Lesson Plan
Foundation for Water & Energy Education

How is Flowing Water an Energy Source? Activity B

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Explore the world's water without leaving the classroom! In this second of three uncomplicated but wonderful activities, physical science learners feel the pressure of water. They discover that the deeper the water, the stronger the...
Activity
Exploratorium

Descartes' Diver

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Pique interest in water pressure, demonstrate buoyancy, and explore water displacement concepts with a homemade Cartesian diver. You may want to change the name of the toy, however, as is is not documented the Rene Descartes...
Activity
1
1
Teach Engineering

A Shot Under Pressure

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
You've got to pump it up! Using the equations for projectile motion and Bernoulli's Principle, class members calculate the water pressure in a water gun. The pupils collect data on the number of pumps and distance traveled in order...
Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Water Fountain

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Thorough instructions are given to guide you through making a demonstration hydraulic pump from two plastic soda bottles. After using the resource to teach your class about Pascal's and Bernoulli's principles, turn them loose in groups...
Activity
Colorado State University

Why Can Warm Air "Hold" More Moisture than Cold Air?—Vapor Pressure Exercise

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Does it feel a little humid in here? Learners assume the role of water vapor in the atmosphere as they explore the differences between warm and cold air. They roll dice to determine their level of energy, which determines if they...
Lesson Plan
Foundation for Water & Energy Education

How is Flowing Water an Energy Source? Activity C

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Can the force of falling water through a tube vary by altering the diameter of the tube or its height? That is what physical scientists aim to discover in this activity, the third in successively more revealing activities on the power of...
Activity
University of Waikato

Buoyancy in Water

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Change where an object floats in water. Pupils experiment with a Cartesian diver by squeezing on the side of a plastic bottle. Learners pay attention to the bulb of the pipette as the bottle is squeezed to determine what is happening...
Activity
Exploratorium

The Dipping Bird

For Teachers 6th - 9th
If you have or want to order the dipping bird demonstration, it is useful for showing how evaporation and changes in the pressure of a closed system cause cyclical motion. After teaching about pressure, consider setting this little guy...
Activity
Exploratorium

Geyser

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Although it requires a little extra preparation the first time you use this geyser demonstration, it can be used repeatedly once it has been constructed. This demonstration is useful in showcasing how heat leads to increased pressure and...
Activity
Teach Engineering

Tippy Tap Plus Piping

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
Getting water to a tap requires an understanding the fundamentals of fluid flow. Groups design, build, and test a piping system to get water from the source — a five gallon bucket — to a tippy tap. The objective is to be able to...
Activity
1
1
Teach Engineering

Building a Barometer

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Forget your local meteorologist — build your own barometer and keep track of the weather with an activity that provides directions to build a barometer out of a narrow necked bottle, a glass, and some water. Using their barometer,...
Activity
1
1
Teach Engineering

Rock and Boat

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Present the class with a question on whether the water level of a pond will rise they take a large rock out of a boat and drop it into the pond. Groups come down on all sides of the question and try to justify their answers. The activity...
Activity
Curated OER

Experience Gravity Free Water

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Students complete an experiment with a glass of water and cover the opening with cardboard and turn it over. In this gravity lesson plan, students observe how air pressure does not allow the cardboard to fall and let the water out.
Activity
Museum of Science

Cloud in a Bottle

For Teachers K - 6th
Perhaps one day humans will learn to control the weather. Future scientists simulate clouds and fog in a plastic bottle. They conduct an experiment where they place smoke and hot water in the bottle, then squeeze and release repeatedly....
Lesson Plan
1
1
Baylor College

Breathing Machine

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Take a deep breath and have your class construct working models of a lung! Using 500ml plastic bottles as the chest cavity, and balloons for the lung and the diaphragm, learners work in groups to make a model. The models help them to...
Activity
DiscoverE

Pipe Maze

For Teachers 3rd - 12th Standards
Here's a lesson that is simply a-MAZE-ing! Introduce science scholars to pipeline systems through a hands-on project. Partnered pupils participate in the design, construct, and test a PVC pipeline maze. Reusable materials and clear...
Activity
Texas State Energy Conservation Office

Investigation: Gas Laws in Action - Propane

For Teachers 6th - 9th Standards
Using helium as an example of propane, physical science middle schoolers experiment with and graph the relationship between temperature and volume in gases. In a whole-class demonstration, they show how molecules behave under different...
Lesson Plan
Carnegie Mellon University

Introduction to Climate

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Begin a full lesson on climate change by demonstrating how carbon dioxide gas contributes to increased temperatures. Be aware that pressure inside the antacid-containing bottle in Activity 2 may cause the lid to fly off; keep viewers at...
Activity
1
1
NOAA

Climate, Weather…What’s the Difference?: Make an Electronic Temperature Sensor

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
What's the best way to record temperature over a long period of time? Scholars learn about collection of weather and temperature data by building thermistors in the fourth installment of the 10-part Discover Your Changing World series....
Activity
Royal Society of Chemistry

A Cartesian Diver—Classic Chemistry Experiments

For Teachers 6th - 10th Standards
Sometimes the simplest experiments leave the biggest impression! Introduce young chemists to the Cartesian Diver by having them make one of their own. Use the Diver to further their study of liquids and gases, as well as compression.
Activity
It's About Time

Volcanos and the Atmosphere

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
In the summer of 1815, snow fell every month in New England. Was this related to the volcanic eruption of Tambora in Indonesia earlier in the year? Young scientists design their own experiments to research the long-term effect a volcanic...
Activity
1
1
Teach Engineering

Cartesian Diver

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Amaze your scholars with an activity that uses a Cartesian diver to demonstrate Pascal's Law, Archimedes' Principle, and the Ideal Gas Law. Groups then repeat the process and make their own diver move up and down in a bottle.
Activity
Teach Engineering

Model Heart Valves

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Small groups use the knowledge learned about the heart to design and build a prototype of an artificial heart valve. The teams demonstrate the functionality of their valve. They are also responsible for creating a pamphlet that describes...
Activity
Fairfax Public Schools

Walter Dean Myers

For Teachers 6th - 8th
If you are reading works by Walter Dean Myers in your class, this resource might be worth a look. Included here are activities and discussion questions for Malcolm X: By Any Means Necessary, Somewhere in the Darkness, Scorpions, Fallen...

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