American Museum of Natural History
Atomic Mobile
Structure an activity around atoms. Learners use their knowledge of the parts of atoms—the protons, neutrons, and electrons—to build a model of a carbon atom. Scholars create a nucleus by using clay balls to represent the protons and...
National Wildlife Federation
Sensory Discovery Walk
Let your senses be your lead. Pairs of pupils blindfold their partners and then lead them around nature areas. They use their senses to find landmarks and create maps with their findings. Once they create their maps, they go back to the...
American Institute of Physics
African American Physicists in the 1960s
Physicists Herman Branson and Tannie Stovall provide young scholars with two very different perceptions of the status of African American physicists in the 1960s. After reading and comparing the bios of these two men, class members read...
Curated OER
Surface Friction and Wear Characteristics of Common Materials
High schoolers identify the factors affecting friction. In this physics lesson, students construct their own rocket car and race them. They graph the average speeds and discuss how lubricants affect friction between rubbing surfaces.
Curated OER
Chemical Changes
Fourth graders examine and identify chemical and physical changes in a variety of substances. They observe a vinegar and baking soda demonstration, and a water, laundry detergent, and Epsom salt mixture demonstration. They discuss the...
Curated OER
Evidence of Chemical Change
In this chemical change worksheet, students conduct 4 experiments set up around the room. They follow the instructions at each station for each experiment and list the physical properties and observe any changes at each station. Students...
Curated OER
Fun With Chemical Changes
Fifth graders observe and identify the differences between chemical and physical changes. In small groups they mix different substances together in glass beakers, and identify which had a chemical change, supporting their statements...
Curated OER
Chemical Fun
Fifth graders observe and conduct a variety of experiments to differentiate between physical and chemical changes. They mix cabbage juice with different liquids and record their observations on a chart. Students write down their...
Curated OER
Soapy Solids
Students observe and explain how a change in temperature causes a physical change in a substance. In this physical science lesson, students use a soap making kit to observe the effects of adding heat to the bar soap as they...
Curated OER
The Bouncing Ball
Students use the scientific method to conduct an experiment to test how a ball bounces. In this inquiry-based physical science and scientific method activity, students drop a ball from specified heights and record the rebound, then...
Curated OER
Investigating the Relationship of Mass to Volume
Third graders explore the relationship of mass to volume. In this physical science instructional activity, 3rd graders participate in an investigation with a several materials and measure the mass and volume using scientific tools....
Curated OER
Hot and Cold Colors
Students examine how temperature effects changes in materials. In this physical science lesson, students use food coloring and cups of water of varying temperatures to observe the effects temperature has on matter. Students predict and...
Curated OER
String Telephones and Musical Straws
Fourth graders investigate pitches of sound. In this physical science lesson, 4th graders participate in two activities that help them explore pitch--one activity has them working with string telephones and the amount of tension...
Curated OER
Magnets
Students complete a series of experiments using magnets. In this physical science and magnetism lesson, students first predict and test the magnetic properties of various objects, then students determine if the size of a magnet impacts...
Curated OER
Simply Circuitry and Series Circuit
Young scholars investigate a series circuit. In this physical science activity, students use a battery, switch, and light bulbs to build an electrical circuit. Young scholars identify the standard symbols being used in electric circuitry.
Curated OER
Solving Imaginary Crimes
Students participate in a forensic science activity. In this crime solving lesson, students investigate fingerprints, and other crime scene evidence to solve an imaginary crime.
Curated OER
Properties of Water with a Splash of Color
Students explore the properties of water. In this cross curriculum art and physical science activity, students experiment with a variety of materials to demonstrate the cohesive forces and adhesion of water. Students create a water color...
Curated OER
Coupled Resonant Pendulums
Students discover every pendulum has a natural vibration cycle that depends on its length. In this physical science lesson plan, students participate in an experiment that shows the natural vibration frequency of two pendulums is...
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network
Noodling Around: Powers of Ten
How many noodles long is your classroom? Find out when engineers of all ages explore measurement through the use of pool noodles. With the noodles pre-cut to certain metric lengths, the activities could be used to introduce the metric...
Virginia Department of Education
Metals, Nonmetals, and Metalloids
How can one easily classify metals, nonmetals, and metalloids? Pupils answer this question as they experiment with unknown substances and perform tests on conductivity, brittleness, and malleability to determine...
NASA
Space Shuttle Glider
Your charges will enjoy putting together this model of the space shuttle and completing the three challenge activities described in the lesson. The worksheets embedded in the plan that pupils use to cut out their gliders are beautifully...
Curated OER
Velocity of Traffic on Highway 26
Physics fanatics time five cars as they pass on the highway. They use the times and a 20-yard distance to calculate velocity. They also graph distance vs. time. A page of student pre-lab questions is provided in addition to the activity...
Virginia Department of Education
Properties of Compounds and Chemical Formulas
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.
Curated OER
Motion in Two Dimensions
Two activities employ the use of kinematic equations for determining projectile ranges. They both require the use of a toy dart gun. Included in this resource are both the teacher's guide and student laboratory sheets. This is an...