Get things moving with this elementary science unit on simple machines. Through a series of nine lessons including teacher demonstrations, hands-on activities, and science experiments, young scientists learn about forces, motion,...

Middle schoolers build parachutes for chicken eggs. In this physics lesson plan, students describe the forces acting on a falling object. They predict which of the three parachute models they made has the best chance of keeping the egg...

Sixth graders make 2 different kinds of parachutes and record and graph the time for each one for the different drag forces. In this parachute lesson plan, 6th graders compare the results to the rest of the class of each parachute and...

Second graders experiment to understand how force is effected by friction.  In this forces in action lesson, 2nd graders view a website to simulate what happens when the height of a ramp is changed. Students participate in an...

Students control the parachutes using arm movements. They follow directions while participating in games. Students explore the effects of wind on several objects. They study the effects of shape, size and weight on a parachute.

Sixth graders explore Newton's laws of motion with their own bodies. In this relative motion lesson students will use a wide range of materials bringing them from the concrete to the abstract on video. Students will draw inferences about...

Third graders make parachutes to learn about gravity and the science process. In this gravity lesson, 3rd graders create parachutes and observe their flight in air. Students discuss wind and gravity for the activity.

Students investigate how to make a good parachute. In this physics lesson, students observe the motion of parachutes as it falls and measure the time. They collect data and calculate the average descent time for each canopy shape.

Pupils study drag and how it affects a parachute in the sky.  For this parachutes lesson students build models and compare their drag. 

Young scholars investigate how weight affects a parachute's rate of fall.  In this investigative lesson students test parachutes, average results and conclude what makes a faster descent.

High schoolers are told that any object moving through a fluid (air, water, molasses, etc) experience a drag force which oppose the motion. They are given the summarized version of drag which is proportional to the square of the...

You have to crack a few eggs to make a good engineer! Working in small groups, young scholars design, build, and test devices that protect an egg from breaking when dropped from a ladder.

Students study deceleration devices like parachutes and parafoils.

This activity explores a parachutist and her position, velocity and acceleration. Graphing and calculating these functions will be required.

Experience the effect of friction, air resistance, and applied force upon a sledder. The speed, acceleration, and force values are displayed as the sled moves. Learners can vary the mass of the sledder and the size of the parachute...

Through ten lessons and numerous activities, students explore the natural universal rules engineers and physicists use to understand how things move and stay still. Together, these rules are called "mechanics." The study of mechanics is...

Students explore the motion of an object falling under the influence of air resistance. Force arrows and values are shown as the object falls, and a speedometer displays the speed of the object. The mass of the falling object and the...