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Full of Hot Air
Students investigate technology and its many designs to make our lives easy. In this science instructional activity, students build a hot air balloon and answer specific questions about weight and rides in the hot air balloon. They...
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Race the Track! Design Challenge
Students use the design process to investigate physical science. For this force and motion lesson, design a track to achieve a specified outcome. Students complete additional experiments with speed and distance. Students...
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The Sun Affects Earth
Third graders read, write, and listen to information about the sun and its effects on the Earth.as it relates to its axis, orbit, rotate, and revolution. In this solar system lesson, 3rd graders examine how the sun...
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Crash Test Physics
Learners design and test balsa cars. In this crash tet instructional activity, students design and build their own cars to specifications. They explore the physics of motion and vehicle crash safety.
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Incline Planes
Students determine the forces necessary to move a truck on an inclined plane with weight and slope as variables. They identify the cheapest way to transport trash to local garbage disposal sites.
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Building a Roller Coaster
Students describe the law of conservation of energy. They identify the conversion between potential and kinetic energy. They investigate and describe the application of Newton's Laws of Motion.
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Deducing Induction
Students examine how changing magnetic fields induce currents in
loops and coils, determine orientation and magnitude of magnetic field,
describe Michael Faraday's experiments that led to conclusion that changing
magnetic force induces...
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The Moon Made Me Do It!
Students research about how lunar cycles affect living organisms. In this biology lesson, students prepare an oral presentation of their research results and analyses. They explore the forces that affect tides.
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Potential and Kinetic Energy
In this kinetic and potential energy worksheet, students read about energy of position and energy of motion and are given the equations to find each. Students match 11 terms with their definitions about both types of energy and the...
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A Matter of State
Middle schoolers conduct science experiments to understand that particle movement changes as a substance changes from one phase to another phase. Students record observations of experiments that involve the three states of matter:...
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Simple Machines
Fourth graders discover the principles and uses of gears noting that they can be used to change the direction of motion or the speed of an object. They may also change the force and/or distance through which an object turns. They then...
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Floating and Falling Flows
Students discover fluid dynamics related to buoyancy through experimentation and optional photography. Using one set of fluids, they make light fluids rise through denser fluids. Using another set, they make dense fluids sink through a...
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The Physics of Toys
Students explore physics by experimenting with classic toys. In this physical science lesson, students utilize gliders, energy balls, bouncing balls, marbles and other toys to explore how they work. Students explore each toy at a work...
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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....
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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...
Creative Chemistry
States of Matter Summary
For this states of matter worksheet, students are given a summary of the particle arrangement, the motion of particles, the properties of particles, and models of particles in solids, liquids, and gases. Melting, evaporating, boiling,...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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.
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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.
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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...