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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wood Sculptures and Constructions

For Teachers Pre-K - K
Young scholars build and construct unique wood sculptures in order to develop creative-thinking, problem-solving, and fine-motor skills. In this construction lesson, students receive a variety of wooden shapes and use glue or other...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Science Lesson: Home-made Generator

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students are able to design and conduct an experiment related to electrical generation. They are able to list the factors that affect the amount of current that can be generated by a simple generator, such as the number of turns of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Magnetic Levitation

For Teachers 4th - 9th
A thorough investigation of magnetic levitation; this activity has four parts. First, physical scientists play with a wooden dowel and three disc magnets to review polarity and repelling action. Then they experiment with the strength of...
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Activity
Exploratorium

Resonator

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Construct a demonstration apparatus for your lesson on resonance. Instructions are provided here to assemble dowels and balls into swinging objects that have different frequencies. It is a neat visual to include during your lecture if...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Folk Art Weather Vane

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Young scholars observe weather vanes and explore their purpose and history and create a miniature weather vane from cardboard or wood.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Folk Art Weather Vane

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students create replicas of Folk Art Weather Vanes using farm animal outlines, cardboard or wood, paints, and staining techniques. Emphasis is placed on the appreciation of folk art, the history of the weather vane, and creativity.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Kokeshi Dolls

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students create Kokeshi Dolls using paints, dowel ends and glue. They research the traditions and history of Hina Matsuri, or girls' day in Japan.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Breaking Energy

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Learners experiment with the amount of work required to break a piece of wood by hanging masses from a string attached to a thin dowel of wood. At the completion of activity, students calculate if a fast moving hand could break the dowel.
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Lab Resource
US Department of Energy

Go Far Cars Ramp: A Basic Ramp with Four Height Settings

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Precise measurements make the job easier! One of the challenges when using an inclined plane for testing comes from pupils not using exact measurements. They often rely on books that slide or different ramp lengths when experimenting. By...
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Lesson Plan
NOAA

Wet Maps

For Teachers 5th - 6th
How do oceanographers make maps under water? Junior explorers discover the technologies and processes involved in creating bathymetric maps in part three of a five-part series designed for fifth- and sixth-grade pupils. The lesson...
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Lab Resource
US Department of Energy

The Invisible Electromagnet: A Transparent Magnetic Field Viewer

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Audio speakers, hard drives, credit cards, and even the earth use magnetic fields. While we observe the effect of magnetic fields, we can't actually see them. A viewer helps participants explore magnetic fields, some of the items that...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Examine Methods of Reporting Research Results

For Teachers 10th - Higher Ed
Students analyze a research report and the list of components needed in a research report and then identify those components based on a set of standards using the scientific method. They collect data which can be used for a graphical...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Investigating Soil

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students investigate soil contents. In this soil instructional activity, students gather samples of soil and record their findings on a graphic organizer. After analyzing the material in the soil, students illustrate the layers they found.
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Lesson Plan
Roald Dahl

The Twits - The Monkeys Escape

For Teachers 3rd - 7th Standards
Houses come in all shapes and sizes, but not all houses are safe from Mr. and Mrs. Twit. The 10th lesson in a unit designed to accompany The Twits by Roald Dahl turns learners into architects. While designing houses for the monkeys, they...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Power in the Tubes

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders investigate the relationship between force, distance and time.  In this physical science lesson students compute the work done, graph and find the relationship between work and power. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Color, Light, and Excited Electrons

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Investigate color, light and excited electrons and produce waves using slinkys. Your high schoolers will observe a continuous spectrum with a prism and an overhead projector. They observe flame tests to identify elements and they observe...
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Lab Resource
US Department of Energy

Magnets on a Stick: A Magnetic Force Demonstration Device

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Why do some magnets attract while others repel? Scholars use clearly labeled permanent magnets to explore the attractive question. They compare the behavior of like versus opposite poles to find the answer.
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Attract or Repel?

For Students 3rd - 4th
Opposites attract with a fun science experiment on magnets. With a short paragraph on background knowledge, the lab sheet prompts third and fourth graders to choose which pairs of magnets will attract, and which pairs will repel. A...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Box It Up

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students use a six-step problem solving method to design a box/container. They are given the criteria for evaluation when presented with the problem. Students keep a notebook on processes, procedures, material, cost, design, machines,...
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Lesson Plan
Dick Blick Art Materials

“Rhythm in Layers”

For Teachers K - 12th
Young artists learn to build rhythm into a design by repeating colors, shapes, and patterns in a 3-D sculpture activity.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Constructions and Creations: Sturdy Structures

For Teachers Pre-K - 4th Standards
Have your class draw the plans and design a structure. Learners discuss and investigate the variables in the stability of a 2D and 3D model. They also consider how to add a circuit to the design. Afterwards, they present their work.
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Lesson Plan
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University of Colorado

The Jovian Basketball Hoop

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
A radio receives radio signals, converts them to an electrical signal, then converts this signal to a sound signal, and amplifies the sound so people can hear it. Class members use this information to create a short-wave radio antenna...
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Lesson Plan
University of Colorado

The Jovian Basketball Hoop

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Can you listen to Jupiter on a simple radio? Turns out the answer is yes! The resource instructs scholars to build a simple radio to pick up the radio waves created when the charged particles from the sun hit Jupiter's magnetic...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Constructing Earthquake-Proof Buildings

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners examine different materials and design options that can affect the durability of a building.  In this investigative lesson students conduct several earthquake experiments.