Curated OER
Circuit Lab
Students explore the properties of electricity. This lab shows students the need for a circuit in order to have a flow of electricity. It demonstrates Ohm's law, which relates voltage, current, and resistance.
Curated OER
Simple Harmonic Motion
Students study harmonic motion and its oscillation. For this simple harmonic motion lesson students demonstrate a series of regular oscillations and explain the theory behind the experiment.
Curated OER
WHAT HOLDS US TO EARTH?
Middle schoolers they imagine they are Galileo and try to duplicate Galileo's experiments and results.
Curated OER
Communications
Students incorporate different disciplines into this lesson. In this science lesson, students investigate the use of communicating without words, and how it is different than communicating with words. They discuss the pros and cons of...
Curated OER
Weight and Velocity
Middle schoolers perform an experiment in order to determine how increasing weight affects the velocity of a truck and use the computer to compile their data.
Radford University
Rocket Quads
How high will it fly? Pairs build straw rockets and launch them at different angles and determine the height and horizontal distance of the flight path. Teams make conjectures about how the angle affects the measured distances and use...
Curated OER
Wig-wag Physics
Learners make observations on the effects of a small, medium and large weight on the movement of a wig-wag apparatus. They use their observations to develop a generalized inference of the effect weight on movement patterns.
Curated OER
Newton's Third Law
Students describe an everyday situation which demonstrates Newton's Third Law. They state Newton's Third Law;"Every action has an equal and opposite re-action, or every force has an equal and opposite force" in their own words. ...
Curated OER
Gyrocopters-Producing Rotary Motion
Students demonstrate rotary motion by practicing with gyrocopters. For this physics lesson students work in groups to construct a gyrocopter and explore how physics effect it torque and inertia.
Curated OER
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...
Curated OER
Building And Launching a Model Rocket
Students are introduced to the basic parts of rockets and the physical forces at work in the flight of rockets. They build and launch a model rocket and discuss the challenges of launching a real rocket.
Curated OER
Newton Must have Been a Sports Fan
Students examine Newton's Laws. In this law of motion lesson, students observe Newton's three laws of physics demonstrated by the teacher. They apply other examples to Newton's first law of inertia.
Curated OER
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...
Curated OER
Water and Ice
Students explore the physical properties of water. In this water lesson, students observe, measure, and describe water as it changes state. There are 2 extensions for this lesson that one can access via the Internet links provided.
Curated OER
Principles of Flight
Students explore the principles of flight. In this flight lesson, students construct a model plane and investigate the forces acting on the flier. They will measure the thrust and calculate the stored energy.
Curated OER
A Model of a Scanning Tunneling Microscope
Ninth graders explain how a scanning tunneling microscope works. In this chemistry instructional activity, 9th graders construct atomic models and simulate how their images appear under the STM. They discuss the limitations of their...
Curated OER
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...
Curated OER
Activity Two--Psyching Out the System (Student Page) Asking Questions, Using Clues
Students observe two-dimensional shapes and work on the challenge that what is observed is as important as what is not observed.
Students determine constructions, rules and connections.
Full references listed for further reading and...
Curated OER
Airplanes
Fourth graders experiment with gravity and lift by building paper airplanes. In this physics lesson, 4th graders compare the falling rate of a crumpled vs. flat sheet of paper. Then after class discussion and demonstration of Bernoulli's...
Curated OER
Shipwreck Alley
Students examine the different types of vessels used in commercial shipping. In this commercial shipping lesson students apply force and motion to problems of marine safety.
Curated OER
Sediment Sleuths
Students classify sediments based on their physical characteristics, such as size, shape and color. They identify and describe rocks and minerals that are common to their region of the state.
Curated OER
3-2-1 Blast Off!
Students explore physics by participating in a flight experiment. In this rocket design lesson, students discuss the scientific process and how chemical reaction can create the energy needed to boost a rocket. Students utilize...
Curated OER
The Civil War: Through the Eyes of Hoosier Women-
Fourth graders explain and analyze changes and interactions of Hoosier women in major social and work roles during the Civil War. They recognize and compare the contributions of both women on the home and war fronts.
Curated OER
Committing to Nonviolence: A Lesson from Viva La Causa
Students examine the social change movements of the American 20th century. In this nonviolence lesson, students research the work of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Caesar Chavez. Students compare and contrast the social...