Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sound Waves

For Teachers 4th - 6th
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sounds Like Science - Kazoo

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students discover that energy is needed to produce sound. They see that identifying where the energy comes from enables us to control the type of sound produced. They play the kazoo and manipulate the sound in a variety of ways.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Friction: Friend or Foe?

For Teachers 4th
Using a hands-on approach, learners explore the effect of friction on objects. Learners use toy cars, shoes, wood, metal, and more to experiment with the causes and effects of friction. Afterwards, they conduct experiments in which they...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Physics of Roller Coasters

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Young scholars study the physics used to design today's roller coasters.  In this engineering lesson students complete several activities including designing their own roller coaster. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Changing Ramp Heights

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students conduct an experiment to determine how the change in ramp height affects the distances a ball is able to move a stationary cup. Data is collected from several trials and recorded and analyzed.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

More Power to You

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students construct a simple galvanometer in order to detect the presence of an electric current as well as determine the amount of the current. Activity is divided into two parts, first part as group work and second as individual.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Simple Harmonic Motion

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students explain the theory of simple harmonic motion (SHM) by performing hands-on, practical application experiments.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Marvelous Magnets

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Students identify and classify magnetic and nonmagnetic materials and metals. After determining which materials and metals are magnetic, students create a data table and classify items by two different criteria. Students e-mail various...
Lesson Plan
Rochester Institute of Technology

Skateboard Performance Testing

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Perform an activity on performance testing with a activity focused on the purpose of wheel bearings on skateboards. Learners conduct performance testing on a skateboard to collect and interpret data.
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Sound

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Add a little music to your next physics class. Pupils discuss how frequency determines pitch and take part in several activities designed to teach them more about sound, melody, resonance, and vibrations. They use materials to construct...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Capturing Wind Energy

For Teachers 10th - 11th
Students investigate technology and make a correlation between technology and the weather. In this science lesson plan, students experiment with the weather and climate using technology to help them understand forces and motion. They...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Building a Roller Coaster

For Teachers 9th - 12th
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.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Constancy and Change

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders investigate how objects can move in different ways. They move in different ways across the room and develop a class list of movement words. Students also conduct a measuring motion experiment, create a bar graph for the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Full of Hot Air

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students investigate technology and its many designs to make our lives easy. In this science lesson, students build a hot air balloon and answer specific questions about weight and rides in the hot air balloon. They analyze their data...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Physics of Toys

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Keep It Hot

For Teachers 8th - 12th
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,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earth System Science

For Teachers 4th - 6th
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Falling Motion

For Teachers 2nd - 8th
Students design and conduct an experiment on Galileo's Rule of Falling Bodies. In this physics lesson, students collect and analyze data. They create a presentation and share it with the class.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Design a Bobsled

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Young scholars apply their knowledge of friction, drag, mass and gravity as they design, build, and test mini-bobsleds.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What is a Wheel and Axle?

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Stuents explore wheels and axles and how they maka machine move. After a teacher demonstration, students construct a wheel and axle. Students explore the circumference of the wheel. They compare the wheel sizes, speed, distance, and load...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Slam On the Brakes!

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders study the concept of momentum and its application by Newton in his studies. They view a demonstration and complete an experiment with toy cars on a racetrack that shows them the properties of momentum and how velocity and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Proportionality: The X-Plane Generation

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students meet NASA researchers who describe the relationship between force, energy and motion. They discuss how NASA's experimental X-plane is being tested to make space travel more reliable and show how proportionality and ratios are...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pendulum Patterns

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students identify the variables involved in the motion of a pendulum. In groups, they research how each different variable is related to the energy the pendulum produces. They share their results with the class and compare them with...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Newton's Laws and Rocketball

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students investigate Newton's Three Laws. In this Newton's Law lesson, students write the laws in their own words. Students then do an experiment with a ping pong ball. Students drop the ball from a set distance and record their results,...