Curated OER
Rockets
Learners explain the basics of rocketry and explain the relationships between mass, acceleration, and thrust.
Teach Engineering
Get Me Off This Planet
What do Newton's Laws have to do with getting from Earth to Mars?The activities in this resource show how Newton's Laws work with rockets to get them into space. Background information includes facts about orbits and how orbits are used...
Curated OER
Aqua-Thrusters!
Students construct their own rocket-powered boat called an "aqua-thruster." These aqua-thrusters will be made from a film canister and will use carbon dioxide gas - produced from a chemical reaction between an antacid tablet and water -...
Curated OER
Blast Off!
Fourth graders investigate the third law of motion. In this third law of motion lesson, 4th graders explore the forces necessary for a rocket to launch. Students compare and contrast propellant and fuel. Numerous resources are provided.
Curated OER
Learn to Build a Rocket in 5 Days
Students explore physics by participating in an engineering activity. In this rocket lesson, students define a list of scientific vocabulary terms such as "re-engineering" and "trade-off." Students identify the rocket creation process by...
Curated OER
Strawkets and Weight
Students investigate the effect that weight has on rocket flight. They construct a variety of straw-launched rockets that have different weights, observe what happens when the weight of a rocket is altered by reducing its physical size...
Curated OER
Aircraft vs. Spacecraft
High schoolers investigate differences between aircraft and spacecraft, and the differences in propulsion systems. They build pinwheel airplanes and balloon rockets. An interactive activity quizzes students on thrust.
Curated OER
Rocket Me into Space
Fourth graders study the concept of thrust and how it propels rockets into space. They discover why airplanes cannot travel into space while considering the engineering techniques use in designing rockets. They look at how space...
Curated OER
Bottle Rocket Lesson
Students design a rocket that stays on air for the longest period of time. In this physics lesson plan, students research the function of different rocket components. They test their design and make necessary modifications.
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Gravity Launch
Getting a ship into orbit isn't rocket science. Oh, wait...that's exactly what it is! Learn the basics of the concepts of thrust, launch angle, and gravitational pull in this fun and progressively challenging game.
NASA
NASA Engineering Design Challenges - Spacecraft Structures
What kind of design challenges are there in building structures to support rocket engines? The unit takes design teams through the process of building the lightest possible thrust support structure that can withstand the necessary forces...
Curated OER
Balloon Staging
Students explore rocketry using balloon rockets. They demonstrate how rockets can achieve greater altitudes by using the technology of staging. By using two inflated balloons that slide along a fishing line, they simulate a multistage...
Curated OER
Blast Off
Students investigate how rocket thrust is generated with propellant. They listen to a teacher-led lecture, discuss Newton's third law of motion, answer discussion questions, and view photos of rockets and rocket designs.
Curated OER
Thunderbirds: Forces
Students investigate the concepts of thrust and how rockets are launched into the air. They watch a clip of the television show Thunderbirds, and draw a basic diagram of the Thunderbird ships, labeling it with arrows to identify the...
Curated OER
Balloonautics
Young scholars are introduced to basic aerodynamics through a discussion of thrust and drag and a hands-on activity. They examine the forces of thrust, drag, air pressure, aerodynamic shapes and Newton's Third Law Of Motion.
Curated OER
Fuel Mystery Dis-Solved
Learners 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.
Curated OER
Understanding the Four Forces of Flight
In this four forces of flight learning exercise, students read a 1 page article on flights, answer 5 questions with multiple choice answers, draw a line to connect the four forces to their definitions and answer 1 short answer scenario.
Curated OER
Balloon Staging
Students discover how rockets can reach a higher altitude by using staging. They use balloons to demonstrate this concept and then practice with rockets. They discuss the results to end the lesson.
Curated OER
Antacid Tablet Race
Students compare the reaction rates of effervescent antacid tablets under different conditions. They investigate methods of increasing the power of rocket fuels by manipulating surface area and temperature.
Curated OER
How Do Probes Get To Space
Learners investigate how force works to propel rockets into outer space. In this physics lesson, students use a drinking straw, fishing line, a balloon, and tape to explore how force works in outer space. Learners repeat the experiment...
Curated OER
Gravity Launch
Young scholars examine how gravity affects launching rockets into space. In this physical science lesson plan, students review the concept of gravity and use an interactive online site, "Gravity Launch," to simulate a rocket launch.
NASA
Pop Can Hero Engine
Hang a soda can from a string and watch it spin by the force created by water streaming out of slanted holes. This plan provides background information, detailed materials and procedures, discussion questions, a lab worksheet, and...
Curated OER
Gravity Launch
Students use an online interactive to launch a rocket from earth. They have control over the angle and thrust of the rocket to discover the relationship between the two.
Curated OER
Newton's Third Law of Motion
Seventh graders are introduced to Newton's Third Law of Motion. In this physics lesson students examine the concept of thrust as one of the forces acting on aircraft.