Students work together to build an earthquake city. They simulate the shaking during an earthquake to discover if their structure is built well enough. They discover how engineers complete these types of tests to develop better...

Students build their own neighborhood. In this lesson on community, students are introduced to books about families and neighborhoods. As a class, the students create their own neighborhood, elect a leader for their neighborhood and...

Students study different types of sea ice and interview an Yupik elder or local hunter. In this sea ice lesson, students study the native language for sea ice terms. They interview an elder from Alaska's northern coast about their...

Students recognize that compression and tension forces are important considerations in building structures. They construct their own building structure using marshmellows and spaghetti to see which structure can hold the most weight.

Students investigate inventions and the impact they can have on people. For this technology lesson, students research Thomas Edison and discuss how the invention of the light bulb impacted others. Students sketch out an invention they...

Middle and high schoolers explore the concepts of architectural rigidity. They analyze a variety of polygons, and explain why some shapes add more strength to structures than others. The PBS video, "Building Big," is utilized in this plan.

Read all about it! Challenge your class to build taller and stronger. Newspapers provide the means to build towers in a simple activity. Scholars try to build as tall a tower as possible with just two sheets of newspaper.

In this gravity activity, students define terms such as free fall, terminal velocity, and inertia. Then students compare the different types of forces that act upon objects. This activity has 9 short answer and 4 fill in the blank...

Students participate in an online lesson to explain how to make bulbs brighter or dimmer in a series circuit by changing the number or type of components.

Students feel and observe different types of materials. Using the internet, they sort objects based on the materials they are made from and justify their reasons for putting it in a certain category. They identify objects that could...

Students explore animal diets and teeth. In this animal science lesson, students view photos of animals and their teeth. Students identify the type of diet the animal has based on the teeth. Students are introduced to the terms...

Students observe falling objects. They discover the rate of falling is based on air resistance and not the weight of the objects. They discuss how engineers use this type of information to design aerodynamic shapes.

Eighth graders use Newton's Laws of Motion to assist a troop in making a winning car in the Pine Wood Derby.

Fourth graders review how erosion can happen by wind, water, and gravity which they studied in previous lesson. They attempt to discover if all soils erode at the same rate. In small groups, 4th graders experiment with three different...

Pupils experiment with the five fundamental load types that can act on structures. They use foam insulation blocks to which they apply the forces and draw the fracture patterns. They determine the telltale marks of failure that is caused...

Students explore wind power as a renewable resource.  In this wind power lesson students build models of wind turbines and experiment with different changes to see if it increases efficiency. 

Students explore physics by creating a magazine cover in class. In this flight instructional activity, students identify the motion and force that must be generated in order for a jet engine to lift off the ground. Students create a...

Young scholars are introduced to the power of magnets. In groups, they look at different objects and make predictions on whether they believe they are magnetic or not. They test their predictions and share their results with the class.

In this work and energy worksheet, students review energy laws, potential energy, and kinetic energy. This worksheet has 8 fill in the blank, 7 short answer, and 5 matching questions.

Students spend time examining the concept of water pressure. In groups, they research the amount of air pressure that is felt at different levels above sea level. Using a calculator, they calculate the water pressure given different...

Students apply the knowledge of Bernoulli's Principle and construct simple aerodynamic designs. In this flight physics lesson, students explore the history of man's interest in flying and the forces influencing an object in flight by...

The students learn about friction and forces through direct instruction and an investigation. They use measurement skills, observation skills, predicting, and drawing conclusions based on data collected during the investigation. Students...

Students design a tower made of jell-o. For this science lesson, students investigate what it takes to build a jell-o building that will not fall when shaken. They discuss what causes earthquakes and how it is controlled.

Pupils use marbles to conduct experiments on movement of objects and explore Newton's three laws of motion. In this motion lesson plan, students use marbles, tubing, foam, paper cups, and more.