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Pumps
Students examine the basic types of pumps. They build a gravity-driven water pump and solve a mystery using their knowledge of pressures and pumps.
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Deceleration of a Toy Truck
Eighth graders complete labs using toy trucks to study deceleration, record thier data, and then transfer it to graphing software to produce a graph. They create a lab report of the completed lab using a word processing program.
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Good Vibrations
Students demonstrate sound waves and make changes in the waves
resulting in changes in pitch. Students associate changes in pitch in various "musical instruments"with size and shape and the sound waves they produce.
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Wandering Wild-oats
Students observe wild-oat seeds. In this biology lesson, students watch how wild-oat seeds react to moisture and draw conclusions and make predictions.
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Principles of Flight: Flying Paper Airplanes
Students investigate ways to enhance an object's flying ability. In this model construction lesson, students construct two paper airplanes, one of which is twice as big as the first. Students compare and contrast the two separate...
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Friction This
Students investigate road surface and calculate speed. In this algebra lesson, students analyze the roughness of a road and calculate distance and speed based on friction. They relate friction and energy to speed.
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Principles of Flight: Bernoulli's Lift
Students discover how air pressure effects flight. In this physics lesson, students create two types of airplane wings so they can observe the way air pressure creates lift. Students utilize a printout to create the airplane wings.
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Proportionality: Modeling the Future
Students explore and examine how patterns, measurement, ratios and proportions are utilized in the research development and production of airplanes. They meet a pilot from the Federal Aviation Association who describes the growth of air...
NASA
Foam Rocket
When going for distance, does it make a difference at what angle you launch the rocket? Teams of three launch foam rockets, varying the launch angle and determining how far they flew. After conducting the series of flights three times,...
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Does Shape Affect Drag?
Students study drag and how it affects a parachute in the sky. In this parachutes lesson students build models and compare their drag.
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Who's the Frog Jumping Champion?
Students use a simple machine (a lever) to launch a plastic frog. students determine who is able to make their frog "jump" the farthest and graph the results.
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Does Weight Affect Drag?
Students investigate how weight affects a parachute's rate of fall. In this investigative lesson students test parachutes, average results and conclude what makes a faster descent.
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Geometry of Exploration: Eyes Over Mars
Students research how engineers and scientists generate linear and angular measurements with geometry to survey the Earth and Mars. They assess how geometric shapes affect navigation. A surveyor comes to the classroom and explains how he...
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Antacid Tablet Race
Students complete experiments to determine how rocket fuel is affected by surface area and temperature. They compare the reaction rates of antacid tablets. They discuss their results to complete the lesson.
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The Paper Dutch Kite
Students construct a Dutch Kite using simple materials. In this math lesson, students measure kite dimensions according to specified instructions. They also describe and define the different parts of a kite.
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Collisions Lesson
Tenth graders explore the role that collisions and near collisions of galaxies play in determining the shape of galaxies. They model the collision of disk shaped and spherically shaped galaxies.
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Air and Water Pressure
Students examine buoyancy and fluid pressure. They conduct a series of fun experiments to discover the effects of pressure and explore how pressure differences can be used to float, lift, transport, or hold a material in place.
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Electric Field Mapping in 3D
Students create a 3D vector field map of an electric field. In this physics activity, students measure the voltage inside an aquarium with water. They present their findings and map to class..
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Measuring Wind Speed
Students study wind speed and collect wind speed data. In this wind speed instructional activity, students visit a website to learn about the local wind speed forecast for their week. Students discuss wind and wind speed. Students...
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Pancakes!
Second graders explore dietary habits by completing a cooking activity in class. In this breakfast preparation instructional activity, 2nd graders read several books about pancakes and maple syrup. Students utilize a wheat kit to...
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Paper Packaging Design
Young scholars create packages with a maximum capacity. In this geometry instructional activity ,students estimate using whole numbers, decimals and fractions. They calculate length, weight and mass of packaging.
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Watch It Slide!
Students work together to examine inclined planes. They create a plan to raise rocks to build pyramids. They discover the changes that occur when the angle is increased or decreased.
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How Do I Get a Pure Sample of the Molecules I Make?
Students initially engage in online research and consult print materials to identify a compound to produce. Once a selection has been made, individually, students conduct lab experiments to isolate substances. The end product is a...