DiscoverE
Launch It
Launch pupil interest in rockets. Scholars build rockets out of straws and balloons to learn about Newton's Third Law of Motion. Their task is to hit a target five feet away. It's not as easy as it seems!
Curated OER
3-2-1 Pop!
Pairs of space scientists or junior physicists construct and deploy antacid-powered rockets. Through this activity, they observe Newton's Laws of Motion. The plan is detailed and well-organized. Resource links include professionally...
New Mexico State University
Lab 6: Kepler's Laws
A 15-page package thoroughly teaches your physics or astronomy learners about Kepler's three laws of planetary motion. Each one is stated and explained. Class members answer questions, solve problems, and participate in the classic...
NASA
Eclipse Activity Guide
Ever made solar s'mores? Or recreated the solar system using peanuts? Astronomers young and old investigate all things solar using a variety of activities. Explore how the sun works, types of light it emits, and methods of charting the...
It's About Time
The Mu of the Shoe
What is mu? Emerging scientists explore the coefficient of sliding friction, or mu, and apply its concepts as they complete activities in the interesting lesson. They measure the sliding friction between soles of their own athletic shoes...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Scientific Inquiry Using WildCam Gorongosa
How do scientists determine what questions to ask to meet their research goals? Help your class develop an inquiry mindset with a lesson based on studies in the Gorongosa National Park. Partners create their own research questions by...
Curated OER
Puttin' It All Together
Students explain the concepts of kinetic and potential energy and how it can change forms. In this energy, motion, and frictional forces lesson students participate in a hands on activity that includes calculating energy.
Curated OER
Alka Rockets
Young scholars design a paper rocket propelled by Alka-Seltzer and water to demonstrate Newton's third law of motion. They, in pairs, determine the best combination of Alka-Seltzer and water to produce the maximum launch height and...
Curated OER
Take a Leap!
Eighth graders discuss the flight of the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk. They study artwork of various sculptors showing the concept of flight. They write a paragraph and design a papier-mache' sculpture that shows movement.
Curated OER
Rockets on a Shoestring Budget
Young scholars, operating under simulated budget constraints, build pop-rockets and launch them. Working in pairs, they complete budget worksheets and use their "Blast Off Bucks" to pay for the construction. They then redesign their...
Curated OER
"Girls Only" Science Workshop
Students design sleds. For this engineering lesson, students collaborate to engineer and build a real working sleds from the materials provided. This lesson was originally designed to be taught to a group of female students.
Curated OER
Hot Air Balloon Design Lesson Plan
Sixth graders discuss what they know and what they want to know about hot air balloon using a KWL chart. They then use a wide array of materials to design a hot air balloon that will lift successfully in cooperative groups referring to...
Curated OER
Designing Machines
Learners explore simple and compound machines. In groups of four students, they design a compound machine using K'NEX that has a stated purpose and consists of at least two simple machines.
Curated OER
Activity One Teacher Page: Vehicles In Motion
Students identify variables that affect the system, and specify which variables are independent and which are dependent.
Curated OER
The Physics of the Planets: How 16th and 17th Century Physicist Helped Us Understand Our Solar System
Eighth graders draw the paths of the planets in the solar system. In this astronomy lesson, 8th graders calculate speed of objects using distance and time information. They research about the work of scientists in the 16th and 17th century.
Curated OER
Harvest the Wind
Wind is a natural resource available around the world. Help your pupils appreciate the power and importance of wind by researching wind farms, making pinwheels, and designing windmills.
Curated OER
Friction Restriction: Creating a Design Plan to Redesign the Tread of Tennis Sneakers to Increase Friction
Learners evaluate the friction of tennis sneakers and redesign them to increase friction. In this physics instructional activity, students calculate starting, sideways and forward stopping friction. Using quantitative data, they prove...
Curated OER
Sound And Motion
Pupils investigate the concept of sound and vibration. They use a tuning fork to make an observation. Students then propose the ideas of different experimental designs to test the concept. The ideas are constructed and then tested.
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
Rat Round Up
Young scholars build a device that captures and carries a pet rat safely back to its cage with out "harming" the rat or themselves. They build and experiment with wind-up or battery operated rat cat toys after predicting the outcome of...
Curated OER
Pooper Scooper
Science Students build a pooper scooper tool that helps them clean up after a dog without getting their hands dirty or their noses too close. They research the diseases that can be transported through animal waste and work in teams to...
Center Science Education
Model a Moving Glacier
Glaciologists in your class make models of glaciers to simulate how they move down a valley, and then they use it to test any aspect of glacier movement. Not only is this a vivid visual of how these monsters of ice flow, but it is also...
GoSoftWorks
GoSkyWatch Planetarium for iPad - The Astronomy Star Guide
Digital compass alignment enables navigation of the skies with true orientation at any time. Just point to the sky or "aim for the stars!" This application acts as a virtual telescope, allowing you to zoom in on any object that is...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Experiencing Newton's Laws of Motion
Fifth graders study Newton's three laws of motion in a whole group setting using their textbook as a resource. They work in small groups to create a multimedia presentation of one of the laws to present to the class. They design an...