Curated OER
Free Up the Ketchup!
Students, in teams, use given materials and their knowledge of Newton's First Law to create a device that will remove a sticky ping pong ball from a 16-oz. cup (which represents ketchup stuck in a bottle.)
Cornell University
Airboats
Don't let the resource blow you away. Scholars build airboats from basic materials and collect data on how far the boats move. They refine their designs taking Newton's laws into consideration.
Cornell University
Alka-Seltzer Rockets
Blast off! An engaging hands-on activity has pupils create rockets powered by Alka-Seltzer. They learn about the physics behind these rockets throughout the process.
Curated OER
Crash Course in Flight
High school physicists demonstrate Bernoulli's Principle by blowing on different items and finding that they do not move in the expected direction! They apply Bernoulli's equation to the flight of an airplane. This well-organized lesson...
Curated OER
F = ma, Inertia, and Action-Reaction
Fourth graders apply concepts of Newton's Laws in scientific inquiries. Use this activity to have your charges test and identify the characteristics of objects that make them easier or harder to push. After a teacher-led demonstration,...
LABScI
Catapult: Flight of the Marshmallows
Watch your marshmallows fly. The engaging STEM activity has groups create a catapult to launch marshmallows. After testing their prototypes, they consider improvements and redesign their catapults.
NASA
Gravitational Waves
Young scientists participate in a hands-on experiment to explore Einstein's theory of relativity in a creative manner. They investigate various waves and compare their characteristics as they discuss how each wave is created....
Curated OER
Puttin' It All Together
Learners explain the concepts of kinetic and potential energy and how it can change forms. In this energy, motion, and frictional forces lesson students participate in a hands on activity that includes calculating energy.
Curated OER
Temperature Changes Everything
Pupils determine the effect of temperature on the motion of particles. They study the difference between particles in a gas, liquid, and a solid and see how the characteristics of solids, liquids, and gases can be explained by particle...
Curated OER
Falling
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...
Curated OER
The Raw of Newton’s 3rd Law
Students identify the action and reaction forces acting on the CEENBoT. In this physics lesson, students describe everyday applications of Newton's 3rd Law. They create a cluster word web about this law.
Curated OER
Secondary Robot
Students identify the forces acting on a stationary/constant velocity robot. For this physics lesson, students draw a free body diagrams of the forces. They explain the difference between zero acceleration and zero net force.
Curated OER
Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree…You Might Become Famous
Students explore Newton's laws using CEENBoTs. In this physics lesson plan, students collect data and create tables and graphs. They calculate speed, acceleration and forces using mathematical formulas.
Curated OER
Forces and Motion -- The Downhill Racer
Students examine the movement of a car on an inclined plane and on a flat surface. Using the amount of drops the car releases, they determine if it was traveling at a constant speed or not. They graph the velocity and acceleration rates...
Curated OER
FORCES, MOTION, AND ENERGY
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.
Curated OER
Balloon Rockets
Students, after reviewing and analyzing Newton's third law of motion, make balloon rockets and experiment with a variety of models. After the experiment, they chart the results and form conclusions. In addition, they compare/contrast...
Curated OER
Wind Power
Students explore wind energy. For this wind power lesson, students create models of wind turbines and experiment with changes that will help efficiency. Students watch a video on wind power and discuss. Students work in groups to create...
Curated OER
Transfer of Motion and Force
Students work in groups to discover how to move an object down a zip line. For this engineering design lesson, students find how to use a cup to move a marble, the most efficient way. Students explain the...
Curated OER
Acceleration 1
In this acceleration worksheet, students use weights to increase the mass affecting the force on moving objects. Students plot a graph of their data and answer 3 questions about how the acceleration of the toy skateboard used in the...
Curated OER
Movement of Objects
Ninth graders investigate motion. In this science lesson, 9th graders conduct experiments on objects to analyze motion and speed. They define motion in everyday life.
Curated OER
Newton Must have Been a Sports Fan
Students examine Newton's Laws. For this law of motion lesson, students observe Newton's three laws of physics demonstrated by the teacher. They apply other examples to Newton's first law of inertia.
Curated OER
Science: Avalanche!
Eighth graders examine avalanches after reading excerpts from John Muir's book, "The Yosemite." In small groups, they conduct experiments with flour, sugar, and potato flakes representing different snow consistencies. Then, 8th graders...
Curated OER
Helium Balloon Race
Students determine the force of a helium balloon that allows it to rise a specific distance. In this helium lesson students calculate the amount of paper needed to construct a weight and determine the density of a piece of...
Curated OER
Wonders of Weather
Students understand the destructive force of a tornado. They learn the role of a thunderstorm in the creation of a tornado.