Berkeley Engineering and Mentors
Marshmallow Catapaults
After a brief lecture on levers, torque, projectiles, and the five-step engineering design cycle, young physical science learners or engineers build catapults out of craft sticks. This is an open-ended exploration of what works and what...
Curated OER
Water and Ice
Students will work in small groups, observing an ice cube and recording a description, the feel of the ice, and how it looks when put in another container. Students observe changes in the ice over 15 minute intervals, then freeze the...
Cornell University
Catapult
Studying levers couldn't be more exciting! Learners build their own catapults and test the results as they make adjustments to the fulcrum. They compete against other groups to create the most accurate apparatus.
Curated OER
Falling
Students should describe the path that the motion would take as well as what might begin or stop the motion. The common characteristic of all the motions that students have experienced directly is that one or more forces are acting on...
Curated OER
Friction This
Middle schoolers investigate road surface and calculate speed. In this algebra lesson plan, students analyze the roughness of a road and calculate distance and speed based on friction. They relate friction and energy to speed.
Curated OER
Motion in a Circle
Students study about deriving centripetal acceleration for motion at constant speed around a circle.
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Motion in a Circle
Students explore uniform circular motion, and the relation of its frequency of N revolutions/sec with the peripheral velocity v and with the rotation period T. They examine how uniform circular motion is a type of accelerated motion.
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Hurricanes 1: The Science Of Hurricanes
Students are introduced to the science of hurricanes in an effort to highlight how forces change the speed and direction of motion. They list facts about hurricanes; including insights about the formation, movement, and impact hurricanes...
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Newton's Laws: Making Simple Rockets
Students can use rocketry to understand Newton's Three Laws of Motion.
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Vectors
High schoolers listen to a lecture and complete a number of problems as they go. There are a variety of examples given and they are guided through the problem solving steps for each of the real-world scenarios regarding the purpose of...
Curated OER
Build Your Own Hovercraft
Students construct a hovercraft following specific procedures. In this technology lesson, students explain the physics principles behind hovercraft. They compare and contrast this machine with the aircraft.
Curated OER
RIDING THE WIND
Students locate the Trade Winds, Westerlies and Polar Easterlies on a map, explain the impact of the rotation of the Earth, and plot a route for a round trip voyage from New York to London.
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Chemistry in the Kitchen
Students, in groups, combine given materials from an everyday kitchen until a chemical reaction occurs and record the reaction time.
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Tracking Hurricanes
Students explore how technology and science are used to identify, measure, and track powerful tropical storms to better warn and secure people from their impact. They research hurricanes online by tracking the storms on a hurricane website.
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Race the Track! Jump the Gap
Students record data of using a track system with variables and how those variables affect a ball used in the track. In this track lesson plan, students design their own track in groups, test the ball's rates of speed, and record their...
Curated OER
Balloons
Students explore the different types of balloons. In this materials lesson students can complete several experiments including building their own hot air balloons, making balloon animals and experimenting with static...
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Reflecting Light
Students are introduced to the reflective properties of light and use mirrors to make light from a source reflect onto a specific target. They take turns and record the amount of time it took to correctly reflect the light.
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The Addiction With Friction
Students compare and contrast where friction occurs in robots and bicycles. In this science lesson, students label the diagram of bicycle and robots. They investigate how friction affects their different parts.
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Hurricanes 2: Tracking Hurricanes
Young scholars examine the role of technology in identifying and tracking hurricanes.
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Gravity Launch
Young scholars use an online interactive to launch a rocket from earth. They have control over the angle and thrust of the rocket to discover the relationship between the two.
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Help! I'm Under Too Much Pressure!
Students play with a ping pong ball sized piece of modeling clay observing what happens to the clay as they play with it and write their observations in their notebooks. They share the results of their observations introducing the term...
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RESISTANCE IS FUTILE
Students explore friction and use objects such as coins and marbles to study the concept.
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SLIME!
Young scholars learn the effects of friction and examine how certain lubricants can only be used with certain materials.
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Geography Made Fun with Technology
Students incorporate knowledge box into their classroom activities. In this technology integration activity, students fill out a graphic organizer using Glossopedia to analyze a new subject.