Curated OER
How Do You Make A Tornado?
Students create a tornado in a bottle. In this climate and weather lesson plan, students review basic information about tornadoes and thunderstorms. Students make a tornado in a bottle and write about what they learned from the project....
Curated OER
MASS
Students distinguish between weight and mass. They examine how in oscillations of a mass against an elastic spring--in the absence of gravity, or in horizontal motion--the length of the oscillation period is proportional to the square...
Curated OER
Electricity's Attraction
Middle schoolers explore the different features of a roller coaster using an interactive website. In this physical science lesson, students explain the role of science to make this thrill ride possible. They develop a creative...
Curated OER
Weather, Climate and Atmospheric Process
Students explore Earth science by completing a could identification activity. In this weather lesson, students discuss the different forms of measurement for the weather of Earth. Students discuss global warming and examine a list of...
Curated OER
Levers
Fifth graders participate in a review discussion of the parts of a lever, resistance or load, fulcrum, and effort. Next, they complete activities at six experiment stations while collecting data that they share with the class. While...
Curated OER
Sound Waves
Students explore sound. In this "sound" science lesson, students define sound and explain how sound travels. Students experiment with paper cups and string to conclude how sound travels. Students research a chosen aspect of sound with a...
Curated OER
Egg Walk Challenge
Students design plastic shoes to walk on eggs without breaking them. In this pressure lesson, students consider all the factors needed to design shoes to walk on eggs without breaking them. Students calculate the PSI pressure, the force...
Curated OER
What Makes Thing Fly?
Second graders study lift, drag and thrust from a real flight instructor. In this physical science lesson students build and fly paper airplanes and experiment with variations and design.
Curated OER
Swinging Observations
Students build a pendulum type swinging apparatus and make specific and selective observations using what they know about scientific observations. They look for regularities of movement, patterns, and systemic changes over time.
Curated OER
Gyrocopter - Describing Rotary Motion
Students calculate angular displacement, velocity and acceleration of gyrocopters. In this physics lesson, students compare data taken from 3 different gyrocopters. They explain how differences in construction material affect rates of...
Curated OER
VECTORS
Ninth graders explore vectors. In this vectors lesson students complete a lab activity.
Curated OER
Looking at The Force on a Vehicle
Learners build a vehicle following technical drawings. They set up a system to pull the vehicles. Students compare and discuss how the motion of the vehicles changes more or less weight on a string is used to pull them.
Curated OER
Soda Straw Rocket Activity
Students construct a rocket using soda straw. For this physics lesson, students determine the nose cone length that produces the best rocket. They explain the importance of using a control in an experiment.
Curated OER
Technology of the Deep: Experiments with Buoyant Forces
Young scholars conduct a series of experiments to study the effects of temperature and salinity on the buoyancy of an object in water. They devise ways to make floating and sinking objects neutrally buoyant.
Curated OER
Keep It Hot
Students design and conduct an experiment to explore the insulating abilities of different materials for keeping a liquid in a paper cup warm. A small group of lab partners test four different materials: black paper, white paper,...
Curated OER
Study of Projectile Motion using Straw Rockets
High schoolers design and launch their own rockets. In this experimental lesson students launch their own rockets and record the various angles and distance that they go. Each student has time to redesign their rocket and...
Curated OER
Science: Generating Electricity
Eighth graders examine the various methods of generating electricity and explain their commonalities. They determine what is the most common source of energy and what are the potential environmental health hazards due to electrical...
Curated OER
Earth System Science
Students explore the Earth and its ability to support life. They discuss the geosphere and the water cycle and complete the Water Wonders activity. After completing the activity, they respond in their journals and reflect upon the...
Pennsylvania Department of Education
Energy in Motion
Fifth graders explore energy transfer. In this thermal energy lesson, 5th graders stretch rubber bands several times and estimate the band's temperature change. Students identify this action as an example of thermal energy. Students...
Curated OER
Falling Motion
Students design and conduct an experiment on Galileo's Rule of Falling Bodies. In this physics lesson plan, students collect and analyze data. They create a presentation and share it with the class.
Curated OER
Physics of Roller Coasters
Students design a roller coaster and demonstrate their knowledge of Potential and Kinetic Energy. They determine the average velocity a given marble travels on their roller coaster and apply their knowledge of various measurement systems...
Curated OER
Investigating Motion, Forces, and Energy Lab Book
Eighth graders create their own experiements using toy trucks, cars or balls to measure the time it takes two of them to travel 5 meters, as well as at each 1 meter interval. They make use computers to make a time/distance graph and...
Curated OER
Building the Car (Mechanics and Motion)
Students design and begin building a car out of K'NEX parts after a class discussion on the components of the car, the constraints and goals of the design, the type of testing that will be performed, and a demonstration of a basic...
Curated OER
Simple Machines: Levers
Students discover the fundamentals and daily applications of simple machines. They practice basic engineering theory through their hands-on demonstrations of levers.