Is the ice cooling down the water or is the water melting the ice? Here is a simulation that explores thermal energy transfer with iron, brick, and water. It demonstrates the flow of energy and what happens when each material is either...

Just a swingin'! Introduce physical science scholars to the energy forms associated with a pendulum using a simple interactive. Learners adjust the height from which the pendulum starts, then observe changes in potential, kinetic, and...

Clever! Collaborative groups of environmental scientists create a museum exhibit and presentation for an energy-using activity such as heating a home or transportation. They must compare past to present use of energy for that particular...

Students become acquainted with the first law of thermodynamics, which concerns the conservation of energy as it is transformed from one form to another. They identify forms of energy, and devices or processes that transform energy from...

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...

First graders identify both potential and kinetic energy in a game they play in the classroom. They listen as the teacher explains the difference between potential and kinetic energy when observing a simple machine. Using simple...

Roller coasters rely on both kinetic and potential energy, but how much total energy does a roller coaster need? Scholars vary the mass of a coaster and the height of the initial hill. Graphs showing the types of energy and total energy...

Students are "Energy Detectives" working for an engineering firm that does energy evaluations at schools. In teams, they locate energy sources around the school, and record their findings on an Energy Detective Worksheet.

Students share information about energy use and conservation. In this energy use lesson plan, students work as a production team to make an instructional video about basic energy information. They develop a short survey about energy use...

Students explore the interconnectedness of living things in an ecosystem. They use pictures and arrows to develop a food web, and participate in constructing a class food web with students representing various parts of the web.

What happens to substances when they dissolve in water? Young scientists investigate the dissolving process with a colorful interactive. The resource illustrates changes in potential energy as solute particles interact with water...

Emerging engineers discover how important it is to conserve energy as fossil fuel supplies are being diminished. This is accomplished by working through a handout that explains energy requirements for heating a home during the winter....

Young scientists gain a better understanding of space, the solar system and its vastness by creating a scale model. Students first need to calculate the distance between each of the nine planets according to the size of their scale. This...

Students construct a food web to learn how living things in an ecosystem are interconnected. In this food web simulation lesson, students will be assigned an animal and the teacher will represent the sun. Students and teacher discuss...

Fifth graders research energy sources used in the United States. In this energy sources lesson, 5th graders work in teams to research various energy sources. Students complete a worksheet for the research and make a short video of a...

Students simulate a meeting of the President's energy task force in order to observe how energy policy may be developed with the input of various groups. Students will form groups with the following roles: lobbyists, members of the...

Students explore energy properties by listening to a sustainability lecture in class. In this biomass lesson, students identify what biomass is, how it can be transformed into a usable energy and how it complements the energy cycle....

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...

Take young scientists on a trip through the water cycle with this interactive science activity. After setting up a series of ten stations representing the different places water can be found, children use the included printable dice...

How can organisms light up in water? Bioluminescence is light produced in a chemical reaction that can occur in an organism's body. First, learners determine what happens to light/color as you move into the deep ocean. In groups, they...

Learners increase discipline, energy and cohesion within a classroom to take on important group tasks. Students examine ways of how to pick partners within the boundaries of a classroom. Learners validate certain ways to choose thru...

Students investigate the planet Earth's infamous ring of fire and the life that thrives from it.  In this ocean environment lesson, students investigate hydrothermal vents and how organisms thrive off their heat.  Students...

If the majority of our planet is covered with water, why do we need to bother conserving it? With a thorough and varied investigation into the location and types of water on the earth, learners will gain an understanding of why this...

Young scholars study the concept of food chains and create a physical forest food chain pyramid. In this balance of nature pyramid activity, students identify the ingredients needed on each level of the pyramid then make connections...