Curated OER
Deceleration of a Toy Truck
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.
Curated OER
A Guided Journey Into the Past
Fourth graders use guided imagery to discover and judge an alternative way to enjoy artifacts without removing them from archaeological sites.
Curated OER
Fuel and Air Relationships
Learners use EngineSim and information found on the World Wide Web to complete the activity on the relationship between the atmosphere and jet fuel. They discover how much air is required to pass through a jet engine.
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: Force and Motion
In this lesson, the young scholars will work across the curriculum using technology, business education, and mathematics. They will form a company and use the physics of force and motion to build a hovercraft. The students will use this...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Analyzing Forces and Motion Graphs by Riding an Elevator
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.
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: A Change of Direction Exploring the Impact of Forces
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...
BioEd Online
Bio Ed Online: Balloon Blast
In the following lesson students are asked to devise a plan to measure the distance of a balloon's flight, predict the direction a balloon will travel as it deflates, learn about Newton's Laws of Motion, experience Newton's Third Law,...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Stop It! Exploring Forces on Moving Objects
Students will be able to explain what is needed to stop an object by completing a simple investigation. Students will experiment with Hot Wheel cars and record their predictions on a recording sheet. Included are videos of the activity...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Motion Commotion
Students learn why and how motion occurs and what governs changes in motion, as described by Newton's three laws of motion. They gain hands-on experience with the concepts of forces, changes in motion, and action and reaction. In an...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: A Change of Direction
Students will make predictions and conduct an experiment using marbles to figure out what types of things can cause a moving object to change direction. Included is a video of the lesson in action, pictures, discussion questions, and a...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Inertia: An Object in Motion Will Tend to Stay in Motion
This activity is a take off of Galileo's experiment with the inclined planes to show that an object in motion would stay in a straight line motion if no outside forces acted were acting on it. In this version, students will roll a ball...
Cornell University
Cornell University: Cornell Center for Materials Research: Friction
A collection of experiments where students can learn about how friction works and affects the physical world. At the end, students design a tortoise to win by slowing it down using friction. Lesson includes explanation of the concept of...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Investigating Best Amount of Water to Fly a Bottle Rocket
In this rocket experiment, students will investigate the question, "Which amount of water will cause the rocket to stay in the air the longest?" Students will compare how long the rocket was in the air with how much water was in the...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Collision Course (Part 2)
This is part 2 of a two-part lesson on understanding how speed changes when two objects collide. Students will conduct an experiment, collect data, and draw conclusions about the changes in energy that occur when objects collide....
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Exploring Newton's Second Law
Students conduct an experiment that will reinforce their understanding of Newton's Second Law. Using simple objects, students control force, mass, and acceleration, and how each is related to each other.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Newton's First Law (Inertia)
This activity provides students an opportunity to investigate Newton's first law by observing inertia in a variety of experiments. Students will hypothesize on possible outcomes, write observations of what has happened, and apply...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Flocculants: The First Step to Cleaner Water!
Learners experience firsthand one of the most common water treatment types in the industry today, flocculants. They learn how the amount of suspended solids in water is measured using the basic properties of matter and light. In...
TryEngineering
Try Engineering: Blast Off
Hands on activity where learners focus on aerospace engineering to investigate space flight from the viewpoint of an engineer. They design, build, and launch their rocket, then share their experiences with the class.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Using Your Marbles: Making Energy Work for You
This activity is based on the common experiment of running a marble down a ramp to do work on a cup. Students will be able to see the relationship between mass and energy of the marble and the ramp height.
Science and Mathematics Initiative for Learning Enhancement (SMILE)
Smile: Momentum Conserved
This site by the Illinois Institute of Technology gives a Lab activity in which young scholars use a variety of toys to discover Newton's second law and momentum conservation. Newton's cradle, skate boards, and a toy motorcycle are...