Young scholars measure the lengths of provided leafs to the nearest millimeter. Students identify trends in the data as well as sourced of inaccuracy and formulate additional questions that could be investigated to enhance their...

In this music activity, learners answer 7 questions about music history. For example, "Describe the Bach influences upon Mahler in the second section of this extract."

Students classify the characteristics of butterflies and moths moths. For this life cycle lesson, students identify butterflies and moths common in the state of Iowa as well as their characteristics.  Students then learn the proper...

Students explore Wisconsin's natural and cultural history through hands-on exploration of Upham Woods. They are shown the basic paddling skills and they work in teams to paddle across the river on barge. Students describe cultural...

Students compile and analyze data pertaining to College Credit AP Exams. They pose questions - Which exam is the easiest? - determine answers from their data and display their results.

Eighth graders study weight, force and mass as it pertains to the earths pull.  For this weightlessness lesson students are divided into groups and complete an activity. 

Explains how a spring scale works and what it is used for.

Students learn about the engineering design process as they design, build, and test a spring scale using everyday items that can measure the weight of an apple. The objective of the activity is to explore how scales work and to learn...

Hooke's law says that the opposing force of a spring is directly proportional to the amount by which the spring is stretched. How accurately Hooke's law describe the behavior of real springs? Can springs be used to make accurate scales...

Students use a spring scale to drag an object such as a ceramic coffee cup along a table top or the floor. The spring scale allows them to measure the frictional force that exists between the moving cup and the surface it slides on. By...

Students will discover the scientific basis for the use of inclined planes. They will explore, using a spring scale, a bag of rocks and an inclined plane, how dragging objects up a slope is easier than lifting them straight up into the...

Through ten lessons and numerous activities, students explore the natural universal rules engineers and physicists use to understand how things move and stay still. Together, these rules are called "mechanics." The study of mechanics is...

With a simple demonstration activity, students are introduced to the concept of friction as a force that impedes motion when two surfaces are in contact. Then, in the Associated Activity (Sliding and Stuttering), they work in teams to...

Students further their understanding of the engineering design process (EDP) while being introduced to assistive technology devices and biomedical engineering. They are given a fictional client statement and are tasked to follow the...

In the first of two lessons of this curricular unit, students are introduced to the concept of friction as a force that impedes motion when two surfaces are in contact. Student teams use spring scales to drag objects, such as a ceramic...

Students' use force sensors to investigate forces and learn about force as a vector. Similar concept to the common "spring scale" force vector lab, but with a real-world twist.

This module is written for a first-year algebra-based physics class, though it could easily be modified for conceptual physics. It is intended to provide hands-on activities to teach the overarching concept of energy, as it relates to...