Curated OER
Gravitational Acceleration
Students investigate the interdependence of mass and gravitational acceleration using computer simulation. In this physics lesson, students derive the formula for acceleration due to gravity. They calculate air resistance on falling...
Curated OER
Ohm's Law: Getting There Hands On
Young scientists inductively derive Ohm's Law of voltage, resistance, and current by creating series and parallel circuits with 9-volt batteries and light bulbs. A week's worth of experiments, observation, and hands-on activities are...
Urbana School District
Physics Intro, Kinematics, Graphing
Some consider physics the branch of science concerned with using long and complicated formulas to describe how a ball rolls. This presentation, while long, is not complicated, yet it covers rolling, falling, and more. It compares vectors...
Teach Engineering
What Does Light See?
The second installment of a seven-part series focuses on the refraction of light and how it affects the colors we see. Learners consider how this concept connects to biosensors for cancer detection.
Space Awareness
Where on Earth Am I?
Almost every phone has GPS installed, but a large number of teens don't know how the technology works. An initial activity illustrates how GPS determines a location on Earth. Scholars then apply trilateration procedures to a...
Virginia Department of Education
The Rate of Motion
How much time does it take to jump over three balloons? Pupils calculate the speed of tasks that require different motions. They determine motions for tasks such as walking, skipping, hopping, and jumping before creating a spreadsheet...
Curated OER
The "Heart" of the Problem
Students create an exercise and nutrition program. In this interdisciplinary lesson plan, students use calculations of exercises plus their corresponding effects on the body and nutritional values of food to derive a health plan....
Royal Society of Chemistry
Green Plastics—Chemistry Outreach
How do green plastics reduce waste and environmental pollution? Budding scientists create and test a variety of compounds used in green plastics during an insightful experiment. Beginning with startling statistics and ending with...
Curated OER
Garbage 2: Recycling
Students apply what they have learned about throwaway products "and the valuable natural resources from which they're derived" by thinking about where garbage goes after they throw it out. They also examine their own ideas and habits...
Curated OER
Layers Upon Layers
Students model how layers of sediments are deposited. They use logic to derive rules or laws that can be used to examine layers of sediment in a cup and apply it to the real world.
Curated OER
Pendulum Motion
Students explore questions which cannot be handled with simple pendulums, and examine both the usefulness and the limitations of approximations in science. A Java applet created from a Stella model is included.
Curated OER
Fossil Fuels (Part II), The Geology of Oil
More of a mini-unit than a activity, these activities lead inquisitors through a survey of oil deposits. In the first part, they read about and view diagrams of sedimentary rock layers that trap oil. Next, they test porosity and...
Space Awareness
Britannia Rule the Waves
Could you determine longitude based on measuring time? Early explorers used a longitude clock to do just that. Scholars learn about early exploration and the importance of the invention of the clock. Then pupils build their own longitude...
Curated OER
Photosynthesis
Students conduct experiments with plants. In this photosynthesis lesson, students examine plants under different types of lights. They calculate the amount of dissolved ocygen concentration and compare it to the formula for...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Viral Lysis and Budding
How do some viruses spread so quickly, and why do they make us feel terrible? Answer these (and many more) questions through a simple yet impactful lessons. Pupils observe demonstrations that show the two methods viruses use to escape...
Serendip
A Scientific Investigation – What Types of Food Contain Starch and Protein?
You are what you eat, as they say! Are you more starch or more protein? Young scholars use their knowledge of each component to test different foods for their content. Using multiple indicators, individuals describe the protein and...
Curated OER
Sound
Second graders study how sound is produced by vibrations and is transmitted through matter in all directions. They observe how sounds are produced and identify the ways in which sound travels.
Curated OER
Down in the Dumps
After an introduction to municipal sludge, middle school ecologists consider the pros and cons of dumping in the Hudson River Canyon. The class is split into two groups: one to debate in favor or dumping and one to debate against the...
Curated OER
Solar System Vocabulary
In this solar system vocabulary skills learning exercise, students match the 13 solar system-related names and terms in the word bank to the appropriate definitions.
Curated OER
Solar System Crossword
In this solar system crossword puzzle worksheet, students use the 13 clues and the terms in the word bank to help them correctly complete the word puzzle.
Curated OER
Solar System Challenge
In this solar system worksheet, learners complete 13 multiple-choice questions to demonstrate their knowledge of the solar system.
Curated OER
Tree-mendous Game
Students play a game where they classify the different characteristics of trees. In this tress lesson plan, students also use tree vocabulary and describe benefits of trees.
Curated OER
SI Units and Conversions Between Them
For this SI units and conversion worksheet, students are given five problems to solve. They convert from one SI unit to another.
Curated OER
Speed
Students explore speed by calculating the average speed of several snowmobiles, and predicting which of them is the fastest. They watch a race to verify their calculations.