California Academy of Science
Greening Your Middle School
Middle schoolers redesign their school to make it more energy efficient, and create a model of their design. Learners get together in groups of 5, and they take on the task of making their school more energy efficient. To do this, they...
Carnegie Mellon University
Understanding Electricity Mix Tradeoffs
Use the accompanying presentation and colorful technology sheets to introduce your class to the 10 different energy technologies. Connect kids to an interactive computer tool that allows them to combine different types of power...
California Academy of Science
Building Better Buses: Transportation Design Challenges
Scholars learn about a series of three challenges when they design a bus system for a small town. They determine the bus routes and then figure out the best type of fuel to use before considering the cost of going electric. Learners...
Curated OER
What is Logging?
Future forestry fanatics absorb information about the impact of the logging industry and then answer ten questions. Everything is included on one webpage, so consider having learners write out their answers on a separate piece of paper....
Curated OER
Natural Resources: Can We Use Them Forever? Grade 2
Bright colors and animation are great ways to attract a young students attention. Students are introduced to the concepts of renewable and non-renewable resources as they pose the question, will our resources be around forever? This...
Curated OER
Work and Energy
Young scholars show that energy is conserved in the laboratory. They calculate the work done by a force on an object as the product of the force and a displacement of the object from a reference point.
Curated OER
Energy Dreams by Design
Students explore a new home and design some of its electrical features. They construct a model of the electrical features and consider accessibility for the handicapped into the room. In groups, students analyze the advantages and...
Curated OER
How Much Energy is a Kilowatt Hour?
Students study the conservation of energy. In this energy instructional activity students explain the differences between potential and kinetic energy.
Curated OER
Green Roof Design
Students design a heat and water conserving "green roof". In this urban environmental lesson plan, students will design a heat and water conserving "green roof" to improve a building's energy profile.
Curated OER
Transforming Energy
Sixth graders study about alternate energy sources and discuss with their neighbor how alternative energy sources affect environmental conditions so that an entire species could be affected.
CK-12 Foundation
Loop-the-Loop
What prevents a roller coaster from falling when it goes upside down? Scholars experiment with a roller coaster simulation controlling the mass of the coaster, the height of the hill, and the radius of the loop. They learn which factors...
National Science Teacher Association
Middle School Sampler: Science
Focus on inquiry-based learning in your science class with a series of activities designed for middle schoolers. A helpful packet samples four different texts, which include activities about predator-prey relationships, Earth's axis...
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
Environmental Sciences
Whether you are teaching environmental science in junior high or studying recycling in kindergarten, there is something for all in this set of lessons designed for environmental education. The 110-page packet comes with tips for...
Curated OER
Is That Natural?
Students examine how they use and waste natural resources. They participate in a class discussion about natural resources, in small groups complete a worksheet identifying ways students misuse natural resources, and create an...
Curated OER
The Sun Affects Earth
Third graders read, write, and listen to information about the sun and its effects on the Earth.as it relates to its axis, orbit, rotate, and revolution. In this solar system lesson, 3rd graders examine how the sun...
Curated OER
E3 Project Instrustional Plan
Young scholars will learn about energy. This physics lesson plan, outlines the energy unit to be taught that covers energy, conversions, and heat.
Curated OER
Let the Sunshine in
Students collect and analyze data to study wavelengths of visible light. They cover Styrofoam cups with three different colors of sun filtering products and shine a lamp directly on the cups. They determine the most effective filtering...
Curated OER
Coffee Cooling
High schoolers explore the factors that affect how long coffee stays hot. They develop a question and a testable hypothesis for one factor such as initial temperature or size of opening of the container. Then they design and conduct an...
Curated OER
What Does the Sun Give Us?
Pupils study the sun and how solar energy works. To learn about renewable energy, they complete a lab activity using a pizza box as a solar heater. Quite clever!
Teach Engineering
How a Hybrid Works
Work with your class to connect series and parallel circuits to hybrid cars. The instructional activity introduces basic circuit diagrams before having scholars apply the understanding of the difference between parallel and...
Curated OER
Determining Momentum and Energy Loss of Balls Colliding Against Different Surfaces
Students experiment with the bounce of balls on various surfaces. In this physics lesson, students use various surfaces to bounce balls to study the momentum. This hands-on activity with the concepts of elasticity of surfaces which is...
American Chemical Society
Chemical Reactions and Engineering Design
Construction leads to habitat loss and local wildlife suffers. Scholars must build a reptile egg incubation device that meets many constraints. Various experiments help them discover the chemical reaction needed to reach...
Curated OER
Solar
Students study solar energy. In this renewable energy instructional activity students complete several lab activities using different controls and variables.
Curated OER
Demonstrate the Law of Conservation of Linear Momentum
Learners observe a demonstration of linear momentum. In this linear momentum instructional activity, students observe a series of demonstrations of linear momentum and qualitative observations.