Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Race the Track! The Time Challenge (lesson 2)

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students design a track that keeps a ball in motion for 5 seconds or longer. In this designing lesson plan, students explore force, gravity, and cause and effect when it comes to science and building before building their own track.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Magnetic Pick-ups

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Learners investigate the push and pull of magnets. In this magnetics lesson, students are introduced to the idea that there are forces that happen on earth which cannot be seen, such as electrically charged objects, magnetic force...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Powerful Pulleys

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Learners explore the building of a pyramid and how pulleys were used to change the direction of applied force. They demonstrate the mechanical advantage of using a pulley and apply it to modern engineering.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Egg Drop

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students design and create a container that allows a raw egg to drop from the second floor of a building without breaking. They develop and compute an invoice for project expenses using spreadsheet software. Students role-play a proposal...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Vectors

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students are introduced to the bridge building challenge. They perform two labs and work in small groups to finish the vector worksheet. Students review vector additions. They then move onto the Forces on an Inclined Plane Lab. ...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Building a Parachute

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders construct a parachute using specified materials in a set amount of time. They observe a toy parachute attached to a toy man and discuss what makes him move slower or faster. Then in small groups they design, construct,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Marvels of the Molecule

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students experiment with common substances to observe molecular behavior. In this molecular properties lesson, students move through four stations as they try to inflate a balloon inside a bottle, pour water from a jar, and observe how...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Space: Our Star, the Sun, and Its Friends, the Planets

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Students examine the solar system. In this space lesson, students identify the order of the planets and their relative size to the sun. Students create a scale model of our solar system using a variety of household objects.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Luge

For Teachers 6th - 7th
Students investigate the concepts of gravity and force. In this forces and energy lesson plan, students construct a luge track to be used to test the speed of various objects sliding along its surface.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring Meteorite Mysteries: Building Blocks of Planets

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students simulate the formation of chondrites and asteroids. In this astronomy instructional activity, students demonstrate accretion using balloons and static electricity. They compare and contrast their models to the actual process of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

An Invisible Pull

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders explain why objects thrown upward falls back to Earth. In this earth science lesson, 5th graders identify the forces acting on objects. They discuss why planets do not float in space.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water and Ice

For Teachers K - 2nd
Learners 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.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Chapter 3 and 4 Review

For Students 9th - 12th
In this physics review worksheet, learners complete 42 matching, fill in blank, and problem solving questions pertaining to Newton's laws, force formulas, distance formulas, and simple machines.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Ups and Downs of Weight and Mass

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students explore the concept of mass, and how it differs from weight. They also calculate their weight change as they ride up and down on an elevator. They record the changes in their weight as the elevator moves graph the collected data.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Vocab Science Chapter 1

For Students 10th - 11th
In this word search worksheet, students locate 20 words related to science. The word list includes volume, mixture, and solute.
PPT
Curated OER

Atomic Theory

For Teachers 7th - 12th
An extremely thorough presentation walks new chemists through the basics of matter. There really isn't a unifying theme, however So many topics are covered: forces, elements, atomic structure, chemical properties, compounds, quarks,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Build A Borneo Glider!

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students construct a paper glider. In this physics of gliding lesson, students first learn about Borneo and it's rainforest habitat. After students discover the way animals in Borneo glide from tree to tree, they use their newly acquired...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Magnet Circus

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students explore the properties of magnets by designing a device that can move as far as possible using only magnets to move it, and design a machine that will stay in motion for the greatest period of time.
PPT
Curated OER

Water:Properties, Chapter 3

For Teachers 11th
Hydrogen bonds, and polarity are described in this PowerPoint, and the reasons for tension and cohesion associated with water.  The states of water under certain conditions are explained with information about the changes in...
Website
American Museum of Natural History

What is Marine Biology?

For Students 6th - 12th
A marine environment covers the majority of the earth but is arguably the least understood. Teach young scientists about the characteristics of oceans and ocean species using an interactive online lesson. The in-person or remote learning...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rover Landing Design Challenge

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Students examine the concepts of forces and motion. They work together to design protective devices for their egg rovers as they are dropped from a specific height. They record their observations and discuss.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Space Weight, Gravity, and Distance

For Students 9th - 12th
For this planets in space worksheet, high schoolers calculate their weight on the 9 planets plus calculate the distance of the planets from the sun in astronomical units. This worksheet has 6 fill in the blank and 3 short answer questions.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Black Holes and Tidal Forces

For Students 8th - 10th
In this black holes and tidal forces worksheet, students solve 5 problems in which they find the tidal acceleration and answer questions about spaghettification.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Simple Machines IV - Wheels and Axles

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders study everyday examples of simple machines. They examine how the combination of a wheel and axle works more efficiently than either in isolation. In a demonstration lesson plan, they see how a spring scale shows a force...