complete a...
Curated OER
MAPPING THE TOPOGRAPHY OF UNKNOWN SURFACES
Students describe in words and graphic displays the elevation or depression profile of sections of Mars' Olympus Mons and/or Valles Marineris. They explain how orbiting spacecraft build up global maps one data slice at a time.
Curated OER
Long Day?
Students become aware of the effects of tides on the Earth's rotation. In this tides activity, students calculate the number of seconds lost over various periods of time.
Teach Engineering
Fluid Power Basics
What can bulldozers and screen doors have in common? Use this instructional activity on fluid power to find out. It begins with some simple teacher demonstrations, includes a couple of videos, and culminates with an inquiry-based...
Polytechnic Institute of NYU
Potential vs. Kinetic Energy
Legos in science class? Watch your pupils fall in love with this activity. After learning to measure potential and kinetic energy, young scientists create their own ramps using Lego Mindstorm sensors and software.
LABScI
Kinematics: The Gravity Lab
Falling objects can be brutal if you don't protect your noodle! Scholars explore the motion of falling objects through measuring short intervals to determine if the distance traveled varies with time. Building off of this, scholars...
Curated OER
Newton's Second Law of Motion with Balance Toys
Students discuss acceleration and deceleration and participate in brief demonstrations of the Second Law of Motion. They apply the law to a metal balance toy and a plastic balance toy by applying the same force then with different forces.
Curated OER
The Price to Be Paid For the Next Scientific Revolution
Seventh graders work as advisors to the President evaluating issues like cloning, cryogenics, assisted suicide, etc. They research the Scientific Revolution of the past and the outcome and then put together a plan for the President.
Curated OER
Bulbs & Batteries Side by Side
Learners build parallel circuits, exploring how they function and looking at their unique features. They describe how current changes when batteries are added in parallel or removed from a parallel arrangement, demonstrate the process of...
Curated OER
It's Your Wellness
Students define wellness and take a Life Expectancy Survey. They discuss factors that affect wellness, view a Powerpoint presentation on wellness, and design a mouse pad that demonstrates how to avoid negative personal risk behaviors.
Curated OER
Tree Friends
Young scholars are introduced to tree structure and use. They identify their special tree using all senses except sight. Students identify six different internal parts within a cross section of tree trunk (bark, phloem, xylem, cambium,...
Curated OER
The New Wind Turbine
Students study the basic components of a modern wind machine. In this investigative lesson plan students investigate and find out if there are any wind machines in their state, how many and how much power they produce.
Curated OER
Electromagnitism Applications
Learners experiment on magnets and electricity. In this physics activity, students determine what factors affect the strength of a magnetic field. They design an experiment to determine how electromagnetic field strength varies with...