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The North (Wall) Star
Students engage in a lesson which shows them that celestial navigation is the art and science of finding one's geographic position by means of astronomical observations, particularly by measuring altitudes of celestial objects - sun,...
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Two-Cell Battery
Students build their own two-cell battery and determine which electrolyte solution is best suited for making a battery. They discuss background information for their experiment, construct and test their battery, and using the chart on...
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Vector Voyage!
Middle schoolers use vector analysis to examine the concept of dead reckoning. They listen to a teacher-led lecture, complete a Vector Voyage Worksheet with the teacher, answer discussion questions, and use the Pythagorean Theorem for...
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TE Activity: Yogurt Cup Speakers
Sixth graders build a speaker as they investigate the roles of electricity and magnetism. They discover the properties of magnets, create an electromagnet, and determine the direction of a magnetic field. They show cause and effect...
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Solar System Lesson Plans
Solar system lesson plans provide teachers with a multitude of ways to interest even the most reluctant learners.
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What Makes Thing Fly?
Second graders study lift, drag and thrust from a real flight instructor. In this physical science lesson students build and fly paper airplanes and experiment with variations and design.
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The Case of the Mysterious Red Light
Students investigate why some sunrises and sunsets are unusually bright red.
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What’s That, I Can’t Hear You?
Students investigate forms of energy as well as light and sound. In this science lesson, students participate in hands-on activities that require them to evaluate how sound affects astronauts in flight. A video of this lesson being...
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Design a Running Shoe for a Triathlete
Students examine the design and construction of athletic footwear. They analyze the magnitude and directions of forces on the foot and leg in different sports, interview people, and design a running shoe for a triathlete.
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Telemetry
In this telemetry worksheet, students will read about how telemetry works and the different ways that scientist use telemetry to gather data. Students complete 2 short answer questions based on the reading.
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Look Ma! I'm a Rocket Scientist!
Students use a ball to push and pull to demonstrate the concept of force. In this force lesson plan, students talk about the importance of force in space and use balls to demonstrate this phenomena.
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Calibrating a Roverbot
Students build and program a Lego Mindstorms Roverbot to travel for a given amount of time. They gather data on time versus distance traveled to determine a calibration constant for their robot, which relates time to distance.
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Biomechanics of Joints
Learners investigate range of motion in human joints and the mechanical devices they emulate. They construct a human arm model with three joints which emulate the wrist, elbow and shoulder.
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Balloonautics
Young scholars are introduced to basic aerodynamics through a discussion of thrust and drag and a hands-on activity. They examine the forces of thrust, drag, air pressure, aerodynamic shapes and Newton's Third Law Of Motion.
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TE Lesson: Navigating at the Speed of Satellites
Students study the basic concepts of the Global Positioning System and how it increases the accuracy of navigation. They examine trilateration and how the speed of light is used to calculate distances.
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TE Activity: A Roundabout Way to Mars
Students investigate Hohmann orbit transfers using cardboard and string while focusing on the orbits of Earth and Mars. They look at the planets orbits around the sun and transfer orbit form one planet to another to determine what a...
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The Road to World War II
Middle schoolers research the orgins and early events of World War II using online and off line resources. They conduct an interview with a local World War II veteral and present their findings to the class.
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Radius, Diameter and Area
Students identify the radius and diameter of a circle. In this geometry lesson, students calculate the volume and area of a cylinder and circle. They relate the circumference of a circle to Pi.
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Unit Circle and Triangle
Students apply the Unit Circle to solve ratios of triangles. In this geometry lesson, students derive the different ratios of a triangle using the Pythagorean Theorem. They find the angles of a unit circle using a right triangle.
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Catapults!
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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World War II: Bombs and Peace
Students explore the final events and end of World War II. They examine the community impact of such events as the dropping of the dropping of atomic bombs, and President Roosevelt's death. Students prepare a presentation.
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Researching Engineers Lesson Plan
Students research different kinds of engineers and investigate what each one does. After completing three days of research and using a research guide sheet, they create a PowerPoint presentation of at least 8 slides but no more than 15.
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Parachutes: What Affects a Parachute
Students create a simple paper parachute. For this parachute design lesson, students examine the effects of the wind and make napkin parachutes.
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Aerodynamics of a Boomerang
Students examine how aerodynamic forces affect the flight of aircraft, animals and sports balls and projectiles (like a javelin or boomerang). They discover the origins of the boomerang and early usage in hunting.