How do animals survive in the wild? Read about the different adaptations such as camouflage and self-protection that animals use to survive.

Students investigate levers. For this simple machine lesson, students study levers and  the mechanical advantage of using levers. They will collect data and illustrate their systems for eight different tests.

Students investigate the characteristics of simple machines. In this simple machine lesson, students investigate work as a product of applying constant force. They answer questions about what happens on Earth and what may have happened...

Students study Archimedes' Principle, flotation and the reaction of buoyant forces and explain the relationship between density and flotation.

Students determine the coefficient of friction for different surfaces. In this physics lesson, students identify the factors that affect friction. They collect data and write a formal lab report.

In this forces and machines activity, students will review vocabulary associated with forces including friction, inertia, and work. Students will also explain how simple machines help to do work easier. This activity has 10 matching, 6...

Third graders engage in a manipulative experiment in the mechanical advantage of simple machines. It graphically demonstrates the change in magnitude of applied force when using simple machines. Great for ESL to discover the ratio...

Students watch a demonstration that introduces them to the idea that friction is a force that impedes motion when two surfaces are in contact. They work in groups to experiment with frictional force using a coffee cup on which they alter...

Students are told that the weight of a car is equal to its mass multiplied by the acceleration due to gravity. When a car is at react on a horizontal road, there must be a normal force with which the road pushes up on the car to keep it...

Students analyze velocity and how it is determined. They experiment with velocity in order to measure and calculate the magnitude of speed. They use examples in their novel "Skateboard Renegade" to relate velocity to real life situations.

Students investigate primary and secondary waves and how to measure the magnitude of waves. They discover how to find the epicenter of earthquakes. They examine why waves are more destructive in some areas than others through these...

Fourth graders conduct an experiment involving size and relative ability in smaller species using Madagascar cockroaches. They make predictions about how many pennies the roaches can pull, compare the results to human strength, and...

Middle schoolers explain necessity in using accurate instruments when measuring, and how measurements can be checked for accuracy. They make a six-inch ruler, design, test, and evaluate a system to measure work, and produce a table and...

Students discover how salt water makes a pencil float better than freshwater by measuring and comparing the lengths of the portion of the pencil that floats above the water surface. They then determine if an unknown water sample is...

Fourth graders rank balls by size from smallest to largest and from lightest to heaviest and then by how much they made the water rise. They then discuss why certain balls make the water rise higher than do other balls.

Students observ the cooling and warming of room temperature, hot, and ice cold cans of water by measuring the change in temperature over time. They then attempt to develop explanations for the observations made and apply their findings...

Students role several balls of different weights down a ramp and into a paper cup and record how far each ball made the paper cup move. They then answer questions that help them analyze their results and reinforce the idea that energy...

Students investigate the motion of a swinging pendulum. They experiment with a pendulum to find out why it might swing at different speeds at different times.

Students observe that colored markers are a mixture of many different colors by performing a chromatography experiment. They make observations, record information, and make generalized inferences from their observations.

Students compare the price and quality of different kinds of plastic kitchen wraps and then rank them from best to worst. They take into account how well it comes out of the roll, if it seals well, it is tangles, how much weight it...

Students examine the properties of a liquid that contains water and food coloring and a liquid that contains water, food coloring and a liquid detergent. They interpret their data, describe properties, and make reasonable explanations...

Students design a chart to use to record the weather for five days. They then build an anemometer to record wind speed and discover why they are used for this purpose.

Students listen to Chapter I, Chapter II, Chapter III, and Chapter IV of "The Forgetful Pony". They observe different stages of development of mealworms. The student sequences pictures to show the life cycle and draws the developmental...

Fifth graders work in teams of four to measure the rebound heights of a tennis ball dropped from four different heights. They investigate with the bouncing balls to measure changes in the type of energy they possess.