Curated OER
Where We've Been and Where We're Going
Students travel with Christa McAuliffe through space demonstrations. In this space lesson, students follow through the past to the present air travel. Students understand the benefits and problems associated with zero gravity and how it...
Curated OER
Flight
Learners are introduced to the four forces of flight--drag, lift, thrust, and weight--through a variety of fun-filled flight experiments. They "fly" for short periods and evaluate factors that might either increase or decrease their...
Curated OER
Making Life Easier
Students use a chart of the six simple machines and become aware of how the machines improve our ability to meet the following needs: shelter, food, water, and transportation. Students use model cars to experiment with force. They divide...
Curated OER
Designing and Building Catapults
Seventh graders complete a challenge to create a catapult that projects a marble or other projectile at least one meter. While experimenting they apply the Four Question Strategy to answer the question, " How can I make one modification...
Curated OER
Weathering Rocks
Fourth graders investigate what natural events cause rocks to break apart and differentiate between erosion and weathering. They conduct an experiment with plaster of paris to observe why some rocks are hard and others break, and...
Curated OER
Erosion: Slip Sliding Away
Fourth graders investigate the causes of erosion. Through several demonstrations including one using sugar cubes and warm water, they observe the effects of erosion. In groups, 4th graders conduct similar experiments and record their...
Curated OER
Simulating the Greenhouse Effect in a Terrarium
Students identify what factors effect global warming and how the greenhouse effect occurs. In this environmental lesson students view videos then complete an experiment using a terrarium to observe greenhouse gas.
Curated OER
Physics "24"
Students construct a model house or school. In this physics lesson, students research about who wind up clocks work and write an essay about it. They determine the center of gravity of different objects.
Curated OER
Animal Behavior
Students investigate stimulus-response behavior, learned behavior in animals and innate behavior in animals. In this animal behavior lesson plan, students answer questions about their reactions to a toy cap gun that is fired off in...
Curated OER
Periodic Motion - The Pendulum
Young scholars experiment to determine the period of a pendulum. In this periodic motion lesson, students use different pendulums to determine their periods. They use various amplitudes to determine its effects on the period.
Curated OER
Animals Up!
Students design and build a pedestal or platform that holds a toy animal. In this building instructional activity, students use knowledge from a prior instructional activity as they build a platform or pedestal for a toy animal using on...
Curated OER
Energy Activities
Students conduct a variety of experiments related to solar energy, heating, cooling, gravity, physical insulation and wind. They consider how the experiments relate to energy and the consumption of energy and then participate in a class...
Curated OER
A Moving Experience - Forces and Inertia
Students view a video and complete corresponding activities to observe inertia. They observe and predict the effect various forces have on objects.
Curated OER
Forces and Graphing
Learners analyze graphs to determine relationships between variables and rates of change. They determine the basic concepts about static reaction forces. They determine the slope and equation of a line.
Curated OER
Shoot for the Moon
Second graders distinguish the different phases of the moon. In this astronomy lesson, 2nd graders study the history of its discovery and myths about its origin. They simulate how the moon's surface is illuminated by the sun.
Curated OER
Bombs Away!
Students design and build a device to protect and accurately deliver a dropped egg. They review and study a number of vocabulary words that are associated with this lesson. They work in a small group in order to develop a successful...
Curated OER
Circle of Pong
Students, in groups, use given materials to devise a way to deposit a ping-pong ball into a paper cup that is located in the middle of a 6-foot diameter circle, while standing outside the circle.
Center for Precollegiate Education and Training
Buoyancy Boats
What did the sea say to the boat? Nothing, it just waved. An inquiry-based activity starts with a simple concept on the Archimedes Principle and challenges pupils to make something out of clay that floats. Then, they...
Mascil Project
Parachute Food Drop
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.
Curated OER
Rollin' On
Third graders investigate the effects of gravity on the motion of a marble on an inclined plane and a declined plane. They work in small cooperative groups to predict and explain outcomes.
Curated OER
A Veritable Circus: Investigating Balance
Students experiment with balance to learn about verticle balance, horizontal balance, center of gravity, and become active problem solvers and "scientists." Student engage in manipulating and changing experimental materials.
Curated OER
Zigzag Seeds
Students observe the effects of gravity on seeds. Students place seeds in various orientations and record their growth to determine how gravity affects the seeds' growth.
Curated OER
Weightlessness Demonstration
Students investigate gravity. For this weightless lesson students complete a lab activity about how a free fall might effect how one perceives gravity.
Curated OER
Elastic Racquet
Pupils discover the science behind a tennis racket by looking at a simple toy that works in a similar way. After looking at the related mathematical equations, students experiment with the simple toy to find the spring constant k by...