Acting Potential

Using the 5E method for teaching about kinetic energy, potential energy, and conservation of energy, this two-week unit with many videos and possible extensions is sure to keep pupils engaged as they are learning.

The tension of the 236 strings in a grand piano exert a combined force of 20 tons on the cast iron frame. The presentation includes topics such as work, forms of energy, conservation of energy, gravitational and elastic potential energy,...

Stars exist from a few million years to over 10 billion years, depending on their mass. Scholars perform a play acting as stars to learn about their different life cycles. They develop an understanding of many of the fundamental concepts...

Have you reached your breaking point in looking for great resources that illustrate bond energy? Demonstrate the potential energy changes that occur when polar and non-polar bonds are broken with a stimulating simulation. Pupils pull on...

In the third and final instructional activity in the series on the impacts of climate change, learners synthesize the knowledge they have accumulated by identifying potential areas of concern for their school due to effects of drought...

Show your chemistry class that there's much more to covalent bonding than sharing electrons! Pupils manipulate atoms of hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon to observe the energy of bond formation using a well-rounded interactive. The resource...

What a creative way to introduce the Law of Conservation of Energy! Learners create a medieval weapon called a trebuchet in order to explore the concept of kinetic energy and potential energy. There are worksheets, resource links, and...

Who knew atoms could be attracted to each other? A simulation allows learners to see how forces between atoms influence the attraction between them. Classes see the attractive and repulsive forces adjusting as distance between atoms...

In the third and final lesson in the series, learners synthesize the knowledge they have obtained about food systems to define a problem and propose a solution. While this could be a larger world problem, by keeping it focused on food...

Seventh graders explore real life activities that demonstrate kinetic and potential energy. They, in groups, classify the activity card statements as kinetic or potential. They should also include where the potential and kinetic energy...