Curated OER
Flight
Students are introduced to the four forces of flight--drag, lift, thrust, and weight--through a variety of fun-filled flight experiments. They "fly" for short periods and evaluate factors that might either increase or decrease their...
Curated OER
Testing and Refining Aircraft Design
High schoolers design and make a flying device. They work in small groups to brainstorm ideas for the design of their device. They choose an idea or combination of ideas to use for their design and create a sketch of their design. The...
Curated OER
Lift and Launch Angle
Learners engage in a hands-on experiment to determine how launch angles affect airflow around the wing of an aircraft. They view a series of photographs and read information describing the Wright Brothers' experiences. They complete a...
Curated OER
Project X-35
Students demonstrate rocketry principles through a cooperative, problem solving simulation. They work in teams to simulate the development of a commercial proposal to design, build, and launch a rocket.
Curated OER
Weather with Lewis and Clark: Then and Now
Fourth graders discuss how to accurately measure weather, gather materials in order to make instruments, and build weather instruments in which they measure and record different aspects of weather for a five-day period.
Curated OER
Paper Dart Airplane
Students create a paper dart airplane and measure its flight pattern. In this flight instructional activity, students follow the included directions to build their own paper airplane. The students change the aileron configurations to see...
Curated OER
Cyclones
Learners explore Earth science by researching natural disasters in class. In this cyclone activity, students discuss the creation of cyclones and what their potential destruction can be in the wrong environment. Learners read assigned...
Curated OER
Bubble-ology and Bernoulli
Students explore aerodynamics and Bernoulli's principle by devising ways to keep bubbles aloft.
Curated OER
Transport in Plants
Quite a detailed and advanced look at the transport mechanisms of a plant. The absorption and control of sugar and water concentration are explained and will help an understanding of homeostasis concepts and organ specialization.
Nuffield Foundation
Measuring the Rate of Metabolism
Plant respiration can be a difficult concept for young biologists to grasp; with a hands-on lab, learners can collect and graph data, then calculate the metabolism rate for the plants they studied. If you do not have a respirometer,...
Nuffield Foundation
Measuring Respiratory Quotient
How do scientists prove tiny living things respire? Young scientists build a respirometer and measure respiration rates in living creatures. By comparing the measurements of both plants and animals, they understand the similarities.
Council for Economic Education
Inflation Data: Is the Economy Healthy?
What stories do current trends tell about society, fashion, and the future? Scholars investigate the concept of inflation and its impact on the future of the American economy. They compile current economic data to determine the level of...
Curated OER
Perching Parrot
Students explore the concepts of center of mass and static equilibrium by seeing how non-symmetrical objects balance. They also analyze why all forces on an object must cancel out exactly for an object to be stationary.
Curated OER
Build Your Own Weather Station
Studens experiment with temperatures. In this science lesson, students make their own weather station by heating one bottle and keeping the water in another bottle at room temperature.
Curated OER
Quiz: Weather Terminology #2
In this science worksheet, 3rd graders focus on the weather. Students respond to ten fill in the blank questions regarding weather terminology.
Curated OER
Understanding Bernoulli's Principle
Fifth graders explain why we fly. In this space science lesson, 5th graders discuss Bernoulli's prinicple and its relation to flight.
Curated OER
Reading Weather Maps
Fourth graders the symbols that are used on weather maps. They develop five day forecasts based on information they gather from weather maps in the newspaper and on the Internet.
Curated OER
Weather Predictions
Students record weather data and create a five day forecast. Students investigate the roles of meteorologists and identify symbols used on a weather map. After gathering weather data for a week, students will create a five day forecast...
Curated OER
Investigating Motion
Pupils explore types of motion. In this motion experiment, students observe how objects move. Pupils work in small groups to discover the laws of motion.
Curated OER
What's The Weather?
Second graders record and summarize daily weather observations for a week in the form of a bar graph. They cut and glue a weather symbol for each day, record it on the graph, and answer discussion questions.
Curated OER
What's the Weather?
Second graders make daily weather observations, record them with appropriate stickers on a chart, and then summarize them at the end of the week in the form of a bar graph.
Curated OER
Thunderstorms
Fourth graders investigate the attraction between two different charges to explain the concept of lightning in a thunderstorm.
Curated OER
Weather Predictions
Students play the role of weather personalities by making five day forecasts based on data gathered from observations, weather instruments, and weather maps. Each day a small group makes a class forecast for the next day and reviews the...
Curated OER
Balsa Wood Airplane Flight and Speed Correlation
Ninth graders calculate the average speed of their balsa wood airplane. In this physics lesson plan, 9th graders build their own airplane and make necessary modifications to to make it fly straight. They interpret distance and time graph...