Curated OER
Measure It Up!
Students investigate the states that water may take. In this physical science lesson, students read the book, Water: Up, Down, and All Around and recall the states of water from the book. Students examine how water takes the shape of its...
Curated OER
Fun with Surface Tension!
Students explore physical science by participating in a water properties experiment. In this surface tension lesson, students utilize pennies, water, a dropper and soapy water to test the different surface tensions with numerous objects....
Curated OER
Oxidation of Iron - An Example of a Combination Reaction
Here are photos and general instructions for demonstrating two oxidation reactions with your physical science beginners. They use salt and hydrogen peroxide to cause iron filings to rust, and they combine hydrogen peroxide with a piece...
Curated OER
Principles of Physics: A Real Scream!
Students apply their knowledge of the physics principles of force, energy and motion to researching the physics behind amusement park rides.
Curated OER
Experimenting with Sound
Students explore physical science by completing a worksheet. In this sound perception activity, students collaborate in small groups to research sound properties on the Internet and in libraries. Students conduct a listening experiment...
Curated OER
Could a World of Swimmers Raise Sea Level?
High schoolers determine the volume of water they displace. In this earth science lesson, students calculate the total water displaced by the world's population. They evaluate whether or not this value is enough to raise the sea level...
Curated OER
Balancing Act: Olympics, Winter Sports, Ice Skating, Gravity, Physics, Science
Students, by way of the Olympic Games event of ice skating, are introduced to the concepts of gravity. They try some hands-on gravity experiments and explore the concept of gravity through art.
Curated OER
Energize Your Future
Students consider the positive and negative aspects of alternative energy. In this physical science instructional activity, students consider the sources of energy they use everyday. Students compare alternative sources of...
National Museum of Nuclear Science & History
Nuclear Popcorn
Make your lesson on radioactive decay pop with this lab exercise. Using popcorn kernels spread over a tabletop, participants pick up all of those that point toward the back of the room, that is, those that represent decayed atoms. As the...
Curated OER
Food & Science - How Healthy is Your Diet?
Learners experiment with various foods to determine fat and starch content. They rub jam, peanut butter, bananas, and other foods in a small circle on a piece of paper, and observe the results. If there is a high fat content in the...
Curated OER
Integrating the Craft of Writing into Physical Education
Incorporate writing into your physical education class. In groups, learners unscramble a list of words related to exercise and use them in their journal writings. Using their name, they write one word related to physical activity that...
Curated OER
Playground Physics
Students research definitions and examples of simple machines. They identify simple machines that are working parts of playground equipment that reflects their personalities and incorporates at least two simple machines. Students are...
BioEd Online
Gravity and Buoyancy
Would a baggie filled with water have the same shape sitting on a table as it would in a bucket of water? Why not? Allow learners to find out first-hand the effects of gravity acting alone on the baggie, as well as when gravity is...
Curated OER
Alternative Energy
Students identify the five major alternative energy sources. In this physical science lesson, students assess the advantages and disadvantages for each type of energy. They complete a concept map using information they researched.
Curated OER
Force Counterforce
Middle schoolers 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.
Curated OER
Handwriting and Forgery
Students determine how forensics analyze handwriting samples. In this physical science lesson, students research how handwriting analyses help solve their assigned cases. They prepare a skit and present it in class.
Curated OER
Elements and Compounds
Students explain how radioactive decay occurs. In this physical science lesson, students simulate radioactive half-life through an experiment. They graph their data and share their results in class.
Tech Museum of Innovation
Balloon Astronaut
Design protection from high-speed particles. The STEM lesson plan highlights why astronauts need protection from space debris. Pupils use the design process to design, build, and test a spacesuit that will protect a balloon from a...
Tech Museum of Innovation
Tree House Escape
Use simple machines to escape from a tree house. Pupils learn about simple machines and how they are useful in everyday life in a STEM lesson. Groups then design a device to rescue a friend stuck in a tree house.
PHET
Earth’s Magnetic Field from Space
Feel the pull of science! The final installment of this 18-part series is an application of everything learned in the previous high school lessons. Scholars are given a magnetic field map and must propose an arrangement of magnets that...
Curated OER
Solar Energy in New York
Middle schoolers examine a variety of information for New York State including insolation data, and economic or political data, thus incorporating both science and social studies. Encouraging learners to become concerned citizens as they...
Curated OER
Strawkets and Weight
Students investigate the effect that weight has on rocket flight. They construct a variety of straw-launched rockets that have different weights, observe what happens when the weight of a rocket is altered by reducing its physical size...
Curated OER
Dependence of Light Intensity on Distance
Hopefully you have a sensor interface for your physics class to use with graphing calculators when collecting data with a light sensor. If so, read on. Use this resource for learners to predict and then test whether or not the intensity...
Curated OER
Orienting a Photovoltaic Cell
By mounting a light bulb on a stand and a PV cell on another, physics apprentices experiment with the angle of incidence. Their goal is to determine the optimum angle for collecting solar energy. The use of a scientific calculator...