Students understand the destructive force of a tornado. They learn the role of a thunderstorm in the creation of a tornado.

High schoolers examine how simple machine work can make work easier.  In this machines lesson students complete an activity that shows them what makes up a machine, and how to measure displacement and velocity. 

Twelfth graders examine illustrations and animations on a Physlets CD in which they must describe motion, analyze graphs, and calculate initial velocity. The Physlet assists in providing active class participation in discussion.

Students examine the role of technology in identifying and tracking hurricanes.

Learners use an online interactive to launch a rocket from earth. They have control over the angle and thrust of the rocket to discover the relationship between the two.

Middle schoolers determine which wind-up toy is the fastest. However, they can NOT race the toys. They must find another way. On the first day of the activity, students work in pairs or small groups to develop and write a plan.

Eighth graders complete labs using toy trucks to study deceleration, record thier data, and then transfer it to graphing software to produce a graph. They create a lab report of the completed lab using a word processing program.

Students study weather forecasting. In this weather lesson, students explore forecasting weather methods and do a forecast. Students study weather reports and discuss the elements of a forecast. Students study the method of persistence...

For this Isaac Newton worksheet, students analyze ten words in a word box that pertain to Newton's Law. Students match these words to their definitions.

Students investigate molecular movement while studying how to perform a chemistry investigation.

Students study the process for diffusion of molecules. In this chemistry lesson, students understand molecular movement, develop skills for a chemistry investigation, develop skills in making hypotheses, develop observational skills, and...

Young scholars manipulate a ball and explore quadratic functions. In this algebra instructional activity, students analyze the graph of a quadratic function. They identify quadratic properties.

Students learn the basic concepts about airplane flight. They learn the reason jetliner wings are swept back and why jet engines have replaced propellers in high-speed flight.

Students are introduced to significant figures and how to add, subtract, multiply and divide them. In a group, they practice plotting data points from a table to a graph and labeling all axes. They calculate the slope and y-intercept and...

Pupils explore orbital velocities and how they vary along each orbit, according to Kepler's Second Law.

Fifth graders compare two different vehicles and determine why the cars are designed differently. They write four facts learned from the field trip in their science journals including a fact about how force affects the performance of the...

Students explore the physical process of melting. They observe melting ice and answer questions related to energy transfer during phase changes.

Students define kinetic energy and know the effects of weight and speed on momentum.  In this investigative lesson plan students get into groups and design a roller coaster. 

Seventh graders examine and read an article.  In this investigative lesson students discuss questions about the article and complete an activity. 

Seventh graders progress through the Science Court: Gravity CD-ROM program. They read about and discuss how gravity was discovered. They complete review worksheets in preparation for the test.

High schoolers gain an understanding of Kepler's 2nd law--that planets (and satellites) move fastest at their closest approach to the center of attraction, and slow down when far away. They explore the concepts of "potential energy" and...

Students learn the concept of frames of reference in physics. They examine how two frames of reference, each moving with respect to the other with a constant velocity v (constant speed, constant direction).

Young scholars predict the behavior of coffee in a cup while it is dropped during a demonstration. They relate their observations to the weightless conditions that astronauts experience in space and discuss the concept of free-fall.

Students define potential and kinetic energy and explain the relationship of height to potential energy.  In this roller coaster lesson students construct a model of a roller coaster which will allow them to see the basic physical...