Lesson Plan
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Plate Tectonics

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students identify that most of mountain ranges found on all major land masses and in the oceans are external reflections of tectonic movements within the earth. They identify that earthquakes and related phenomena are caused by the...
Lesson Plan
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Games with a Large Parachute

For Teachers K - 8th
Students control the parachutes using arm movements. They follow directions while participating in games. They explore the effects of wind on several objects and study the effects of shape, size and weight on a parachute.
Lesson Plan
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Parachutes

For Teachers K - 8th
Students control the parachutes using arm movements. They follow directions while participating in games. Students explore the effects of wind on several objects. They study the effects of shape, size and weight on a parachute.
Lesson Plan
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To See or Not to See: The Colors of Light

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders describe and conduct an experiment that identifies the physical properties of light. They explore sources of visible light and an electromagnetic spectrum. Students explain the conversion of one form of energy to another.
Lesson Plan
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Looking For Newton

For Teachers 8th
The lesson has sufficient background information for the teacher to implement the lesson. Students are asked to summarize the three laws of motion. They also conduct classroom activities to role play the Laws of Newton.
Lesson Plan
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Machines at Work

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students discuss how simple machines have made our lives easier and construct a compound machine. In this machines lesson plan, students watch a video on machines, look at websites, and follow task cards in order to make a simple machine.
Lesson Plan
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Simple Machines

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders choose a simple machine and write about they way they believe it will work. Students experiment, write down procedures used and record observations. They will find a picture of the machine and add it to their report.
Lesson Plan
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Earth's Orbit Lesson

For Teachers 10th
Tenth graders devise a computational model to explore how the orbit of the Earth might change if its velocity were different. Using accurately recorded data, 10th graders defend a scientific argument.
Lesson Plan
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Principles of Flight: Bernoulli's Lift

For Teachers 5th - 6th
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...
Lesson Plan
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Fantastic Friction!!!

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Young scholars work in small groups to list at least 10 items that have movement or motion choosing one item from the list to use as a topic for the following questions: How does this item move? How can we slow down the movement? How can...
Lesson Plan
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That Mu You Do

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners are told that the weight of a car is equal to its mass multiplied by the acceleration due to gravity. When a car is at react on a horizontal road, there must be a normal force with which the road pushes up on the car to keep it...
Lesson Plan
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Science: Avalanche!

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders examine avalanches after reading excerpts from John Muir's book, "The Yosemite." In small groups, they conduct experiments with flour, sugar, and potato flakes representing different snow consistencies. Then, 8th graders...
Lesson Plan
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Catapults!

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Young scholars work together to discover the relationship between the angle of catapults and the flight of different objects. They discover the heavier the object the more force is needed. They examine how engineers use this...
Lesson Plan
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The Science of Swinging

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Students learn how a pendulum works in the concept of an amusement park ride. In this pendulum instructional activity, students are introduced to Newton's first law of motion and how it works in an amusement park ride. Continuous motion...
Worksheet
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Worksheet 20

For Students 10th - 12th
In this math learning exercise, they write down and solve a differential equation governing the motion of an underdamped spring. Then they find the solution to the initial value problem.
Lesson Plan
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Who's the Frog Jumping Champion?

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
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.
Lesson Plan
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Friction of a Block Weight

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders hypothesize and design an experiment to study the relationship between a block weight and the number of washers it takes to pull a block across various surfaces. Students graph results and apply their findings to a...
Lesson Plan
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Good Vibrations: Building a Wave Model

For Teachers 7th - 12th
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...
Lesson Plan
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Does Weight Affect Drag?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars investigate how weight affects a parachute's rate of fall.  In this investigative lesson plan students test parachutes, average results and conclude what makes a faster descent.
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Marble Run

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Learners use marbles to conduct experiments on movement of objects and explore Newton's three laws of motion. In this motion lesson plan, students use marbles, tubing, foam, paper cups, and more.
Lesson Plan
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Gravity In The Universe

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students assess and explore gravity in the Universe via several short video lessons. They analyze why this science matters and the history of Sir Isaac Newton's law of gravity. A variety of questions are asked within this lesson for each...
Lesson Plan
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Air Has Pressure

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders analyze evidence about particles and the exertion of air pressure. They observe an experiment with a hard boiled egg. fire and a bottle to discover the heating, cooling, and speed of air particles. They write explanations...
Lesson Plan
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Bounce!

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students investigate the relationship between potential and kinetic energy. In this energy lesson students investigate the height a ball will bounce when dropped from various heights.
Lesson Plan
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Collision Course

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners measure the speed of moving marbles and use the results to calculate velocity and momentum. They analyze the events preceding a Japanese train crash.