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Race the Track! Design Challenge

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Young scholars use the design process to investigate physical science.  In this force and motion lesson, design a track to achieve a specified outcome. Students complete additional experiments with speed and distance.  Young...
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Simple Machines

For Teachers 1st
First graders discuss work, force, and energy. They study how work is done. Students discuss various types of work that are done. They act out how work is done. Student draw pictures of types of work they have done.
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Newton Must have Been a Sports Fan

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students examine Newton's Laws. In this law of motion lesson, students observe Newton's three laws of physics demonstrated by the teacher. They apply other examples to Newton's first law of inertia.
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Simple Machines

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders are introduced to the six types of simple machines and discover how they make tasks easier. In groups, they rotate between stations to experiment with the different types of simple machines. To end the lesson plan, they...
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Sky and Cloud Windows

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Young scholars monitor the weather, clouds, and sky. In this weather lesson, students create a sky and cloud window to focus their sky observations. They write observations in a notebook and include the date, time, cloud cover, types of...
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WHAT HOLDS US TO EARTH?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners they imagine they are Galileo and try to duplicate Galileo's experiments and results.
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Newton's Laws

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders distinguish between and apply Newton's Laws. They take a quiz reviewing Kinetic and Potential Energy. Students explain that they have just demonstrated Newton's three laws of motion. They also explain what forces are...
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The Bricklayer's Lesson in Physics

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students read a simulated report, written to an insurance company as explanation for a claim of medical benefits. They list the collisions that resulted in the injuries, and identify the forces involved which caused the injury.
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Exploring Simple Machines

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Students investigate simple machines. In this simple machines instructional activity, students study how simple machines work. Students determine the function of various simple machines.
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Where the Rubber Meets the Road

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders examine two different types of tires and the effects of different factors on the amount of force needed to overcome sliding friction such as when the vehicle tries to stop.
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Water and Ice

For Teachers K - 2nd
Learners explore the physical properties of water.  In this water lesson, students observe, measure, and describe water as it changes state. There are 2 extensions for this lesson that one can access via the Internet links provided.
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Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree…You Might Become Famous

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students explore Newton's laws using CEENBoTs. For this physics lesson, students collect data and create tables and graphs. They calculate speed, acceleration and forces using mathematical formulas.
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Worksheet 33

For Students 11th - Higher Ed
In this math worksheet, students state Newton's second law of motion and his law of gravity. Then they state Kepler's three laws of planetary motion.
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Roebling and Suspension Bridges: A Thread of Steel

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students create a model bridge using steel. For this bridges lesson plan, students study John Augustus Roebling and how he created bridges out of steel and the impact it had on society. Then students build their own bridge model.
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Gravity Launch

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Young scholars examine how gravity affects launching rockets into space. In this physical science lesson, students review the concept of gravity and use an interactive online site, "Gravity Launch," to simulate a rocket launch.
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Full of Hot Air

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students investigate technology and its many designs to make our lives easy. In this science lesson, students build a hot air balloon and answer specific questions about weight and rides in the hot air balloon. They analyze their data...
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Volume of Gas

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders investigate the effect of temperature on the volume of a gas in a closed container. They measure the height of the water in their beaker/container, conduct their experiment, and create a graph to illustrate their data.
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Applied Science - Technology (2A) Post Lab

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders explore simple machines. In this technology instructional activity, 2nd graders look at pulleys and gears and what the uses are for each. They complete a worksheet comparing the two. 
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Science in baseball

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders examine how science is used in everyday activities, such as baseball.
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Study of Projectile Motion using Straw Rockets

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers design and launch their own rockets.  In this experimental lesson students launch their own rockets and record the various angles and distance that they go.  Each student has time to redesign their rocket and...
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Ahimsa as a Moral Force

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the concept of Ahimsa. In this peace and tolerance lesson, students discuss Gandhi's application of Ahimsa and Satyagrah as they view the motion picture titled, "Gandhi." Students also discuss how effective Gandhi's...
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Fuel and Air Relationships

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Pupils 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.
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How Fast Does the Sun Spin?

For Students 8th - 10th
In this rotation of celestial bodies activity, students determine the speed of the sun's rotation and they determine the number of days it takes the sun to rotate once at the equator. They identify the geometric factor that causes...
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Characteristics of Energy

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders view a video and create a KWL to identify energy sources. In this energy sources activity, 4th graders explore the meaning of energy, kinetic energy, potential energy, thermal energy, radiant energy, and electrical energy....