Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Calibrating a Roverbot

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners build and program a Lego Mindstorms Roverbot to travel for a given amount of time. They gather data on time versus distance traveled to determine a calibration constant for their robot, which relates time to distance.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

More Power to You

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students construct a simple galvanometer in order to detect the presence of an electric current as well as determine the amount of the current. Activity is divided into two parts, first part as group work and second as individual.
Lesson Plan
Cornell University

Airboats

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Don't let the resource blow you away. Scholars build airboats from basic materials and collect data on how far the boats move. They refine their designs taking Newton's laws into consideration.
Lesson Plan
Cornell University

Alka-Seltzer Rockets

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Blast off! An engaging hands-on activity has pupils create rockets powered by Alka-Seltzer. They learn about the physics behind these rockets throughout the process.
PPT
Urbana School District

Physics Intro, Kinematics, Graphing

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed Standards
Some consider physics the branch of science concerned with using long and complicated formulas to describe how a ball rolls. This presentation, while long, is not complicated, yet it covers rolling, falling, and more. It compares vectors...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Crash Course in Flight

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High school physicists demonstrate Bernoulli's Principle by blowing on different items and finding that they do not move in the expected direction! They apply Bernoulli's equation to the flight of an airplane. This well-organized lesson...
Activity
It's About Time

Run and Jump

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Has your class wondered how fast a human could run or how high they are capable of jumping? Help them understand these concepts as they explore acceleration and use an accelerometer to make semiquantitative measurements of acceleration...
Unit Plan
Henry Ford Museum

Physics, Technology and Engineering in Automobile Racing

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Start your engines! This five-lesson unit introduces physics and Newton's laws through automobile racing. Each lesson includes background information, a student worksheet, and an answer key. There are also culminating...
Activity
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Teach Engineering

The Great Gravity Escape

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Groups simulate an orbit using a piece of string and a water balloon. Individuals spin in a circular path and calculate the balloon's velocity when the clothes pin can no longer hold onto the balloon.
Lesson Plan
1
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Teach Engineering

Android Acceleration

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Prepare to accelerate your Android. Pupils prep for the upcoming activity in this third installment of a four-part series. The lesson progresses nicely by first introducing different types of acceleration to the class. The teacher...
Activity
DiscoverE

Air-Powered Mini Rocket

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Does the position of the clips make a difference? The activity provides directions to build and test a paper rocket. Pupils attach paper clips to the rocket in different configurations and measure the distance the rocket flies each time....
Lesson Plan
Polytechnic Institute of NYU

Potential vs. Kinetic Energy

For Teachers 5th - 7th Standards
Legos in science class? Watch your pupils fall in love with this activity. After learning to measure potential and kinetic energy, young scientists create their own ramps using Lego Mindstorm sensors and software.
PPT
Bowels Physics

Newton's Second Law

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Were it not for Sir Newton, our understanding of physics and matters of the world would be drastically different. Present your class with detailed information of Newton's Second Law as they explore the concepts of mass and acceleration....
PPT
Bowels Physics

Newton's Third Law and Law of Gravitation

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Why was Sir Newton so important to the field of science? Pupils discuss his contributions, specifically his Third Law, as they learn about gravity and the center of mass. They work multiple problems to ensure their understanding and...
PPT
Urbana School District

Vectors

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed Standards
I don't always make vector jokes, but when I do, IJK. Vector addition using multiple methods, scalar multiplication, vector subtraction, vector components, relative velocities, free body diagrams, and so much more Are covered in this...
Handout
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NASA

Water Rocket Launcher

For Teachers 4th - 12th
How can you launch an object that isn't propelled by air? The resource provides directions to build a launcher to launch rockets made of two-liter bottles. The launcher, built mainly from materials found at the local hardware...
Lesson Plan
LABScI

Catapult: Flight of the Marshmallows

For Students 6th - 12th
Watch your marshmallows fly. The engaging STEM activity has groups create a catapult to launch marshmallows. After testing their prototypes, they consider improvements and redesign their catapults.
Unit Plan
Columbus City Schools

Totally Tides

For Teachers 7th Standards
Surf's up, big kahunas! How do surfers know when the big waves will appear? They use science! Over the course of five days, dive in to the inner workings of tidal waves and learn to predict sea levels with the moon as your guide.
Unit Plan
Columbus City Schools

It’s Electric!

For Teachers 7th Standards
Shocking! Who knew so many great ideas existed for teaching middle schoolers about electricity? Find them all within this energetic framework. You'll light up at the variety of printable and web-based resources within! After building...
Activity
American Chemical Society

Exploring Energy

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
When asked to list everyday objects that require energy, most people list technology that use batteries or electricity. Through hands-on exploration, young scientists discover energy is much more than just circuitry. They play with...
Activity
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Teach Engineering

Exploring Acceleration with an Android

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Small groups use rubber bands to accelerate an Android device along a track of books. They collect the acceleration data and analyze it in order to determine the device's velocity. 
Activity
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PBS

Pop Fly

For Students 5th - 8th
A lever comes in handy when scholars build a launcher for a ping-pong ball. They test the launcher and redesign it to send the ball higher or to accommodate a tennis ball. This is the third lesson in a five-part unit.
PPT
Bowels Physics

Waves and Sound

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Explore how sound travels as waves with a straightforward lesson that explains the basics of waves in relation to sound. The presentation considers sound waves in both open and closed pipes and shows how to calculate wavelength and...
Lesson Plan
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Workforce Solutions

Newton's Laws

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Two lessons explore the connection between energy transformation and a given job. In lesson one, small groups role-play a scenario that showcases the energy transformations that may take place during a job-specific task. The second...

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