Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Deceleration of a Toy Truck

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders complete labs using toy trucks to study deceleration, record thier data, and then transfer it to graphing software to produce a graph. They create a lab report of the completed lab using a word processing program.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Shake, Rattle and Erupt

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students study myths regarding four earthquakes myths. They receive a list of supplies each family should have at home to prepare for an earthquake and construct an "Earthquake Preparation" poster showing some of the most important items...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fun with Balloons

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders design their own hot air balloon. In this science lesson, 5th graders investigate how factors like weight and sizes affect a balloon's lifting power. They also write math problems based on facts written in the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Can You Make A Penny Float?

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students explore the concept of density by trying to make a penny and other materials float.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Four-Wing Paper Boomerang

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students cut out the pattern of the Four-Wing Boomerang and trace it on to one half of the file folder. They practice throwing it.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Good Vibrations

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students demonstrate sound waves and make changes in the waves resulting in changes in pitch. Students associate changes in pitch in various "musical instruments"with size and shape and the sound waves they produce.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Sun

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders examine basic information about the sun and its relationship to the solar system. They conduct Internet research and complete a WebQuest about the sun. Students then create a seven question true or false quiz using...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wandering Wild-oats

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students observe wild-oat seeds. In this biology lesson, students watch how wild-oat seeds react to moisture and draw conclusions and make predictions.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Maximum Flight Time

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students, after reading an explanation from a NASA Web site, demonstrate an understanding of the text by applying it to questions involving Maximum Flight Time and Range under varying conditions.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Thrust to Weight Ratio and Excess Thrust

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students, after reading an explanation from a NASA Web site, demonstrate an understanding of the text by applying it to questions involving the Thrust to Weight Ratio and Excess Thrust of an aircraft.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wing Specifications

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders use FoilSim to fulfill the specifications of a given airfoil (wing) and plot and interpret graphs.
Activity
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Physics Motion Activities for Second Grade

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
A lesson plan for stations that allow students to explore how a push or pull affects motion.
Activity
Exploratorium

Exploratorium: Science Snacks: Physics/mechanics (Force and Motion)

For Students 9th - 10th
A collection of mechanics activities. Many pertain to Newton's laws of motion. Step-by-step directions provided with illustrations. Great for teacher demos or student projects.
Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Magical Motion

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students watch video clips from the October Sky and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone movies to see examples of projectile motion. Then they explore the relationships between displacement, velocity and acceleration, and calculate...
Unit Plan
Utah State Office of Education

Utah State Office of Education: Force, Energy, & Motion

For Students 6th - 8th
A unit on energy, force, and motion presented with interactive and classroom activities. Students gain an understanding of weight, mass, potential and kinetic energy, sound, and heat with this engaging resource.
Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Analyzing Forces and Motion Graphs by Riding an Elevator

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A high school physics lab on classical mechanics in which students study force versus time and acceleration versus time. Students need access to an elevator to complete the experiments. A lab handout is provided.
Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Investigating Forces: Balloon Car Activity

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In this activity, teams of students build a car out of common materials which is then propelled by the release of air out of a balloon and must travel a minimum distance. The activity is then extended to a competition to build the car...
Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Investigating Motion Graphing Speed

For Teachers 6th - 8th
In this introduction to motion activity, students will get a personal understanding of speed and acceleration by experiencing it firsthand. Wheeled office chairs or other cart like devices are used to give one student a ride as a fellow...
Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Investigating Motion With Marbles

For Teachers K - 1st
In this guided inquiry activity, students will use 2 marbles of different size and a box to investigate what makes the marbles move and what will cause the marbles to change speed and direction.
Lesson Plan
Better Lesson

Better Lesson: A Change of Direction Exploring the Impact of Forces

For Teachers K - 1st
Students will be able to determine a way to change the direction of a moving object by conducting a simple experiment. Included in this lesson are videos of the activity in action, a printable recording sheet, pictures of the set-up for...
eBook
Physics Classroom

The Physics Classroom: Vectors Motion and Forces in Two Dimensions

For Students 9th - 10th
Three complete tutorials on vectors and two dimension forces and motion. Lessons include informational text, interactive activities, animations, and quick, interactive comprehension checks along the way.
Unit Plan
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Circular Motion

For Students 9th - 10th
In this interactive activity featuring videos adapted from the Rutgers PAER Group, students will observe examples of circular motion. Students will then find a common reason why the objects and people presented move in a circle. Includes...
Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Force and Motion: Gravity and Wind Resistance

For Teachers 3rd - 7th
Students investigate the effects of force on objects in motion particularly as it relates to gravity and wind resistance by performing a classroom egg-drop activity.
Lesson Plan
Other

Bscs: Forces Lesson 2: Representing Forces

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
What makes something start to move? What makes something stop moving or change direction? This hands-on lesson will show students that forces acting on an object have a strength and a direction that can be represented by arrows of...