Curated OER
Black Holes
Students explore what black holes are and how gravity is associated with them. In this space instructional activity students are given enough information to imagine a journey to a black hole.
Curated OER
Free Fall Graphing Exercise
Twelfth graders practice their graphing skills in an exercise about acceleration due to gravity. Lesson opens with a demonstration of acceleration due to gravity and a brief discussion. Students complete a worksheet and go over answers...
Curated OER
Astronomy
Students complete a unit of lessons on our solar system, its stars, and astronomers. They record information in a space journal, design constellations, define key vocabulary, observe the phases of the moon, and create a group planet...
Curated OER
The Solar System and the Forces Behind It
Sixth graders discover why planets stay in orbit. In groups, they use everyday materials to examine the effect of gravity of objects and calculate how mass changes based on gravitational pull. To end the instructional activity, they...
Cornell University
Catapults
Ready, aim, fire! Launch to a new level of understanding as scholars build and test their own catapults. Learners explore lever design and how adjusting the fulcrum changes the outcome.
National Energy Education Development Project
Exploring Hydropower
In 2006, about 20 percent of the world's electricity was generated from hydroelectric power. In the presentation, scholars review the water cycle and gravitational energy to begin to understand how humans harness the power of water. They...
Teach Engineering
Projectile Magic
What do the movies October Key and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone have in common? The fourth installment of a five-part module presents equations regarding projectile motion and how to rearrange them. Scholars view video clips...
Curated OER
Mini-Landslide
Students explore how different materials (sand, gravel, lava rock) with different water contents on different slopes result in landslides of different severity. They measure the severity by how far the landslide debris extends into model...
Curated OER
Unit VIII: Worksheet 3 - Central Force
Beginning physicists imagine being aerospace engineers by solving seven centripetal force problems. They calculate the work, speed, time, and acceleration of objects in orbit: a satellite around Earth, and Earth around the sun. This is a...
Cornell University
The Physics of Bridges
Stability is key when building a bridge. Scholars explore the forces acting upon bridges through an analysis of Newton's Laws and Hooke's Law. The activity asks individuals to apply their learning by building a bridge of their own.
Curated OER
Tightrope Trials
Learners research the concepts of center of mass and how to make different things balance. They make symmetrical cut-outs of different "creatures" and experiment with how they balance on a tightrope of string.
Curated OER
The Incredible Light Bulb-Egg Drop Challenge
Students examine how spacecraft land on Mars. Using eggs or lightbulbs, they design a craft that withstand a drop from a table or ladder, competing in groups to see which module demonstrates the most successful landing.
Curated OER
Environment: Erosion Boxes
Fourth graders discover how the processes of erosion and weathering alter the physical characteristics of the environment. In a student log,they record the various types of erosion and list ways to prevent it. Using clear, plastic...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Investigating Friction
Young learners explore friction. They view a video or DVD (bibliography provided) and define terms related to friction, and work in groups to experiment with the effects of friction on speed and motion using ramps and toy cars.
Teach Engineering
May the Force Be with You: Weight
Too much material will weigh you down. The sixth segment in a series of 22 highlights how weight affects a plane. Pupils learn that engineers take the properties of materials, including weight, when designing something.
Teach Engineering
Six Minutes of Terror
Help your class understand the design challenges when trying to land a remote spacecraft on a planet. Class members examine the provided information to understand how each component of a spacecraft is designed in order to safely land a...
Curated OER
Dark Matter In The Universe
Students investigate the concept of dark matter and how it occurs in the universe. They conduct research using a variety of resources. Students use the information by reading at least two articles about dark matter. They also generate...
Curated OER
Go To The Head of the Cloud
Students pretend they are water droplets traveling through the water cycle. Using their text, they discover the steps in the cycle and the different paths water can take. They write a report about their journey through the water cycle...
Curated OER
Infection Wars
Students observe blood cells under a microscope and make drawings of their observations. They write and act out a short play starring blood cells, antibodies and bacteria to demonstrate fighting infection.
Curated OER
Travelogue of a Planet
Students randomly select a planet, including Earth. They research key features of the planet including mass, volume, density, gravity, temperature, weather, geology, atmosphere, surface features, location from sun, Earth and other...
Curated OER
Skyscraper Capers
Young scholars discuss skyscrapers and listen as the teacher introduces the project. They use the Internet to perform research on one skyscraper. Students use information they gather to create a brochure of their building . They create...
Curated OER
Hit Me With Your Best Shot
Sixth graders discuss the effect of gravity on objects. In groups, they participate in different activities in which they observe the effect of motion on objects and how energy is transferred between objects. To end the lesson, they...
Curated OER
Planetary Poster
Pupils engage in a study about the planets and create a poster as one of the projects during the study. They create individual charts for mapping the solar system so the locations can be found in mock space missions to other planets.
K12 Reader
Water Carves the Land
What affect do bodies of water have on the world around us? Kids can find out by reading this passage. After reading, they answer five questions related to the text.