Curated OER
Gases Lighter and Heavier than Air
Students explore the concept of air density. In this air density lesson plan, students fill balloons with helium and carbon dioxide. Students determine which gases are heavier or lighter than air.
Curated OER
Warm and Cold Air
Students conduct an experiment to discover what happens to air when it is heated or cooled, discover that wind moves from a high-pressure area (an area of sinking air) to a low pressure area (an area of rising air).
Curated OER
Out Of Sight Air; Weather
Fourth graders conduct an experiment to get them thinking about the invisibility of air, and to prove that air has weight.
Curated OER
Catch a Dream
Students apply the concepts of air pressure, the Bernoulli Effect, and angle of attack to build their own model planes out of paper, plastic, wooden rods, and drinking straws.
Yale University
Airplane Mathematics
The history of aerodynamics is rich with experimentation and international collaboration. Author Joyce Bryant relays this dynamic past and provides math word problems using the formula of lift, the force that makes airplanes fly. She...
Space Awareness
Fizzy Balloons - C02 in School
Carbon dioxide is a very important gas; it is present in the air, used in cooking, and supports plant and animal life. Scholars investigate the properties of carbon dioxide with three different activities. They experience a color change,...
Curated OER
Gravity Gets You Down
Students design an experiment to investigate how objects with different masses fall. In this physics lesson, students predict how these objects will fall in a vacuum tube. They write a report explaining experimental results and conclusion.
Curated OER
PLANTS LOVE AIR
Students identify that plants cannot develop adequately without air and predict what happens to the leaf of a geranium brought to class. They draw a picture of what they think the leaf will look like after a week of being covered....
Curated OER
The Weight of Water
Students examine how salt water is more dense than fresh water through experimentation with eggs.
Curated OER
Force and Gliders
Students explore physics by creating data graphs in class. In this flight properties lesson plan, students read the book Flying Machine and identify the force, resistance and construction necessary to keep a glider in the air. Students...
Curated OER
Gravity
Students explore gravitational force. Through experimentation, students observe the acceleration of objects when they fall. They examine air resistance, and how the human body is attracted to the earth. Students discover the...
Curated OER
Mankind's Fascination With Flight
Pupils discuss, examine and appreciate the science and inspiration of flight. They study the terms and mechanics of powered flight and demonstrate that the heating of air makes it lighter and therefore rise. They discuss and describe...
Curated OER
The Weight of Water
Students participate in an experiment about the weight of water. They work together to discover that seawater is more dense than fresh water. They also determine which objects float and sink.
Curated OER
Learning Lesson: Salt 'n Lighter
Students participate in a demonstration showing that as salinity increases density increases as well. They also examine the different densities of air. They discuss the amount of water displaced by large ships.
NASA
The Wright Quest
A very impressive lesson plan on the Wright brothers and their place in aviation history. Learners discover many fascinating facts about the Wright brothers and their trials and errors regarding flight. Best of all, they get to build a...
Curated OER
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.
Curated OER
Greenhouse Gases
Although the worksheet for the lab activity is not included, this is an activating activity for your class to do when learning about the greenhouse effect. They lay three thermometers underneath a lamp: one out in the open, one under a...
Curated OER
Monterey Bay
Students read background information about Monterey Bay, California, and conduct related experiments. In this ocean in motion lesson, students read information about the location, wildlife, and characteristics of Monterey Bay. They...
Curated OER
The Invention of the Airplane
Students explore the history of the airplane and the Wright brothers. In this aviation lesson students examine the Wright brothers stories and kites.
Curated OER
Greenhouse Gases Exposed
Students explore the relationship between greenhouse gases and global warming. Carbon dioxide is studied as a contributor to the problem.
Curated OER
Harvest the Wind
Wind is a natural resource available around the world. Help your pupils appreciate the power and importance of wind by researching wind farms, making pinwheels, and designing windmills.
Curated OER
Writing the Wind
Learners make a windmill. In this wind lesson plan, students learn background information about the windmill, complete an activity where they create a windmill, discuss using wind as a natural resource and brainstorm other inventions...
Curated OER
States of Matter
Students discover states of matter. In this science lesson plan, students define matter, identify states of matter, explain properties of matter, and demonstrate the various uses of the states of matter.
Curated OER
Celebrating A Century of Flight
Students investigate the Wright Brothers. They complete an online Webquest, explore various websites, use a flight simulator, answer discussion questions, and locate newspaper articles on the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers'...