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Where We've Been and Where We're Going
Students travel with Christa McAuliffe through space demonstrations. In this space activity, students follow through the past to the present air travel. Students understand the benefits and problems associated with zero gravity and how...
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Principles Of Flight: Wings That Spin
Students discover how flight is possible. For this physics lesson, students investigate the properties of a blimp and gyro-copter, comparing rotating wings and fixed wings of aircraft. Students create their own model aircraft...
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Ice Floats
Students explore the changing density of water. In this physics lesson, students investigate how an object's density determines whether it will float or sink in water. They explain why this unique property of is important to living things.
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Exploring Meteorite Mysteries: Building Blocks of Planets
Students simulate the formation of chondrites and asteroids. In this astronomy lesson, students demonstrate accretion using balloons and static electricity. They compare and contrast their models to the actual process of chondrites and...
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Model Rockets
Learners build a model rocket. In this model rocket lesson, students explore a rocket launch cycle. Learners investigate the laws of physics for each part of the launch. Students build model rockets and launch at school.
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Water and Ice
Students explore the physical properties of water. In this water instructional activity, students observe, measure, and describe water as it changes state. There are 2 extensions for this instructional activity that one can access...
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Exploring Pendulums
Students observe the movement of pendulums, they begin to understand the relationship between gravitational forces and the mass of objects, the changes in speed and direction of objects, and the distance between objects. They understand...
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Simple Machines III - Pulleys
Fourth graders are introduced to a spring scale to show that the forces on both sides of the pulley are the same. They break into groups to lift objects with fixed pulleys and with multiple looped pulleys and then measure the force...
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Energy: The Universal Currency
Science stars examine the concept of energy by thinking about everyday situations. The lesson plan is incohesive. It lists goals for the student, but doesn't address all of them in the content. The best use of this resource would simply...
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Secondary Robot
Students identify the forces acting on a stationary/constant velocity robot. For this physics lesson, students draw a free body diagrams of the forces. They explain the difference between zero acceleration and zero net force.
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Simple Machines IV - Wheels and Axles
Fourth graders study everyday examples of simple machines. They examine how the combination of a wheel and axle works more efficiently than either in isolation. In a demonstration lesson, they see how a spring scale shows a force pulling...
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Magnets 2: How Strong is Your Magnet?
Students work together to test the strengths of various types of magnets. After testing, they create a graph showing how the strength changes as the distance from the magnet increases. They discuss how forces can act from various...
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Water and Ice
Students examine the relationship between water and ice. In this physics lesson plan, students read the book Amazing Water and participate in an experiment where they freeze water into ice cubes. Students observe the changes in the water...
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The Nutrients Public Transportation System
Students investigate the human circulatory system by experimenting with hoses. In this human body lesson, students create a system of hoses simulating the circulatory system which they utilize to pass objects through....
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The Science of Swinging
Learners learn how a pendulum works in the concept of an amusement park ride. In this pendulum lesson, students are introduced to Newton's first law of motion and how it works in an amusement park ride. Continuous motion and inertia are...
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People and Space
Students eat dehydrated foods that the astronauts would eat in space. In this dehydrated foods lesson plan, students make lists of food they could eat, discuss how dehydration takes place, eat food, and complete discussion questions.
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Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree…You Might Become Famous
Students explore Newton's laws using CEENBoTs. In this physics lesson plan, students collect data and create tables and graphs. They calculate speed, acceleration and forces using mathematical formulas.
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How Do Things Fall?
Students observe falling objects. They discover the rate of falling is based on air resistance and not the weight of the objects. They discuss how engineers use this type of information to design aerodynamic shapes.
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Slinky® Science
Toys are great for learning about physics. Scholars use Slinky® toys to study Newton's laws of motion and types of energy. After a little play, they then model longitudinal and transverse waves with the Slinky® toys.
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Free Fall
Pupils investigate the law of gravity and how an object can accelerate while going through a free fall. They examine the influence of air resistance and how it can influence the momentum of an object. The activity contains background...
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Newton's Theory of Universal Gravitation
Students explore how Newton tied together the gravity observed on Earth and the motion of the Moon. They apply an earlier lesson about centripetal forces.
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Naturally Magnetic Elements
Students explore naturally magnetic elements. In this magnets instructional activity, students examine the periodic table of elements. Students discover the parts of an atom and determine which three elements are magnetic.
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Hot Wheels
Students observe the action produced by toy cars. In this geometry lesson, students discuss motion and distance as they relate to the movement of a spherical object.They collect data and make conjectures based on their data.
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Catapults!
Students work together to discover the relationship between the angle of catapults and the flight of different objects. They discover the heavier the object the more force is needed. They examine how engineers use this information to...