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Balance, Rhythmns and Stomp Rockets
Students practice stepping and jumping, using specified foot action, in rhythm. In groups, they practice jumping onto stomp rocket launchers and demonstrate how to increase the distance by raising the angle of the launcher. After each...
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Matter & Subatomic Particles
Seventh graders divide into small groups to construct several models. Each group builds with an accompanying chart showing the colors of gumdrops used for the protons, electrons, and neutrons.)
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Transformations of Energy
Seventh graders investigate the relationship between energy and matter, and measure the mass of various objects. They listen to a teacher-led lecture about potential energy, and in small groups measure the mass of various objects such...
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To Spread or Not to Spread
Students explore the difference between the three types of contrails. In this contrails lesson, students make observations of contrails and record them. Students identify the three types of contrails and complete an experiment activity.
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Catapults!
Students work together to discover the relationship between the angle of catapults and the flight of different objects. They discover the heavier the object the more force is needed. They examine how engineers use this information to...
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The effectiveness of Antacids
Students design and conduct a scientific experiment to test which of four antacids would be most effective for neutralizing acids. They rank the antacids in order from most effective to least effective and explain how they determined...
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Properties of Matter: "Sink or Swim"
Third graders recognize that different materials have different properties which can be observed such as texture and bouyancy, and compare and contrast, through observation, ability of some objects to float because of action of...
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Combustion Reactions
Learners write a balanced chemical reaction. They articulate how burning fossil fuels increase the carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. Students incorporate all the environmental risks involved as well.
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Current Thinking About Magnets
Students construct their own magnet and wire device. In this inquiry instructional activity, students investigate the factors affecting the strength of magnetic forces. They manipulate different variable to determine their effect.
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Using Mathematic Models to Investigate Planitary Habitablity
Students examine how the sun's intensity affects the temperature on various planets. They determine whether or not these planets could be habitable. Finally, they factor in the average albedo of the planets to determine whether or not...
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How Can Sounds Be Different
Second graders explore energy and motion. They investigate how sound energy moves in waves. Students explore how sounds are varied and how the instruments that make those sounds are built. They observe sounds being produced and predict...
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Help Wanted: A Lighting Engineer For Popular Rock Group
Middle schoolers are assigned to groups, and determine each member's role in the group. They will design an experiment to determine a way to produce the three primary and five secondary colors. Students discuss color and mood. They...
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How Much Energy is a Kilowatt Hour?
Students study the conservation of energy. In this energy lesson plan students explain the differences between potential and kinetic energy.
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Fast Food: You Can Choose!
Students research the nutritional value of fast food. They assess which fast foods are best and worst to eat. They organize their data into tables and graphs and explain their findings to other students.
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Electricity Layered Curriculum
Students describe how electric charges exert forces on each other as well as compare the strengths of electric and gravitational forces. They distinguish between conductors and insulators. In addition, students examine voltage and...
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Catapults
Students are introduced to the concept of a catapult and how it is used with the help of a media presentation. They use catapults in a large, open area and record the distances objects travel. Students use the scientific method while...
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Capacitors
Students explain the concepts of charge storage and how a capacitor works. They construct a capacitor and measure the stored charge using the appropriate equipment and measurements. They also demonstrate capacitance and how it can be...
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Harvesting Oil from the Earth
Fourth graders research sources of fossil fuels especially oil while determining how scientists take core samples from an Earth model. They look at oil consumption and production in the US and throughout the world.
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Strawkets and Thrust
Students investigate the effect of thrust on rocket flight. They construct two paper rockets, one with a smaller exit nozzle, and compare/contrast the distances traveled by the rockets.
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Fuel Mystery Dis-Solved
Students describe how temperature and surface area exposure affect the rate at which fuel is consumed. They explain why engineers want to know about the properties of a fuel when designing rockets. They create a bar graph of result data.
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Strawkets and Control
Students investigate the effect that fins have on rocket flight. They construct two paper rockets that they can launch by blowing through a straw, one with fins and one with wings, and observe and record the results of the rocket flights.
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Deposition
Students follow carefully designed instructions to bond silver to glass thus creating a mirror. The process used, Brashear's Process, uses sugar rather than formaldehyde to reduce the compounds, but many of the chemicals are dangerous,...
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Super Glue Fuming of Latent Fingerprints
Students explore latent fingerprinting. They observe a supervised demonstration of the process that real-life crime scene investigators sometimes use to identify latent fingerprints. In addition, they brainstorm ways to improve the...
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Upside-Down Wings
High schoolers use FoilSim to demonstrate that the graphic analysis of the airflow around one object can be used to hypothesize airflow graphs for objects as they are elongated from a sphere to an airfoil shape.