PBS
No Slip Grip
The force will be with you during an inquiry-based lesson focused on friction. Young scientists explore the effect of different surfaces on friction. They use rubber bands to measure the amount of force needed to move an object on the...
American Chemical Society
Great Electron Ripoff
Create a charge in the classroom. Using pieces of cellophane tape, a plastic grocery bag, and a balloon, learners investigate the effects of static electricity. Pupils create different charges in the materials and observe whether they...
Museum of Science
Comeback Can
Convert energy within a can. Learners build a can that suspends a weight inside the can via a rubber band. The pupils roll the can away from them as the rubber band wraps around itself. The force of the band unwinding brings the can back...
Utah Education Network (UEN)
Utah Open Textbook: 8th Grade Science
The cycle of energy is important to many different systems on Earth. Scholars use questioning and observation to investigate the differences between renewable and non-renewable resources and how they relate to global changes. They...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Following the Trail of Evidence
One important skill in analyzing scientific evidence is identifying facts versus opinions. Scholars identify pieces of evidence from the film The Day the Mesozoic Died and then discuss this evidence in small groups at the end of each act...
Teach Engineering
Human Power
How many humans does it take to power a light bulb? The 10th part of a 25-lesson Energy Systems and Solutions unit has learners conduct an experiment to calculate power. They then use the results to determine how many classmates they...
Chemistry Collective
Chemical Potential: Staircase Demonstration
It's all uphill from here! Scholars examine the pattern of random particle motion up a staircase. The simulation shows how the linear increase in energy corresponds to an exponential decrease in particle concentration.
DiscoverE
Build a Cable-Stayed Bridge
Large or small, bridges are architectural wonders! Construct a large-scale cable-stayed bridge during a whole class project. Scholars work in groups to erect the towers, build the roadway, and secure the cables of their very own bridges....
Concord Consortium
Van de Graaff Discharge
Your class will definitely get a charge out of an electric interactive! Show young scientists what really happens when you place a wand near a Van de Graaff generator using a simulation. Pupils add varying amounts of negative charge to...
Concord Consortium
Direction of Force Around a Van de Graaff—Negatively Charged
Learn about the direction of magnetic force with a very attractive interactive! Young physicists move a positively charged object around a negatively charged Van de Graaff generator and observe the direction of the forces present. A...
Indiana Department of Education
Amusement of the Future
Take your class on the ride of their lives! Physical science scholars get an in-depth look at potential and kinetic energies in an amusement park-themed unit. Students research, design, and promote their own amusement parks, complete...
Scholastic
Acceleration Nation Guide
Discover the science of NASCAR! Young scholars rev up their learning as they explore aerodynamic principles. Hands-on activities help learners understand concepts of friction, kinetic energy, and potential energy.
CK-12 Foundation
Ski Jump
What are the three types of energy a ski jumper uses? If you said potential, kinetic, and heat, then you are correct. Scholars adjust the jumper's mass, jumper's form, and height of the start line in the simulation to display graphs of...
CK-12 Foundation
Trampoline
Does a trampoline use mostly potential or kinetic energy? Pupils adjust the mass of the jumper, stiffness of the trampoline, and initial jump height in order to answer that question. The simulation displays graphs of the various types of...
CK-12 Foundation
Newton's Apple
Scientists state that the higher something is above the earth, the greater the gravitational potential energy. Does this mean there is more gravity acting on the moon than on an apple falling from a tree? Scholars adjust the distance...
CK-12 Foundation
Clarke's Dream
How does satellite TV keep a steady stream when the earth and the satellite are constantly moving? Scholars use a simulator to adjust the radius of orbit of a satellite around the earth. They view graphs of acceleration and time period...
NOAA
Oceans of Energy
Are the earth's oceans really just giant batteries, waiting for their energy to be harnessed? Middle school mechanical engineers will be shocked by the amazing amount of energy that forms around them after diving into part four of a...
Tech Museum of Innovation
Analogous Models
What goes into a museum display? A secondary-level STEM project prompts groups to design a museum display for the Tech Museum of Innovation. They create an analogous, interactive model illustrating a science concept to complete the lesson.
Tech Museum of Innovation
Tree House Escape
Use simple machines to escape from a tree house. Pupils learn about simple machines and how they are useful in everyday life in a STEM instructional activity. Groups then design a device to rescue a friend stuck in a tree house.
Tech Museum of Innovation
Energy at Play
Get the ball rolling and challenge your class to figure out how to make a ball move. The instruction segment is between two STEM activities devoted to doing just that. The first is simple and involves making a ball move from some force...
Tech Museum of Innovation
Balloon Astronaut
Design protection from high-speed particles. The STEM lesson plan highlights why astronauts need protection from space debris. Pupils use the design process to design, build, and test a spacesuit that will protect a balloon from a...
American Chemical Society
Energy Changes in Chemical Reactions
Some chemical reactions produce heat, but what is really going on? Lesson focuses on the concept of energy changes, both exothermic and endothermic. Scholars perform multiple experiments, hands-on activities, and view videos of the...
American Chemical Society
What is a Chemical Reaction?
When a candle burns down, what happens to the mass that appears to be shrinking? Lesson begins with a demonstration of the chemical reaction of a candle burning. Then scholars use atom models to observe conservation of mass concretely.
It's About Time
The Electricity and Magnetism Connection
Magnets don't grow in fields, but magnetic fields are important to understand. The lesson covers the effect electricity has on magnetic fields. Scholars use a compass, magnets, and electrical wire to test magnetic fields and energy...