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Twister: The Tornado Story
Students examine dangerous weather by researching tornadoes. In this extreme weather activity, students identify the states included in Tornado Alley. Students create a virtual tornado using 2 plastic bottles.
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Machines at Work
Students discuss how simple machines have made our lives easier and construct a compound machine. For this machines lesson plan, students watch a video on machines, look at websites, and follow task cards in order to make a simple machine.
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Actual Airflow vs. Ideal Airflow: Stalls
Students use 3-D modeling techniques to observe the characteristic signature of the stall condition apparent on an airfoil at high angles of attack. They use FoilSim to compare the above with ideal airflow.
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Simple Machines - Inclined Plane
Students learn the fundamentals and daily applications of simple machines.
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Race the Track! Jump the Gap
Students record data of using a track system with variables and how those variables affect a ball used in the track. In this track lesson plan, students design their own track in groups, test the ball's rates of speed, and record their...
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Shake, Rattle and Roll
Students compare the weathering of different-sized materials. Comparisons are made and data analyzed to reach conclusions about the process of weathering. Applications can be made for the higher grades.
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Design of Airfoil for Given Lift
Students use FoilSim to design an airplane wing that generates a given lift. As they change parameters such as airspeed, altitude, angle of attack, thickness and curvature of the airfoil, and size of the wing area, the software...
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Modeling the Process of Mining Silicon Through a Single Displacement/Redox Reaction
Students study silicon and where it comes from. In this solar mining lesson students complete an Internet search of mining and a lab activity.
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Eratosthenes And Radius of the Earth
Students calculate the radius of the earth. They use the method and data suggested by Eratosthenes. They investigate the interrelationships among mass, distance, force, and time through experimental processes.
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Let's Take a Rock Apart
Students take a crushed rock and sort the remains of the rock minerals into different categories based on the different properties. In this sorting lesson plan, students learn what makes up a rock and how to sort something into categories.
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Discovering Planet X
Students investigate the movements of the planet Pluto. Students participate in a hands-on activity to record data similar to the movements of the planet Pluto. Students compare their data to that found on a website.
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Magnets
Students investigate the magnetic attraction of different materials by observing a demonstration, and review the words "attraction" and "materials." Next they conduct exploration of a number of materials which have different properties...
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Looking Blue
Students participate in a research project that is exclusively using the internet. The author states that traditional labs are hard to conduct for a light lab. This one uses the internet with the intention that students can manipulate...
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Sky and Cloud Windows
Young scholars monitor the weather, clouds, and sky. In this weather lesson, students create a sky and cloud window to focus their sky observations. They write observations in a notebook and include the date, time, cloud cover, types of...
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Lift Relationships
Students use FoilSim (downloadable) to determine how lift is affected by varying parameters on the Airfoil simulation.
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Reflecting Light
Students are introduced to the reflective properties of light and use mirrors to make light from a source reflect onto a specific target. They take turns and record the amount of time it took to correctly reflect the light.
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What is Sound? How Can We Change Sound?
In this instructional activity, students investigate the phenomenon of sound! Students compare and contrast how sound travels through solids, liquids, and gases. They explain how length and thickness affect sound. Students know the...
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Solids, Liquids, and Gases
First graders explore the properties of matter. In this states of matter activity, 1st graders conduct scientific investigations that require them to mix, cool, and heat objects in order to observe changes in the properties of matter.
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Upside-Down Wings
Students 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.
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Up, Up and Away with the Montgolfier Balloon
Learners construct hot air balloons. In this science activity, students assemble their own balloon using tissue paper and glue. They time the duration of the flight, record data and calculate team averages.
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Sars
Students discuss the Sars outbreak in 2003. In this biology lesson, students research the effect of the outbreak to the world. They create a public announcement about the topic.
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Solar System: Let's Take a Trip
Third graders consider outer space. In this introductory solar system lesson, 3rd graders complete a KWL chart and listen to the story The Magic School Bus: Lost in the Solar System, by Joanna Cole & Bruce Degen. They will contribute...
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Phases of the Moon: Cooperative Learning
Third graders examine the phases of the moon. In this moon phase lesson, 3rd graders listen to a read aloud of The Moon Seems to Change by Franklyn M. Branley and discuss the phases of the moon. They complete a moon phase calendar and...
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Strength of Water
Students perform experiments using flexible bottles of water and eyedroppers partially filled and placed in the bottle. They record what happens when they tighten the bottle lid and squeeze the bottle.