High schoolers design and launch their own rockets.  In this experimental instructional activity students launch their own rockets and record the various angles and distance that they go.  Each student has time to redesign...

Students explore Newton's Laws of Motion and how momentum is conserved. In this physics lesson, students observe experiments in which various items collide. Students draw conclusions as to how "momentum" defined as "mass X velocity"...

Students examine the law of conservation of momentum. In this physics lesson, students play marbles in order to compare the mass of the marble and velocities effects. Students receive directions of the marbles game and collect data while...

Young scholars study speed and learn how to calculate it.  In this investigative lesson students participate in an activity that shows them how to calculate speed then they fill out a worksheet.

High schoolers examine the velocities of two different falling objects. They produce distance vs. time and velocity vs. time graphs using a Motion Detector and a CBL 2 to collect experimental data. Learners analyze and interpret the...

Students design a track that keeps a ball in motion for 5 seconds or longer. In this designing lesson plan, students explore force, gravity, and cause and effect when it comes to science and building before building their own track.

Fifth graders utilize basic physics concepts to calculate speed of an object set in motion from various heights. For this basic physics lesson, 5th graders make observations, calculations, record data, and conclusions throughout experiment.

Students discuss Newton's laws of motion. The conduct motion experiments by building "Newton Rocket Cars" from assorted materials. They propel the cars with rubber bands and wooden blocks and record the distance traveled on data sheets.

Students observe water change from a liquid to a gas state when heated and then return to its liquid stage when cooled. They learn that gas molecules move faster than liquid molecules. They discover physical properties that describe how...

Students participate in a culminating activity for a unit on Energy and Simple Machines. They are challenged to incorporate simple machines in to a complex mechanical system. While designing and testing their machine they will also...

Learners research tectonic plates and their movement. For this plate lesson, students describe the motion of these plates and the boundaries between them. They look into the San Andreas Fault and explore the earthquakes associated to...

Students gain first-hand experience on how friction affects motion. They build a hovercraft using air from a balloon to levitate a craft made from a compact disk (CD), learning that a bed of air under an object significantly reduces the...

Learners incorporate different disciplines into this activity. In this science activity, students investigate the use of communicating without words, and how it is different than communicating with words. They discuss the pros and cons...

Middle schoolers design and build their own car. In this physics lesson plan, students collect data to determine the speed of the car. They plot the data on the graph analyze the relationship between variables.

Fifth graders demonstrate the ability to use scientific skills and Processes to describe forces that act upon objects to cause specific changes in motion. They identify and describe a science problem related to forces and simple machines.

Students record scientific observations in a science journal.  In this season instructional activity, students make observations about each of the seasons and record in their journals.  Students record organisms response to...

Students examine how steamships operate. They describe the necessary energy conversions. They construct a model paddlewheel ship. They use rubber bands as examples of potential and kinetic energy as they unwind and set the models in motion.

Students create a video of an object falling with a drag. In this physics lesson, students calculate drag coefficient using data from Logger Pro. They calculate velocity and acceleration of the object.

Students calculate the speed of string racers. In this physics lesson, students measure the time in several trials and get the average. They graph their results using a spreadsheet.

Ninth graders explore the concepts of motion, velocity and acceleration through graphing their own movement using LoggerPro. They become more familiar with the computer technology. Students explore graphing in real time and graph on...

Students investigate the relationship between impulse, momentum, kinetic and potential energy and aerodynamic drag. In this physics lesson, students calculate data taken from launching a rocket. They compare the theoretical and...

Students discover how molecules are in constant motion. Through a simple experiment of water containing food coloring, they observe the drops of coloring move even though the water is still. Role-playing as molecules, students stand up...

Submarines are the fous of this math and science lesson. In it, learners explore the world of submarines: how they work, and what they are used for. They engage in hands-on activities, watch video clips, and work in cooperative groups in...

Young chemists have unknown compounds they need to sort. Performing three different tests on each, the chemical behaviors they observe become the basis for data analysis.