Curated OER
Migration Activation
Students play the role of migrating birds. As a class, they simulate a migration of birds to one place and back again. They relate their habitat size and changes to their current population numbers. They discover the many dangers of...
Curated OER
Revolutionary Money
Examine paper money from the American revolution! Historians study the paper bills and discuss the history of money. How has money changed over the times? Activities are included.
Curated OER
Clear Day, Cloudy Day; Weather, Cloud Types and Formations
Students explore the formation of clouds and different cloud types. Students simulate a cloud formation within a bottle.
Exploratorium
Antigravity Mirror
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? It's super student! Physical science stars can fly during a unit on light as they see the reflection of one leg in a mirror, behind which the other holds them up.
Curated OER
Vectors
High schoolers listen to a lecture and complete a number of problems as they go. There are a variety of examples given and they are guided through the problem solving steps for each of the real-world scenarios regarding the purpose of...
Curated OER
Mountain Biking - Riding Uphill
Mountain biking sounds like a lot of fun, but it also sounds like a lot of hard work! You have to get uphill to enjoy the ride downhill. Learn about shifting gears to go uphill and to keep your weight balanced properly. This is one...
Curated OER
Wildlife
The centerpiece of this lesson plan is a predator-prey simulation in which colored paperclips represent different species of animals camouflaged against a colored background. Relevant follow-up questions are provided. The activity is...
Curated OER
Get a Lift!
Pupils explain the principles of flight. In this physics lesson plan, students perform a series of exploration activity on Bernoulli's principle. They relate this principle to airplane flight.
Curated OER
The X-33 and the X-38
Young scholars explore the relationships among the lengths, areas, and volumes of similar solids. They also discover what effect doubling the dimensions of a figure has on the resulting area.
Curated OER
Glide Away
Students design and construct a gliding aircraft. They use the Internet as a research tool to gain background information about specific flight principles.
Curated OER
Flight Dreams - The Pressure on Parachutes
Students investigate air pressure by researching parachutes. In this physics lesson plan, students participate in three separate experiments utilizing air pressure and paper products to test theories on parachutes. Students...
Curated OER
Letters from the Japanese American Internment
Students examine letters of Japanese-American children during internment in World War II. They discover what it was like in the camps and how they were treated once they were released. They also view photographs of the camps.
Curated OER
Density Rainbow and the Great Viscosity Race
Students explore the densities and viscosities of fluids as they create a colorful 'rainbow' using household liquids. While letting the fluids in the rainbow settle, students conduct 'The Great Viscosity Race,' another short experiment...
Curated OER
How High Can You Fly?
Students learn the four concepts of flight; drag, lift, thrust, and weight. In this scientific inquiry lesson, students participate in a flight activity where they jump as high as they can to stamp a large sheet of paper and measure and...
Curated OER
Force and Gliders
Students explore physics by creating data graphs in class. In this flight properties lesson, students read the book Flying Machine and identify the force, resistance and construction necessary to keep a glider in the air. Students...
Curated OER
Action Verbs
Second graders perform various tasks by identifying the action word with teacher. They demonstrate each of the correct critical elements of loco motor, non-manipulative, and manipulative skills.
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.
Balanced Assessment
Para-Ball-A
Analyze the flight of a thrown ball. Learners determine the maximum height of a thrown ball and the time it takes to hit the ground given its initial speed. They continue to review different scenarios with different maximums or...
Curated OER
Fizzy Pop
Fifth graders compare and identify variables that affect the rate of a chemical change using Alka-Seltzer, water, ice, and hot water. They time how long each variable takes to pop the canister into the air, and record the results on a...
Curated OER
How Do Airplanes Get Off the Ground
Pupils 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
Aeronautics: Bernoulli's Principle
Young scholars explore physics by participating in a science activity in class. In this flight properties lesson, students identify Bernoulli's principle of flight and his theory of statics and motion. Young scholars conduct a...
Curated OER
Strawkets and Thrust
Learners investigate the effect of thrust on rocket flight. They construct two paper rockets, one with a smaller exit nozzle, and compare/contrast the distances traveled by the rockets.
Curated OER
Boomerang
Students build their own boomerang. In this physics lesson, students trace the origin of this equipment. They practice throwing and catching them.
Curated OER
Art in Engineering - Moving Art
Students study how forces are applied in the creation of art. They design mobiles and pop-up books while identifying which forces of nature act upon them. They look at air currents, gravity, and hand movement.