Teacher's notes, a materials list, detailed procedure, tips, and extension ideas are all included to make teaching this lesson on photovoltaic cells a sunny spot in your day! After some brief background reading, physical science...

Elementary school physical scientists explore kinetic mechanical energy by dropping a golf ball on different surfaces. They discuss how human made materials might react to light differently from nature made materials. This lesson plan...

Heat things up in your physical science class with this interactive lesson series on thermodynamics. Through a series of class demonstrations and experiments, young scientists learn how heat is transferred through conduction,...

Third graders conduct experiments to determine what types of material make good insulators. They prepare a graph of time vs. temperature for their sample. They choose a graph using each kind of material to display for class analysis and...

Students investigate energy-saving window treatments. In this environmental activity, students research how energy-saving windows work by conducting an experiment using a thermometer and graphing data. Students identify why energy-saving...

Students use the Internet to research the ancient practices of building structures and to help them recognize what building materials serve as good conductors and insulators of heat. They build a structure using straw bale walls.

Students explore the various aspects of Einstein's energy equation and discover how energy is transferred from one form to another. In teams, they rotate through seven stations to experience such aspects of energy change through...

Middle schoolers explore the many different food chains. They participate in a game in which the class is divided into the different parts of the food chain.

Fifth graders discuss the relationship between producers, consumers, and decomposers as they look at the energy pyramid. While working in small groups, they create an ecosystem that includes all or some of the given categories, and they...

Students learn how science affects foods. In this chemical reactions lesson plan, students make two kinds of ice cream. They evaluate the different changes based on the ingredients.

Students identify the properties of light from the sun. In groups, they participate in experiments with solar collectors, cookers and calculators to determine which one harnesses the most energy. They record their observations and...

Learners simulate animals in a food chain. In this food chain lesson plan, students are identified as grasshoppers, frogs or hawks. Popcorn is spread across a lawn and learners are given baggies (stomachs) and colored sashes to identify...

Students use a variety of objects to test for ability to "stick" to a magnet. They perform an experiment to see that electricity in circuits can produce light, heat, sound, and magnetic effects. They discover magnets attract and repel...

Students are introduced to the marine environment of the mussel. The emphasis of the lesson is upon what human factors are present to influence the environment in positive and negative ways. They brainstorm in groups in order to conduct...

Students explore the uses of insulation and describe how insulation helps to conserve energy. They work in groups and use plastic, wool, paper and aluminum to experiment with the heat-retaining properties of various materials.

Fourth graders participate in a simple experiment that shows the ratio of elements that make up water.

Sixth graders use rubber bands, textbooks, pencils, rulers and yo-yos to experiment with the concept of vibrations. They observe changes in pitch according to the speed of vibrations and record their observations in a journal.

Students investigate simple series circuits and their properties. In small groups they draw a circuit diagram on their Series Circuit Building worksheet, follow step-by-step directions to construct a simple series circuit, and solve...