Bonneville
The Great Marble Drop
Mike and Kellie, a team of electrical engineers, demonstrate how to to design a contraption that accurately drops a marble onto a target. The materials needed and general instructions are provided on the website or via a downloadable...
Curated OER
Junior Solar Sprint Series: Gears and Drive Belts
Activate middle schoolers' minds with this physical science activity. Learners vary the diameter of gears and the number of teeth on them to find how energy output is affected. This writeup features well-developed background information...
Flag House
Play Well with Others…Be Active Against Bullying!
Bully-free is the way every school should be! How can you help create that kind of culture in your school? A well-written teacher's guide containing lessons for grades 6-8 may be just the ticket. Each unit, separated by grade level,...
Curated OER
Simple Machines, Engines and the Environment
Fourth graders calculate the mechanical advantage of an inclined plane. In this physics lesson plan, 4th graders identify the different types of simple machines and their uses. They give examples of compound machines.
Curated OER
Motion Commotion!
Students explore the drawings of Rube Goldberg to design and construct a simple machine. They discuss simple machines, and using various materials and toy parts, design and construct a "Rube Goldberg" style machine to ring a bell.
NOAA
Oceans of Energy
Are the earth's oceans really just giant batteries, waiting for their energy to be harnessed? Middle school mechanical engineers will be shocked by the amazing amount of energy that forms around them after diving into part four of a...
Curated OER
A Focus on Mechanical Friction
Students explore mechanical friction. They perform experiments to observe the direction of mechanical motion and the difference between rolling and sliding friction. Data results on the experiments are recorded and students answer...
Bully Free Systems
Bully Free Lesson Plans—10th Grade
Two lessons, "What Does Cyber Bullying Look Like?" and "Factors Influencing My Reporting the Bullying of Others," serve as examples of the 12 included in a Bully Free curriculum. Each plan includes discussion questions, an activity, and...
Bully Free Systems
Bully Free Lesson Plans—Ninth Grade
"Bullying and Prejudice" and "Do You Cyber Bully," two lessons from a complete Bully Free program, serve as samples of the approach used in a unit designed to bring awareness to and to combat bullying. Each instructional activity asks...
Bully Free Systems
Bully Free Lesson Plans—11th Grade
It takes courage to stand up to bullies. Two sample lessons from a complete Bully Free curriculum, "Courageous and Brave Bystanders" and "Assertiveness Skills for Bullied Students and Empowered Bystanders" provide participants with...
Bully Free Systems
Bully Free Lesson Plans—12th Grade
Two sample lessons from a curriculum unit on bullying provide high school seniors with an opportunity to assess their online and cell phone behavior and to consider how they can offer support to bullied students. Each plan includes an...
Cornell University
Investigating and Modeling Hardness
Model hardness testing with a self-designed hardness test. Young scholars rate the hardness of different types of aspirin using the Vicker's Hardness scale. They then relate hardness to the solubility of each aspirin tablet.
Curated OER
Cosmic PE Bowling
Learners explore fitness through participation in a lifetime activity. They are shown the mechanics, scoring, etc for bowling. Students recieve PE twice a week during this time. They have what is called "Cosmic Bowling in PE" during...
Columbus City Schools
History Helps When It Comes To Plate Tectonics
Get ready to move, shake, slip, and slide with a well-rounded plate tectonics unit! The engaging resource includes everything you need to inspire eighth grade science scholars, from worksheets to demonstrations. Assess their...
NOAA
El Niño
El Nino, La Nina ... and the Santa Maria? The 11th installment of a 23-part NOAA Enrichment in Marine sciences and Oceanography (NEMO) program explains the mechanism of El Nino/Southern Oscillation. Pupils use previous data to determine...
US Department of Energy
Building the Basic PVC Wind Turbine
Here is a comprehensive and well-written lesson plan that results in learners building a standard wind turbine. Once built, teens can design a variety of experiments to test different factors. This activity is a noble undertaking that...
Science Matters
Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources
Did you know there are at least 12 different energy sources? Scholars apply their knowledge about the different types of energy as they sort energy sources by renewable and nonrenewable. Then they pick one from each section to explain in...
Science 4 Inquiry
Introducing the Types of Energy
Young scientists explore many different types of energy including light, heat, nuclear, sound, potential, and more. They match the types of energy and identify when energy transfers from one type to another.
Curated OER
Breaking It Down
Seventh graders explain the mechanism of digestion. In this biology lesson, 7th graders perform an iodine test to check for the presence of starch. They discuss how energy travels through the food chain.
Lerner Publishing
Living or Nonliving
It's alive! Or is it? Through a series of shared readings, whole class activities, and independent exercises children explore the difference between living and non-living things, creating a pair of printable books to demonstrate their...
Columbus City Schools
Making Waves
Learning about waves can have its ups and downs, but a demo-packed tool kit has the class "standing" for more! Learners gain experience with several different wave types, organizing observations and data, and wave terminology. The...
Curated OER
Movement of Air Diorama Activity
Learners make a diorama to illustrate the process of mechanical airflow. For this movement of air lesson, students discuss ventilation and air movement indoors. Learners discuss ventilation systems and study pictures of the systems....
Curated OER
Simple Machines, Engines and the Environment
Learners examine and describe the six main simple machines. In groups, they work with an inclined plane to calculate the ideal and actual mechanical advantages of the plane. Using their results, they must determine the efficiency of the...
Curated OER
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,...