Curated OER
Lift and Drag: Principles of Flight and the Soaring Imagination
Students construct models of early gas balloons and gliders. In this balloon and glider lesson, students create models of early gas balloons and gliders, discover how the forces of lift and drag effect aircraft in flight, and put on...
Teach Engineering
Adapatations for Bird Flight - Inspiration for Aeronautical Engineering
It's a bird, it's a ... device made to mimic birds. The eighth installment of a nine-part module has pupils read various articles to learn about bird flight. They consider the implications for aeronautical engineering.
Curated OER
Newton's Third Law of Motion
Seventh graders are introduced to Newton's Third Law of Motion. In this physics lesson students examine the concept of thrust as one of the forces acting on aircraft.
Teach Engineering
Windy Tunnel
Lift—it is about the wing's attack. Using a virtual wind tunnel, pupils investigate wing shape and angle of attack. Learners use worksheets to record their observations and to convert verbal relationships into mathematical equations in...
Curated OER
Demonstrating the Kinds of Energy
Learners experiment with inner tubes, weights, flasks, and pistons to demonstrate the gas laws. In this molecular motion instructional activity, students demonstrate pressure as a force per area. They conduct an experiment to show the...
Curated OER
How Do Airplanes Get Off the Ground
Pupils construct various types of paper airplanes, exploring action and reaction forces by conducting a paper airplane rodeo. Students then discuss how Newton's Third Law of Motion affected their planes.
WindWise Education
How Does a Windmill Work?
Can my windmill pick up a weight? Given the same set of materials, groups design and build the most efficient windmill. On the first day, groups concentrate on getting a windmill to spin, while on the second day, they modify their...
Curated OER
Rockets and Payloads
Pupils investigate Newton's Second Law of Motion as they predict the effect of a payload on the amount of energy needed to lift a rocket vertically. The constraints of the weight of the equipment carried to Mars is compared to the...
Curated OER
Build a Bubble-Powered Rocket
In this law of action and reaction worksheet, students build a bubble powered rocket using a film canister, paper and effervescing tablets to create bubbles inside the canister of the rocket. The pressure inside causes the canister to...
DiscoverE
Siphon Pump
Defy the laws of gravity. A simple activity has learners create a siphon pump for water. The challenge is to get water to flow upwards through a tube.
Discovery Education
Mood Music!
Grouchy? Sad? Here's a great resource that shows kids how music can be used to lift their spirits. Kids collect and chart data on the effects of music on emotions. After analyzing the results of their experiment, they develop...
Curated OER
Energy: The Universal Currency
Science stars examine the concept of energy by thinking about everyday situations. The lesson plan is incohesive. It lists goals for the student, but doesn't address all of them in the content. The best use of this resource would simply...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
CSI Wildlife
Can DNA fingerprinting prevent the extinction of elephants? Young scientists learn about DNA fingerprinting before applying their knowledge to case studies of elephant poaching. The first case requires them to match the DNA from a tusk...
Curated OER
What is Momentum?
In this momentum worksheet, students will calculate the maximum forward momentum of the Apollo 11 lunar spacecraft at three different stages of its space travel.
Ergonome
Preventing Computer Injury
Do your hands cramp up after a long day of typing? Learn the proper and ergonomic ways to type on a keyboard with a helpful "hand" book. From relaxing elbows and wrists to massaging and stretching tired hands, the strategies in the book...
Curated OER
Force and Motion Project
In this force and motion worksheet, students create a picture book and answer 7 questions on force and 12 questions on motion. There are 4 extra credit questions.
Planet e-Book
1984
An eBook edition of 1984 is now available for classroom use. George Orwell's famous dystopian novel is downloadable for free for individual computers, tablets, or phones.
Bowels Physics
Work, Energy, and Power
Work, energy, and their relationship to power: what is the common thread? Explore this with your class as they learn the concepts of work and energy, both kinetic and potential, before completing multiple practice problems to...
Teach Engineering
Human Power
How many humans does it take to power a light bulb? The 10th part of a 25-lesson Energy Systems and Solutions unit has learners conduct an experiment to calculate power. They then use the results to determine how many classmates they...
Cornell University
Alka-Seltzer Rockets
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.
Teach Engineering
Fun with Bernoulli
Reduce the pressure in the classroom. The second instructional activity in an Airplanes unit of 22 introduces the class to Bernoulli's Principle. Pupils demonstrate the principle by blowing between different objects causing a reduction...
Teach Engineering
Machines and Tools (Part 2)
Which pulley system will give us a whale of a good time? Teams compare the theoretical and actual mechanical advantages of different pulley systems. They then form a recommendation for how to move a whale from an aquarium back to the ocean.
Curated OER
Extreme Fitness
The title of this article from the New York Times is "The Cult of Physicality". So are you wondering what this article might be refering to? Well, then read on and find out more about what some call extreme fitness. There is a...
Curated OER
Bernoulli's Principle
Students explore Bernoulli's principle, how it is related to flight, and the effect of lift, thrust, and drag on flight. They design and develop an experiment that tests for distance traveled by their paper airplane, and record and...