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Hurricanes 2: Tracking Hurricanes

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students examine the role of technology in identifying and tracking hurricanes.
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.
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Rock-A-Bye Pendulum

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders use the scientific process to explore the effects of force on an object in motion. They demonstrate that the greater the force applied to an object, the greater the change in speed or direction of the object. They...
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The Way Things Fall

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore concept of acceleration and motion under the influence of gravity, starting with free fall and ending with motions that start out with both horizontal and vertical initial velocities.
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Catapults!

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students 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 information to...
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Computer Interfacing: Frequency Measurement - The Doppler Effect

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students explore the Dollper effect by finding the frequency and velocity of sound.  In this velocity lesson, students determine the impulse during a collision by using their data and a software program.
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The Way Things Fall

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students see that light and heavy objects fall at the same rate, as established experimentally by Galileo. They see that falling objects, and balls rolling down an incline, tend to accelerate at a constant rate a. Their velocity...
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Velocity

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Young scholars explore the concepts of velocity, acceleration, distance and football. They collect data on the velocity of a football and they determine the distance and height of a football when it is thrown. Students compare their...
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Marble Run

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students 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.
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How Does a Liquid Become a Solid?

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students explore the energy changes from a liquid to a solid. They model the arrangement of a solid and the change in states due to changes in energy using desks and chairs. Assessment questions are provided in 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...
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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.
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Plate Tectonics

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers 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...
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A Guide (on the Side) to Physics

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars engage in a lesson that is concerned with the concepts related to the study of Physics. They participate in class discussion and list common misconceptions of Physics. Students write and discuss the problem of Science...
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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.
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Collision Course

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

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students determine that moving charges create a magnetic field. They discover that the speed and direction of motion, the amount of charge, and the deflection angle observed are closely linked. A voltmeter, pendulum, and a constructed...
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Gravity Launch

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students use an online interactive to launch a rocket from earth. They have control over the angle and thrust of the rocket to discover the relationship between the two.
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Force Counterforce

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars hypothesize what forces affect the motion of a falling body. In this physical science lesson, students create diagrams and illustrations to support their hypothesis. They perform the experiment and record observations.
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Weightlessness

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students predict the behavior of coffee in a cup while it is dropped during a demonstration. They relate their observations to the weightless conditions that astronauts experience in space and discuss the concept of free-fall.
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Simple Machines or Are They?

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students discover basic machines and how they make completing work easier. They identify two basic machines, the inclined plane and the lever and the functions of these simple machines.
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Persistence Forecasting

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students study weather forecasting. In this weather lesson, students explore forecasting weather methods and do a forecast. Students study weather reports and discuss the elements of a forecast. Students study the method of persistence...