K12 Reader
Waves & Currents
Challenge your young readers with a passage about physical science. After reading about sound waves and electric currents, kids answer five reading comprehension questions about what they have read.
Curated OER
Sound Waves
Sixth graders discover how sound is made from vibration and moves in all directions from the source in waves. They see that sound waves can be "seen" if they are translated into light. An excellent experiment is imbedded in this lesson.
Curated OER
Multi-Talented Electrical Energy
Students explore energy conversions by demonstrating the conversion of electrical energy into light, heat, sound, and magnetic energy. Students create a simple device that converts electrical energy from batteries to heat, light, sound...
Curated OER
Comparing Light Bulbs
Fifth graders compare filaments in different light bulbs. In this science lesson, 5th graders view the filaments of light bulbs under a microscope.
Curated OER
From Vibration to Sound
Students observe a series of demonstrations to illustrate wave movement. In this sound wave lesson, students witness how objects create waves when dropped in a dish of water, use a rope and slinky to produce transverse and longitudinal...
Curated OER
Let There Be Light
Fifth graders explore electricity. In this electricity lesson, 5th graders experiment with open and closed circuits. Students determine how to properly connect a battery and bulb to illuminate the bulb.
Curated OER
The Rain Forest
Students research the rainforest and re-create it using music, lighting, and sounds.
Curated OER
Energy: Light -- Spinning Color Wheel
Second graders make spinning color wheels to determine how energy effects what colors look like. They paint or color a color wheel with the seven colors of the spectrum. Next, the spin the wheel to determine what happens. In order to...
Curated OER
Understanding Waves
Students examine the physical properties of waves to explore the word crest and trough. They use toys to study waves in air, water and light.
Curated OER
Take-Home Midterm Exam #3
The University of Hawaii has published a vast collection of midterm and final exams for their Physics 152 course. This particular exam offers a variety of assessment methods, and covers the topic of electromagnetic radiation....
K12 Reader
Converting Energy to Motion
Combine science and reading skills with a reading comprehension exercise. Kids read four paragraphs about energy conversion and answer some reading comprehension questions about the information they have read.
Scholastic
Study Jams! Renewable Fuels
A single slide introduces each of the following renewable energy sources: hydroelectric, wind, geothermal, solar, tidal, and biomass. This provides a succinct overview that you can use as a visual aid when you first introduce alternative...
Scholastic
Study Jams! Current Electricity & Electric Circuits
Set to upbeat instrumental background music, eight slides present pictures of electrical wires, batteries, and appliances, Each slide is accompanied by a few sentences that introduce viewers to concepts related to current electricity....
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.)
Curated OER
Motion Commotion!
Students explore the drawings of Rube Goldberg to design and construct a simple machine. They discuss simple machines, and using various materials and toy parts, design and construct a "Rube Goldberg" style machine to ring a bell.
Curated OER
Energy At Play
If you can find Tinker Toys™, then this may be a fun assignment for your physical science class. Using the construction set and a few other toys, they examine the forces involved when it they are being played with. For each, they...
Curated OER
Growing plants
Young scholars explore plants and recognize that they are living things that require light and water to grow; students identify, name and match the parts of plants.
Curated OER
Sounds of the Wetlands
Students identify the sounds of different bird calls. In this biology lesson, students create a sound map. They explain how this method is important in tracking wildlife.
Curated OER
Ears and Hearing
Students explore vibrations and sound waves. In this lesson about hearing, students use experiments to determine how sound waves travel. Students use a saucepan, rice, and a plastic cover for one experiment and a tube, plastic wrap, a...
Curated OER
Using Waves on the Job!
A colorful and comprehensive PowerPoint highlights this lesson on waves. Junior geophysicists pretend that they are hired to analyze seismic waves. A worksheet is provided to go along with an online article about how compact discs work...
BBC
Ourselves
Young biologists identify parts of the body, sort humans from other animals, and list the difference they see. Learners are split up into groups of three, and each group must find pictures in magazines of humans and other animals. They...
ARKive
Nocturnal Animals
How do those nocturnal animals see in the dark? This perplexing question does have an answer. First, little ones use their sense of touch to determine the name of a mystery object, then they listen closely to identify various animals by...
Curated OER
Telecommunication
Each of these slides has notes for a teacher to support the activities that are planned for the students. The slides give details and facts about sound waves. Although this slide show delivers useful information about the sound waves,...
Curated OER
Sound Box
Students make simple observations and identify relevant variables, such as frequency and diameter. They then discuss the relationship between variables. The task assesses students' abilities to make simple observations and make...