Curated OER
Thunderstorms and Lightning
Middle schoolers, in groups, investigate and demonstrate the science behind the development of lightning and thunderstorms.
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What is Lightning?
Students experiment with electricity to understand lightning. For this lightning lesson, students show how static electricity causes lightning. Students discuss questions about their experiment and gather important facts. Students...
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Lightning!
Students use aluminum, a thumbtack, an eraser, and more to create static electricity. In this static electricity lesson plan, students use this experiment to simulate lightning.
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Create Your Own Lightning
Students conduct an experiment. In this lightning instructional activity, students use a blanket and a dark room to simulate lightning.
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Static Electricity and Lightning
Students study concepts related to static electricity, based on a single example: lightning. They explain how static electricity, lightning, and sparks are all related phenomena. They draw a diagram illustrating the negative and positive...
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Lightning
Students study lightening and the history behind how it was used for electricity. In this electricity lesson students complete several experiments on the invention of the lightning rod.
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Lightning
Students uncover the science behind lightning and thunder.Theyexamine electrical attraction between like and unlike charges, and the force that creates lightning, is first explained using static electricity.
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Benjamin Franklin - Master of Electricity The Kite Experiment and the Invention of the Lightning Rod
Students study Benjamin Franklin including who he was, what he invented and his experiment. In this inventive lesson students follow the steps of Ben Franklin and build a Leyden jar.
Urbana School District
Electrostatics
Why did lightning shock the man? Because it didn't know how to conduct itself. Presentation covers electric charges, insulators, conductors, electroscopes, lightning, generators, grounding, static electricity, and more. Presentation is...
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Static Electricity 4: Static Electricity and Lightning
Students explain concepts related to static electricity, based on a single example: lightning.
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Bolts Out of the Blue
Students research different types of lightning patterns and compare their origins to an experiment on static electricity. They research different types of lightning, and explain how different light patterns result from those charges.
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Understanding Thunderstorms
For this thunderstorm worksheet, students read about thunder and lightning and the forces behind both. They also read about the timing difference between thunder and lightning. Students answer three critical thinking questions about...
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Stormy Weather
Students conduct experiments. In this weather lesson, students review what they know about weather elements such as cloud formation and storms. Students conduct demonstrations and learn how lightning strikes.
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Lightning It's Shocking, It's Frightening, It's Lightning!
Third graders decide what they want to explore lightning, how to go about finding the answers, and deciding what skills they need to further study some of their questions.
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Thunderstorms
Fourth graders examine the attraction between two different charges to investigate lightning in a thunderstorm. They complete an experiment and a worksheet.
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Miller-Urey Experiment Amino Acids & The Origins of Life on Earth
Students study the Miller-Urey Experiment including its history and criticism. In this origins of life lesson plan students repeat this experiment to see how it works.
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Storms and Extreme Weather
Students explore hurricanes and tornadoes by conducting an experiment. For this weather pattern lesson, students define many extreme weather vocabulary terms and discuss the relationship with static electricity. Students utilize plastic...
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Lightening the Load
Students explore a study of African women who are able to carry heavy loads by altering their gait; they then conduct experiments that study the relationship between exertion, weight and heart rate.
Nikola Tesla documentary student worksheet
PBS documentary: Tesla - Master of Lightning; this worksheet will keep the students engaged while watching this excellent documentary about Tesla. The documentary can be found on Netflix or YouTube. It will take two class periods to...
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Create Your Own Lightning
Students describe weather conditions and climates. They describe patterns of changing weather and how they are measured. Students explain and predict general weather patterns and storms. They use this experiment as a safe and easy way to...
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Stormy Weather
Students conduct various experiments to explore the concepts that static electricity is the cause of lightning.
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Getting A Charge Out of the Sky
Students investigate electricity from the sky. In this electricity lesson, students participate in an experiment to simulate the electric charges from the sky. Students discuss results.
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Electricity and Magnetism: From Fun to Function
Fourth graders experiment with electricity and magnetism and build an electromagnetic motor. In this electromagnetism lesson, 4th graders use household objects to show electrostatics and magnets and compasses to show magnetism. They...
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Energy Sources
Students explore a variety of sources and types of energy. The difference between energy for a person and energy for an automobile are examined. Efficiency and care for the environment are included in this experience.