Curated OER
Newton's Laws
Students examine and discuss Newton's Laws and discover his contribution to physics. In groups, they participate in an experiment in which they much apply the Laws to the world around them. They describe contact and conservative forces...
Curated OER
Bobsled Challange
Students investigate the effects of materials on the friction between a "bobsled" and the track. They explore the effects of weight on the motion of the bobsled. Students design a bobsled for either fast or slow movement. They discuss...
Curated OER
Numerical Determination of Drag Coefficients
Pupils create a video of an object falling with a drag. In this physics lesson plan, students calculate drag coefficient using data from Logger Pro. They calculate velocity and acceleration of the object.
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
Fun with Balloons
Fifth graders design their own hot air balloon. In this science lesson, 5th graders investigate how factors like weight and sizes affect a balloon's lifting power. They also write math problems based on facts written in the...
Curated OER
Paper Packaging Design
Middle schoolers discuss the relationship between technology and manufacturing. They then use their ideas to construct a model of a paper board carton package. Next they view a PowerPoint presentation to learn about the history of...
Curated OER
Circle of Pong
Students, in groups, use given materials to devise a way to deposit a ping-pong ball into a paper cup that is located in the middle of a 6-foot diameter circle, while standing outside the circle.
Curated OER
Action-Reaction! Rocket
Learners construct a rocket from a balloon propelled along a guide string. They use this model to learn about Newton's three laws of motion, examining the effect of different forces on the motion of the rocket. They measure the distance...
Discovery Education
Cushion It!
Sugar cubes, collide! Groups design protection systems using bubble wrap to protect sugar cubes from being destroyed by falling batteries in the STEM lesson. They consider how the experiment relates to collisions in real-world...
EngageNY
TASC Transition Curriculum: Workshop 9
Here's a workshop for teachers that rocks the academic world! Using earthquakes as a medium for instruction, educators learn about crosscutting engineering with science. Fun, hands-on, collaborative exercises encourage participants to...
Curated OER
How Do Airplanes Get Off the Ground
Students construct various types of paper airplanes, exploring action and reaction forces by conducting a paper airplane rodeo. Students then discuss how Newton's Third Law of Motion affected their planes.
Curated OER
Rocket Me into Space
Fourth graders study the concept of thrust and how it propels rockets into space. They discover why airplanes cannot travel into space while considering the engineering techniques use in designing rockets. They look at how space...
Curated OER
Pine Wood Derby Prompt
Eighth graders use Newton's Laws of Motion to assist a troop in making a winning car in the Pine Wood Derby.
Curated OER
Blast Off
Students investigate how rocket thrust is generated with propellant. They listen to a teacher-led lecture, discuss Newton's third law of motion, answer discussion questions, and view photos of rockets and rocket designs.
Curated OER
Mystery Boxes
Students make observations about Mystery Boxes that their teacher has made up and describes the motion of the object inside the box and hypothesizes it's shape based on their observations.
Curated OER
2D Kinematics w/ String Racers
Students calculate the speed of string racers. In this physics lesson, students measure the time in several trials and get the average. They graph their results using a spreadsheet.
Curated OER
Drop It!
Eighth graders explore Newton's Law of Motion that states that an object at rest stay at rest unless acted upon by an outside force and that an object in motion stay in motion unless acted upon by an outside force.
Curated OER
Newton's Third Law
Learners use inquiry and observation to explore Newton's third law of motion: for every action there is a reaction. In this physics lesson, students rotate through six stations set up with materials and picture directions illustrating an...
Curated OER
Design of Airfoils and Problem- Solving Using FoilSim
Ninth graders, after reading the explanation given below, complete the problem-solving activities to demonstrate an understanding of the concepts presented.
Curated OER
Stellarium
Students explore the rotation of the planets from various locations on Earth
Using planetarium software, they will make observations, and explain how the rotation of the planets varies based on ones location on the Earth. Students...
Curated OER
Fantastic Friction!!!
Young scholars work in small groups to list at least 10 items that have movement or motion choosing one item from the list to use as a topic for the following questions: How does this item move? How can we slow down the movement? How can...
Curated OER
Velocity
Young scholars determine the average speed of a toy car as it travels six different distances set up by Students. Three trials are done for each distance. The only requirements is that the longest distance must be at least three times...
Curated OER
Catapults!
Young scholars work together to discover the relationship between the angle of catapults and the flight of different objects. They discover the heavier the object the more force is needed. They examine how engineers use this...
Curated OER
Pop Rockets
Young scholars work together to design and build a paper rocket. They place a propellant in the contraption to make it fly. They discover Newton's third law of motion.