Too much material will weigh you down. The sixth segment in a series of 22 highlights how weight affects a plane. Pupils learn that engineers take the properties of materials, including weight, when designing something. 

Get things moving with this extensive collection of physical science resources. Covering the fundamentals of measurement, graphing, lab safety, and experimental design as well as the specific scientific concepts...

Pass along the knowledge of the great Sir Isaac Newton with this worksheet on the laws of motion. Including three separate problems, each involving multiple parts and calculations, this resource is a great way to...

Middle schoolers recognize the effect of Earth's gravity on an object's weight. In this force and motion lesson plan students understand the role of gravity when you drop an object. Middle schoolers experiment with small items. Students...

How are forces and motion important to a swing set? Scholars explore the concepts of force and motion using swing sets. In preparation for their own STEM design project, individuals take surveys and data from peers, complete labs on...

Drop a perfect project into your lesson plans. Groups use different building materials to create models of parachutes for food drops. After testing out their prototypes, they make improvements to their designs.

Simple doesn't mean useless. Individuals learn how simple machines benefit the user by changing the amount of effort. A seven-lesson unit begins with an overview of simple machines and then incorporates activities that allow the user to...

Students calculate effects of gravitational force on planets, discuss the effects of weightlessness on the human body and describe and demonstrate how objects in a state of free fall are accelerated by gravity at an equal rate.

Student identify the three stationary positions, on the Earth, on the Moon, and in a house floating atop the cloud layers of Jupiter. They also identify the three orbiting positions, orbiting the Earth, orbiting the Moon, and orbiting...

Students study forces by examining the force of gravitational attraction. They observe how objects fall and measure the force of gravitational attraction upon objects. Students discover that, since gravitational constants are different...

Students explore satellite data and graphing. In this weather data analysis math and science lesson, students analyze NASA satellite data to draw conclusions about geographical areas where precipitation might have happened. Students...

Stop and drop what is in your hand! Pupils investigate how form effects drag in the 12th part of a 22-part unit on aviation. Groups create equally weighted objects and determine which one falls the fastest by collecting data.

Third graders review the effects of gravity on how objects move. In groups, they design a roller coaster and share it with their classmates. Using materials given to them, they build their roller coaster and let a ball roll on the...

Third graders are introduced to the concepts of force and motion. In groups, they travel between stations to analyze the effect of force and motion on various objects. They research how various careers use these concepts as well.

Learners investigate the physics of flight by experimenting in class.  In this history of flight lesson plan, students define terms such as gravity, lift, and drag in order to better understand how a plane is able to stay in the...

Balloons aren't just for parties! An inquiry-based lesson explores the idea of using balloons for space exploration. Learners become engineers as they attempt to control the ascent and descent of a helium balloon using different masses.

Students explore physics by conducting a class experiment. In this gravitational force lesson, students define several scientific terms associated with force. Students utilize a styrofoam cup and marbles to simulate a satellite crashing...

Young learners explore friction. They view a video or DVD (bibliography provided) and define terms related to friction, and work in groups to experiment with the effects of friction on speed and motion using ramps and toy cars.

Tenth graders experiment with detection techniques for black holes by modeling the rotation of galaxies with larger and larger masses in the center. They discover while some events cannot be directly observed they may be observable in...

Students investigate ways to enhance an object's flying ability.  In this model construction lesson, students construct two paper airplanes, one of which is twice as big as the first.  Students compare and contrast the two...

Use context to explain the importance of the key features of a graph. When context is introduced, the domain and range have meaning, which enhances understanding. Pupils use application questions to explore the key features of the graph...

Young scholars differentiate between the weights of an object on different planets. In this geometry lesson, students investigate different weights and graph their results as it relates to the different planets. They appreciate the...

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...

Tenth graders devise a computational model to explore how the orbit of the Earth might change if its velocity were different. Using accurately recorded data, 10th graders defend a scientific argument.