Curated OER
Let's Get Moving
Students participate in sports activities that relate to motion, velocity and momentum. They produce a PowerPoint presentation after researching the activities.
Curated OER
Finding Balance
Young scholars examine the relationships between force, mass and balance through the lens of clay sculpture. They discuss the definitions and concepts behind Newton's Third Law of motion then individually apply these principles to the...
Curated OER
Friction
Students compare and contrast the movement of objects on different surfaces, experimenting with friction and forces of motion. This friction lesson has numerous online tools including worksheets and virtual activities; the option is also...
Curated OER
Hovercraft
Students assess human impact on water quality. They determine how the force of friction retards motion. Pupils describe and measure quantities that characterize moving objects and their interactions within a system: Time, Distance,...
Curated OER
Newton Rocket Car
Learners observe a demonstration of Newton's third law of motion using a small wooden car. They discuss Newton's third law of motion and what happens to motion if the mass or acceleration is increased, construct their car, and record...
Curated OER
Newton's First Law Crash!!
Students examine Newton's first law of motion and demonstrate how it applies to cars. In this motion lesson students complete an experiment and worksheet on speed and inertia.
Curated OER
Blast Off!
Fourth graders investigate the third law of motion. In this third law of motion lesson plan, 4th graders explore the forces necessary for a rocket to launch. Students compare and contrast propellant and fuel. Numerous resources are...
Curated OER
Crash! Bang!
Students study the physical force of linear momentum by investigating collisions. They analyze the difference between elastic and inelastic collisions. They calculate linear momentum.
Curated OER
Simple Machines
Students explore the concepts of force and effort by observing simple machines. In this physics lesson, students attempt to sharpen a pencil without any help, bite into an orange with their lips curled over their teeth, and other...
Curated OER
Introduction to Work
Fifth graders define work, force, and energy and calculate work done using a simple formula. They observe the teacher using an Equi-beam and identify the fulcrum, calculate different work problems, and participate in a class discussion.
Curated OER
F = a, Inertia, and Friction
Fourth graders use a matchbox car to push across a hard surface and observe what happens. They then push the car across a soft or rough surface and discover what happens. The two ideas are discusses as Newton's First and Second Laws of...
Curated OER
The Moon Orbits the Sun?!?!
Students calculate the strength of gravitational force exerted on the moon by the sun and earth. In this orbital instructional activity students view a demonstration to see the gravitational forces between bodies.
Curated OER
Junkyard Wars-Investigating More Electromagnets
Fourth graders conduct an investigation in order to determine a way to change the strength of an electromagnet's magnetic force. After conducting "control" lifts with their electromagnet, groups make initial changes, record data, and...
Curated OER
Keep In Touch: Communications and Satellites
Fourth graders explore communications by reading assigned space science text. For this satellite lesson, 4th graders identify the concept of orbiting and examine gravitational pull by viewing diagrams. Students are assessed based on...
Curated OER
Force Counterforce
Middle schoolers hypothesize what forces affect the motion of a falling body. In this physical science lesson, students create diagrams and illustrations to support their hypothesis. They perform the experiment and record observations.
Curated OER
Sand in Bottles
Eighth graders calculate the speed of bottles as they roll down a ramp with varying amounts of sand inside. Using their data, 8th graders estimate speed of three labeled bottles with different amounts of sand and compare those results...
Curated OER
Working in Space
Students design and build one of three engineering problems dealing with living and working in space.
Curated OER
Freestanding Structures: A Tech Museum Floor Activity
Students attempt to design the tallest structure that they can with the given materials which are wooden dowels and rubber bands. They discuss the physics of their structure and how they would improve it the next time they built a...
Teach Engineering
Just Plane Simple
It is plane to see that simple machines help reduce the force needed to perform a task. This resource introduces three of the simple machines--the inclined plane, the wedge, and the screw, and the formulas in order to be able...
Curated OER
Robot Gears
Young scholars build simple gear trains and record data to discover how to compute gear ratios. They investigate the definition of torque and how torque can be increased or decreased in a gear train.
Curated OER
Newton's Third Law
Students use inquiry and observation to explore Newton's third law of motion: for every action there is a reaction. In this physics lesson, students rotate through six stations set up with materials and picture directions illustrating an...
Curated OER
Physical Setting: Physics Exam 2004
Twelve pages of mostly multiple-choice questions comprise this comprehensive New York Regents physics exam. It covers an entire year's worth of physics curriculum and requires about three hours for completion. Review the questions to...
Curated OER
Regents High School Examination - Physics 2010
Give every type of learner in your physics class an opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned throughout the year. From analyzing tables and graphs, to evaluating diagrams and solving problems, there is an outstanding variety of...
PHET
Measuring the Interplanetary Magnetic Field
Scientists need to figure out how to measure interplanetary magnetic fields, but the magnetic field of the spacecraft is interfering with their readings. Scholars attempt to solve the problem that has perplexed NASA scientists for years.