Fifth graders investigate situations that show how kinetic and potential energy are exchanged. They determine how friction is a source of energy transfer from kinetic to thermal energy by experimenting with a car and track. They answer...

Students explore Earth science by completing energy worksheets in class. In this energy forms instructional activity, students identify and define a list of energy vocabulary terms and a K-W-L chart. Students view a matter video clip in...

Pupils investigate the use of biomass as a fuel. They discuss energy and its uses in their homes. They explore the two types of energy, potential and kinetic and examples of both types. They study the process of photosynthesis and...

Students are able to give specific examples of what to do and what not to do during given safety situations, and classify materials as metals, polymers, ceramics/glass, or composites. They are able to distinguish between chemical and...

Learners use this introductory lab using a tennis racquet, however it is very difficult to study because of the strings and the racquet stretch so little and so quickly during a match that students were unable to make simple...

Students examine Library organization. In this logic lesson, students watch a Between the Lions episode and consider how the library has been organized. Students each list their 3 favorite book titles and how they would classify them....

How does the dirt get out of your drinking water? A hands-on activity introduces the use of flocculants to help clear solid particles out of water. The plan walks learners through the process of setting up an experiment that...

Young scholars discover the science behind a tennis racket by looking at a simple toy that works in a similar way. After looking at the related mathematical equations, students experiment with the simple toy to find the spring constant k...

Students investigate conservation laws using a potato launcher. In this physics lesson plan, students measure angles, time and distance of the potato. They discuss applications of experiments like this.

Learners apply their knowledge of friction, drag, mass and gravity as they design, build, and test mini-bobsleds.

Students define thermal equilibrium. They distinguish between internal energy and heat. Students describe how the quantity of heat that enters or leaves a substance is measured.

Students calculate, measure and identify the hardness of various chocolate bars. They determine the hardness of the chocolate bar using quantitative data. Students make observations of the hardness of chocolate while dropping the...

Students identify the five major alternative energy sources. For this physical science lesson, students assess the advantages and disadvantages for each type of energy. They complete a concept map using information they researched.

Eighth graders engage in a variety of activities in order to investigate the basic concepts of physics. They read and answer questions in a written text. This is only one type of activity that is part of many others.

Don't kick the resource to the curb; you'll definitely regret it. Future engineers devise a kicking machine that launches a ping-pong ball toward a target. They can use a pendulum, a rubber band, or both, depending on whether they want...

Students show that energy is conserved in the laboratory. They calculate the work done by a force on an object as the product of the force and a displacement of the object from a reference point.

Students explain how conservation of energy applies to roller coasters. In this physics lesson, students construct their own coasters according to a specified criteria. They make modifications to their design when necessary. 

Seventh graders investigate a change from potential energy to kinetic energy and discuss the concept of waves carrying energy. They, in pairs, work on an experiment which is guided by a worksheet imbedded in this plan.

Middle schoolers compare and contrast kinetic and potential energy. They complete demonstrations of each and test the effect of varying mass and height on each type of energy. They complete a worksheet to end the instructional activity.

Young scholars drop water from different heights to demonstrate the conversion of water's potential energy to kinetic energy. They see how varying the height from which water is dropped affects the splash size. In seeing how falling...

Seventh graders discuss how energy is transformed from one form to another. For this physics lesson, 7th graders design and build their own hydro generator. They identify the factors that affect its energy production.

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.

Students describe how to recognize a force, define balanced and net forces, state Newton's first law of motion, explain why friction works, state Newton's second Law of Motion, and explain why the direction of force is important.

In this reactions worksheet, students use graphs showing reaction progress to determine if the reaction is exothermic or endothermic, the activation energy, and the enthalpy of change. This worksheet has 1 graph, 7 short answer, and 16...