Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Falling

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders explore the earth's gravitational force. They discuss objects in motion and the concepts of pulls and pushes. Students investigate the idea that falling and gravity can be useful in connection with various sports...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Many Drops of Water Can Fit on a Penny?

For Teachers 1st - 6th
Using a simple method, learners explore gravity, cohesion, and adhesion. They perform an experiment in which they determine how many drops of water can fit on a penny. Afterwards, they discuss their results.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Makes Airplanes Fly?

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students examine force and conduct activities that model parachutes and helicopters.  In this airplanes lesson students identify the forces that make airplanes fly higher and land. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Simple Machines I - Inclined Planes, Wedges, and Screws

For Teachers 4th
The principles and uses of inclined planes, screws, and wedges are the focus of a science lesson. In it, youngsters come up with every day examples of simple machines, and build an example of one in class. That project is then used to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Floating Fishes: How do Fishes Control Buoyancy?

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Playing with balloons, water, oil, and bottles help put this lesson over the top! Participants use air-filled balloons in water tanks to experience gas compression. They also use oil-filled bottles to experiment with buoyancy. Included...
Assessment
Curated OER

Fall 2005 Midterm Exam #1

For Students 9th - Higher Ed
You've got the power! With this physics midterm, you have the power to assess learners' grasp of electricity concepts. The exam is neatly formatted and provides a variety of question types: true or false, multiple choice, and problem...
Lesson Plan
NASA

The X-1 Paper Glider Kit

For Teachers 5th - 12th
After reading an interesting account of how the X-1 aircraft was designed, built, and utilized, young engineers try their hand at constructing a paper glider version of the airplane. They cut out the plane out of a nicely designed...
Lesson Plan
Oceanic Research Group

Heat Transfer and Cooling

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Astronauts train underwater to simulate the change in gravity. An out-of-this-world unit includes three hands-on activities, one teacher demonstration, and a discussion related to some of the challenges astronauts face. Scholars apply...
Activity
NOAA

Boat Building Challenge

For Students 3rd - 5th
Scholars build a boat using an assortment of materials such as foam plates, aluminum foil, and skewers, then test its buoyancy with pennies. Challenge boat builders to construct the strongest or fastest boat in a healthy competition with...
Interactive
Physics Classroom

Getting a Handle on Torque

For Students 9th - 12th
Do your young physicists get a little unbalanced when it comes to talking about torque? Scholars examine the effects of weight and distance on a balanced system with a simple interactive from the Rotation and Balance series. The resource...
Lesson Plan
Discovery Education

Jets in Flight

For Teachers 9th - 12th
This Discovery Education activity provides the information needed to understand the basics of flight. Before taking off, young pilots learn the eight stages of the engineering design process. Small groups then design and build...
Activity
DiscoverE

Pipe Maze

For Teachers 3rd - 12th Standards
Here's a lesson that is simply a-MAZE-ing! Introduce science scholars to pipeline systems through a hands-on project. Partnered pupils participate in the design, construct, and test a PVC pipeline maze. Reusable materials and clear...
Unit Plan
Southwest Educational Development Laboratory

Simple Machines

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Simple doesn't mean useless. Individuals learn how simple machines benefit the user by changing the amount of effort. A seven-lesson unit begins with an overview of simple machines and then incorporates activities that allow the user to...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Forces in Action

For Students 3rd - 6th
In this forces in action worksheet, students identify types of forces, label forces of action, and draw forces of action as they respond to 6 short answer questions.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Multimedia to Learn Textbook Science

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students work in cooperative groups to produce multimedia presentations to explain how the movement of a yo-yo. Students research information about force and motion and relate it to the movement of the yo-yo.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Describing Motion

For Students 9th - 12th
In this motion learning exercise, students will use Newton's third law of motion to compare the force of objects on Earth with objects on Jupiter. This learning exercise has 5 short answer questions.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Why Do Things Fall?

For Students 6th - 8th
In this universal gravitation worksheet, students fill in the blanks to complete sentences with 11 given terms about gravity, inertia, acceleration, mass and force. Students also answer 7 questions about mass, weight and force.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Acceleration, Drag, Gravity, Motion, Forces, and Friction

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders build and run mousetrap cars in order to measure distance, time, and mass for their cars. They use these measurements to calculate average speed and kinetic energy, then create a slide show to visually explain how the car...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Gravity (Newton's Laws of Motion): A Weighty Subject

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students identify Newton's Laws of Motion. They students explore Newton's Laws of Motion and apply the second law with a classroom activity. The videos will provide visual examples of the effects of gravity while riding on a roller coaster.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Tides of Change Worksheet (Part 2)

For Teachers 9th - 11th
In this tides worksheet, students visit specified websites to view information. They explore the mass of the sun and moon, the force of gravity between two objects, and the ratio of the distances from the earth to the sun. Students...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hanging Around

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students explore weight by building a spring scale and observing how it responds to objects with different masses. Each team of students can make their own spring scale by following steps which are specifically outlined in the plan. As...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Aerodynamics

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students discover the basic principles of aerodynamics, including the roles and identity of natural forces involved. They examine how the force of gravity is overcome by the curved shape of an airplane wing and air pressure.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Forces and Machines

For Students 7th - 12th
In this forces and machines worksheet, students will review vocabulary associated with forces including friction, inertia, and work. Students will also explain how simple machines help to do work easier. This worksheet has 10 matching, 6...
PPT
Curated OER

Motion and Force

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
This physics PowerPoint defines the concepts of motion and force. The slideshow consists of an explanation on how motion and force work and give students the chance to demonstrate motion and force through an experiment. The directions...