Every year we discover new planets including more than 1,000 in 2016 alone. Will we ever find life on another planet? The lesson includes two activities to help scholars understand this concept. First, they analyze the temperature range...

The Galle crater on Mars is also known as the Happy Face crater because of its appearance. First, scholars use pebbles and flour to simulate craters and study their properties. They then apply this knowledge to help decipher the history...

Young scientists learn how to select a scale factor for a large scale model. Then they figure the scale for each of the planets and the distance between them. Finally, they construct a giant scale model of the solar system and answer...

This physics pun really hertz, but this STEM lesson plan can help. The inquiry-based activity has young scientists create a testable question about electromagnetic strength; plan and implement their own experiments; and record and...

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...

Is the ice cooling down the water or is the water melting the ice? Here is a simulation that explores thermal energy transfer with iron, brick, and water. It demonstrates the flow of energy and what happens when each material is either...

Apply the concepts of conservation of energy to a skater to introduce a fun way the concepts apply to real life. Scholars build tracks, ramps, and jumps then analyze the various types of energy and friction. For an added challenge,...

Keep calm and half pipe. An exciting simulation teaches pupils about energy transfer from potential to kinetic and thermal as a skater moves through a half pipe or other track. After a brief introduction, scholars can build their own...

Scholars work through three different activities applying their knowledge of total internal reflection (TIR). First, they simply identify which diagrams create TIR and which don't. Next, they match different types of boundary behaviors...

While only briefly mentioned in most Physics books, plane mirrors and their applications offer the basics necessary for future studies. While working through an interactive, pupils demonstrate knowledge of both reflection and its forms....

Most have felt a static electricity shock, but what actually causes it? Scholars observe, develop a hypothesis, experiment, and learn about static electricity. Through multiple short writing samples, they describe static electricity in...

Car crashes provide an excellent way to study kinetic energy transfer. Scholars explore energy through hands-on simulated crashes. They work together to design their own experiments and apply the knowledge gained to a situation that...

Learners investigate the effect of thin films to surface friction. In this physics lesson, students calculate the coefficient of friction using mathematical formulas. They discuss its importance in their everyday lives.

Eighth graders explore the three laws of motion. In this physics lesson, 8th graders observe teacher demonstration and explain what happened in terms of Newton's Laws. They complete worksheet at the end of the lesson.

Students study Ohm's Law 2 after completing an activity about Ohm's Law 1. They determine how long it takes to charge a battery. They examine if it is better to use batteries in series or parallel circuits.

Students identify and disuss the various laws that are in place in their commmunity. In groups, they illustrate the different laws and write a description. As a class, they discuss the reasons why the laws are necessary and their...

Students read 3 creative scenarios about Santa Claus and choose which of the 3 laws of motion are being demonstrated in each.

Students describe the relationship between temperature and volume. In this chemistry lesson, students perform an experiment and record their their results. They use Charles' law to explain their observations.

Students explore how temperature is related to air pressure and introduces students to Charles' Law through the lens of relational causality.

Sixth graders study Newton's second law of motion and verify it.  For this force and motion lesson students complete a lab activity and collect data, analyze it and graph it. 

Students construct a solar system model. In this space science lesson, students calculate the eccentricity of a planet's orbit. They calculate the period of a planet's revolution using Kepler's formula.

Students use inquiry and observation to explore Newton's third law of motion: for every action there is a reaction. In this physics lesson, students rotate through six stations set up with materials and picture directions illustrating an...

Students examine the impact of everyday toxins on the health of people. They conduct a cost-benefit analysis, watch a video, conduct Internet research, complete a Synthetic Chemical Exposure Chart, and write a one-page summary.

Students role-play expert witnesses in a mock trial dealing with contamination of groundwater. They prepare for the role-play by studying the movement of groundwater and the transport of contaminants through computations, map exercises...