Curated OER
The Sky Show
Students use lecture and research to answer the question: Why is the sky blue? students research a variety of other sky phenomena, chart their observations and participate in experiments.
Curated OER
Magnet Trackstar
Learners explore websites created by other young people on the topic of magnets. These sites are in the form of a TrackStar and are accompanied by a worksheet to guide them in their information gathering.
Curated OER
Energy Defined
Fourth graders complete activities to study the sources of energy and forms. In this energy activity, 4th graders discuss the origin of energy and define it. Students participate in several experiments to further study energy including a...
Curated OER
Magnetism in Action
Third graders experiment with magnetic force and magnetic fields. They examine how magnetic forces can act through a distance.
Curated OER
Gaining Familiarity with Magnetism
Students discuss their perceptions of magnetism and explore the background ideas of magnetism.
Curated OER
Transforming Energy
Sixth graders study about alternate energy sources and discuss with their neighbor how alternative energy sources affect environmental conditions so that an entire species could be affected.
Curated OER
Which Wrap Is Wrapped Right?
Students investigate the integrity and strength of different types of food wraps. They test the wraps and create a graphic organizer for the data. Once it is organized then a lab report can be written. The lesson contains background...
Curated OER
Magnetic Domain
Students participate in activities in which they examine magnetic domains. They analzye how different colored metals and how they react to magnets.
Curated OER
Plotting a Magnetic Field
Young scholars experiment with a set of materials. They plot the magnetic field that arises from a regular bar magnet. They discover how a magnet affects a compass.
Curated OER
Induction: Inquiry in Action
Learners investigate the factors that affect the induced current in a loop of wire. They discuss Faraday's Law and Lenz's Law. Students identify the different variables that affect the magnetic flux and calculate the magnetic flux...
Curated OER
The Story of the Transistor
Students brainstorm on how certain items have become smaller as technology advances. They watch a video about the history of the transistor.
Curated OER
Scientists at Work: What'll they think of next?
Students explore scientific discovery while watching a video. They, in groups, are to research a scientific invention and present their findings to the class.
Curated OER
Community Action
Fifth graders brainstorm a list of decisions that students make daily that affect the welfare of the environment categorizing them as being either helpful or harmful. They then trace local actions to distant consequences to determine how...
Curated OER
Not Just For A Baby's Bottom
Eighth graders investigate the presence of talc in the geologic record. The different characteristics of talc is covered. The lesson includes background information for the teacher.
Curated OER
The Learning Bottleneck
Students identify and analyze what energy is and how they feel after moving around a lot. They identify other ways that they can acquire heat and if there is some sort of mechanism for storing energy. Finally, students construct their...
Curated OER
Lake Billy Chinook
Students explore aerial photographs and maps of Round Butte Dam. They examine the land modifications necessary to create a dam. After reading a book about building a dam, students compare the environmental impact of Lake Billy Chinook to...
Curated OER
Bungee Man Lab
Students explore the motion of a toy bungee jumper using the scientific method. They view a video of a bungee jumper and discuss what can be measured about a bungee jump. Students discuss the scientific mehtod and how to design an...
Curated OER
The Little Transistor That Could
Students research the history of the transistor to explore the nature of technology. They complete a worksheet that coincides with given websites. Then they write a one-page essay about their findings.
Curated OER
Making Waves, Making Music, Making Noise
Sixth graders watch a demonstration on how talking cans produce sounds. In groups, they compare and contrast the sounds from different sized cans. They participate in a variety of activities to discover how sounds are made and how...
Curated OER
Sun Prints
Young scholars use coins to help them explore the sun as a source of renewable energy. They go outside in the sunshine and make a design by placing coins on their piece of black construction paper.
Curated OER
Current-Carrying Coils In Magnetic Fields
Students predict the direction of movement for the pointer of a home-made galvanometer for a given current direction and describe how the current-carrying coil exerts a force on the magnet.
Curated OER
How Hot Is It?
Sixth graders use paper cups, black and white lining, thermometers and plastic wrap to conduct an experiment that measures the energy-collecting capacity of various colors. They graph the results.
Curated OER
Let's Make a Solar Car
Students transform a car that they have built out of K'NEX into a solar car. Students add one or two solar cells to the car to power a DC motor then connect the motor to the car and come up with a method to drive the car. This is the...