Dangle a spring to experiment with vibration and discover if period is dependent on amplitude. Strum a guitar and adjust the strings to compare displacement and sound. Use a Slinky® and guitar strings on a ring stand to uncover the...

Science learners scrutinize shadow size and quality, and experiment with diffraction. They model superposition of electromagnetic waves, and experiment with interference. These activities are action-packed and challenging for your...

Ride the wave to an understanding of refraction! The first in a series of two inquiry-based lessons challenges learners to create transverse waves with two different types of springs. As their wave hits an object, they observe the change...

Illuminate your physics class with this examination of a photovoltaic cell. Teach the structure and operation of the device using a diagram. Then make a human-powered, larger-than-life sized model of a PV cell. Learners become electrons...

Students assess and apply recurring patterns in natural systems. They evaluate the wave properties of frequency, wavelength, and speed as applied to sound. Students develop a relationship to quantify aspects of wave motion. They predict...

Students explore the nature of electromagnetic spectrum through a series of experiments. For this physics lesson, students determine how light behaves under certain circumstances. They explain how humans perceive colors.

Students study hummingbirds and how they use Newton's law.  In this motion lesson plan students complete several activities and view videos of hummingbirds. 

Time to witness the effects of sound. Learners analyze different materials to determine their abilities to absorb sound waves. They use free software to monitor the amplitude of the waves to verify results.

Here is a fun and clever activity for teaching physics classes how to calculate wavelength if given the energy and frequency data. On a worksheet, they compute wavelengths using a table of information that you provide. On a paper...

Learners construct an interferometer using a simple telescope. In this physics lesson, students explain how light waves create the fringe patterns. They observe patterns made by different objects in the sky and compare them.

Jell-O® can help model the transmission of light through fiber optic cables. Young scientists use the jiggly dessert to make a waveguide to transmit a laser beam from one point to another. Their models help them learn the function...

Students build their own spectrophotometer to study light. In this physics lesson, students explain the dual nature of light. They calculate the angle of incidence and refraction using Snell's law equation.

Students study the scientific evidence about carbon dioxide emissions. They learn to calculate the amount of energy used by different appliances. They complete a worksheet which analyzes the amount of energy that their home uses.

Explore the powers of ten while examining a Blue Morpho butterfly wing. Learners discover there is a lot more than meets the eye when one looks close enough.

Young scholars learn the procedure for mixing secondary colors from primary pigments and observe the results of mixing two primary colors.

Fifth graders investigate the relation between vibrations and pitch. They observe and discuss an experiment involving a bicycle and a piece of cardboard in the spokes, listen to a comb with cardboard, and listen to various sounds and...