Curated OER
Movement of Objects
Ninth graders investigate motion. In this science lesson, 9th graders conduct experiments on objects to analyze motion and speed. They define motion in everyday life.
Curated OER
A Mysterious Roll-Back Can
Young scholars explore Newton and his Second Law by observing a demonstration involving a can that rolls away, then rolls back to where it started. They construct their own Come Back Can and describe how the cans work.
Curated OER
Greenewables
Students form expert engineering teams working for the (fictional) alternative energy consulting firm, Greenewables, Inc. Each team specializes in a form of renewable energy used to generate electrical power: passive solar, solar...
Curated OER
What is the Best Insulator: Air, Styrofoam, Foil, or Cotton?
Students investigate the properties of insulators by attempting to keep a cup of water from freezing, and once it is frozen, to keep it from melting. They conduct the experiment, record and analyze the results, and answer discussion...
Curated OER
Zoo Poo
Students use Internet research to determine the amount of carbon dioxide produced per unit energy for biomass and coal. In this alternative energy instructional activity, students research to find out how much energy and carbon dioxide...
Curated OER
Potato Launcher Energy Lab
Pupils investigate conservation laws using a potato launcher. In this physics lesson, students measure angles, time and distance of the potato. They discuss applications of experiments like this.
Curated OER
Investigation of Hooke's Law Lab
Students determine the spring constant by conducting an investigation. In this physics lesson, students collect data and create a graph of force vs. displacement. They compare the results of two different methods to find spring constant.
Curated OER
The Thermodynamics of Pizza
Students investigate the laws of thermodynamics. They observe demonstrations of each law, read a summary, and analyze how pizza demonstrates the laws of thermodynamics.
Curated OER
Charles’s Law
High schoolers describe the relationship between temperature and volume. In this chemistry instructional activity, students perform an experiment and record their their results. They use Charles' law to explain their observations.
Curated OER
Bouncing Basketballs
Students discover how the coefficient of restitution is applied to sports by measuring the bounciness of a ball. After examining the mathematical equation that applies to coefficient of restitution, students go to the gym, measure the...
Teach Engineering
Light Up Your Life
How do lighting types affect energy efficiency? Explore different types of lighting and the energy they use. Pupils learn about types of lights and calculate the energy used during a typical school year. They discover that being...
Teach Engineering
Designing a Sustainable Guest Village in the Saguaro National Park
Brainstorm ideas to design a sustainable guest village in the Sonoran Desert. The first installment of a nine-part unit teaches young environmental scientists about the basics of the Saguaro National Park and about sustainable design....
Normal Community High School
Chemical Equations
Viewers learn how to identify the substances in a chemical reaction, how to balance it, and the different types of chemical reactions by watching a presentation that also includes a review of monomers and polymers. The presentation...
Curated OER
Companion to Superfund -- The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Program
High schoolers examine the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. They work together to discover how their local community handles waste disposal. They complete a worksheet to end the lesson.
Curated OER
Scale Models and Wind Turbines
Students determine how to use a scale and the importance of a scale model. In this wind turbine lesson students use a method used to determine the visual impact of wind turbines.
Curated OER
Wind Power for Educators
Students explore wind power as a renewable resource. In this wind power lesson students build models of wind turbines and experiment with different changes to see if it increases efficiency.
Teach Engineering
Designing a Winning Guest Village in the Saguaro National Park
Don't desert a resource on the desert! Scholars work in groups to build on their ideas from the previous lesson to design a sustainable guest village in the Saguaro National Park. Each group produces a PowerPoint presentation to share...
Curated OER
Circuit Lab
Students explore the properties of electricity. This lab shows students the need for a circuit in order to have a flow of electricity. It demonstrates Ohm's law, which relates voltage, current, and resistance.
Curated OER
Balancing Bottles
Students explore the Law of Conservation of Matter using effervescent tablets. In this mass and energy lesson, students investigate how mass is conserved in the reaction of effervescent tablets and water. They will discuss and...
Teach Engineering
Solar Water: Heat it Up!
Young engineers are instructed to design and build their own solar water heaters. Then, they calculate the efficiency and cost and compare them to commercially available models. This is a full unit for pupils to apply their knowledge.
Curated OER
Cosmic Ray Momentum
Students describe how cosmic rays achieve high kinetic energy via conservation of momentum.
Curated OER
Work and Energy
Pupils show that energy is conserved in the laboratory. They calculate the work done by a force on an object as the product of the force and a displacement of the object from a reference point.
Curated OER
TE Activity: The Great Divide
Students simulate the distribution of nonrenewable energy resources using cookies. They determine how the world's growing population effects the equitable distribution of these resources. They look at how engineers work to develop...
Curated OER
The Laws of Thermodynamics
Young scholars investigate the concept of a thermodynamic system. The difference between a state and phase is defined as part of the experimental explanations given in writing. Students conduct experiments to demonstrate laws of science...