University of Texas
Lives of Stars
Stars exist from a few million years to over 10 billion years, depending on their mass. Scholars perform a play acting as stars to learn about their different life cycles. They develop an understanding of many of the fundamental concepts...
New Jersey Historical Commission and New Jersey Council for the Humanities
Thomas Edison: The Wizard of Menlo Park
What would change in your daily life due to a power outage? Here, learners explore the inventions brought to us by the one and only, Thomas Edison, and imagine a day without them. Scholars take part in a grand conversation and write a...
National Research Center for Career and Technical Education
Lou-Vee-Air Car
Who said teaching a STEM lesson had to be challenging? Incorporate a career and technology-centered car build into your upcoming force lesson plan, and your class will be moving down the road in no time! Pupils practice...
Curated OER
F = ma, Inertia, and Action-Reaction
Fourth graders apply concepts of Newton's Laws in scientific inquiries. Use this lesson plan to have your charges test and identify the characteristics of objects that make them easier or harder to push. After a teacher-led...
It's About Time
Detect and Induce Currents
Young scientists recreate an 1820 experiment and build off of it to investigate how to detect and induce electrical currents. As a final activity, scholars answer questions in multiple formats.
American Chemical Society
Exploring Energy
When asked to list everyday objects that require energy, most people list technology that use batteries or electricity. Through hands-on exploration, young scientists discover energy is much more than just circuitry. They play with...
Rice University
College Physics for AP® Courses
Take a look at an organized physics course. The 34-section electronic textbook covers material in AP® Physics 1 and 2. Teachers use the text to supplement lectures and have the class work through the labs. Each section contains...
Curated OER
Newton Car
Students demonstrate Newtons law of motion by examining the reaction of a rolling car when its mass and acceleration is increased. In this acceleration lesson students complete and activity that shows them how Newtons Law of Motion...
Curated OER
Simple Machines
Students engage in a instructional activity that is concerned with the concept of a simple machine and uses the law of motion to justify why they operate. Students explore the laws by constructing some simple machines to illustrate the...
Curated OER
Magnetism and Electricity
Students demonstrate a comprehension of the properties, position, and motion of objects and materials, and of light, heat, electricity, and magnetism. They use materials to assemble an electric circuit and test materials, including...
Curated OER
Waves
In this waves worksheet, high schoolers read about harmonic and linear motion in waves as well as the two types of waves. They match 5 terms to their definitions about the structure of waves, they solve for the wavelength, frequency and...
Curated OER
A Classical & Relativistic Trip to a Black Hole
Students calculate distance, velocity, acceleration and time on their fantasy trip to the black hold. They apply Newton's Laws of Motion and calculate circular motion. They discuss any questions that may arise.
Curated OER
The Impact
Students investigate the impact inventions have on people. In this technology lesson, students explore inventions, such as the light bulb, and identify ways the invention impacted society. Students design a simple project that could...
Curated OER
Unraveling the Mysteries of Objects in Space
Learners study emitted and absorbed light, and label each type of spectrum. They identify elements by their spectral signatures and use a spectroscope.
Curated OER
Floating and Falling Flows
Students discover fluid dynamics related to buoyancy through experimentation and optional photography. Using one set of fluids, they make light fluids rise through denser fluids. Using another set, they make dense fluids sink through a...
Curated OER
Demonstrating Moon Phases
Third graders participate in a demonstration of the moon's phases. In this moon phase lesson, 3rd graders watch as the teacher demonstrates moon phases with a bright light and a Styrofoam ball. They answer questions associated with the...
Curated OER
Electromagnetic and Physical Waves
Students compare and contrast electromagnetic and physical waves. In this wave lesson, students discover that all waves reflect, refract, and diffract energy. Students work in small groups to experiment with waves and evaluate the type...
Curated OER
The Physics of Hummingbirds: Magic in the Air
Students study hummingbirds and how they use Newton's law. In this motion lesson students complete several activities and view videos of hummingbirds.
Curated OER
Reflection, Refraction & Lenses
Learners are able to describe what happens to light when it strikes different materials. They describe the law of reflection. Students are able to explain why a mirror froms a virtual image. They are able to describe diffuse reflection.
Curated OER
What Is Energy? Short Demos
Learners engage in three short, hands-on, in-class demos which expand students' understand of energy. First, using peanuts and heat, learners see how the human body burns food to make energy. Then, they create paper snake mobiles to...
Curated OER
F = a, Inertia, and Friction
Fourth graders use a matchbox car to push across a hard surface and observe what happens. They then push the car across a soft or rough surface and discover what happens. The two ideas are discusses as Newton's First and Second Laws of...
Curated OER
Getting Down with the Alphabet
Young scholars view magazines and discuss photographs that impacted on them. In this digital photography lesson, students use digital pictures to photograph the letters of the alphabet. Young scholars look at lighting, framing and...
Curated OER
The Physics of Toys
Students explore physics by experimenting with classic toys. In this physical science lesson, students utilize gliders, energy balls, bouncing balls, marbles and other toys to explore how they work. Students explore each toy at a work...
Utah Education Network (UEN)
Utah Open Textbook: Physics
Textbooks come in all shapes, sizes, and media these days. An electronic textbook resource offers Physics materials for an entire course. The text offers an explanation of physics topics as well as examples of calculations and reading...