+
Lesson Plan
Physics Classroom

A Wiggle in Time Lab

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Though an alternative method is suggested, the best way to carry out this investigation is with the use of a computer-interfaced motion detector. Physics fanatics hang a mass on the end of a spring and analyze its motion verbally,...
+
Lesson Plan
Physics Classroom

A Critical Lab

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Physics lab groups finagle with laser lights to determine the critical angle of refraction for both water and Lucite. Because there are no detailed steps or an answer key for this enlightening exercise, an inexperienced physics...
+
Lesson Plan
Physics Classroom

Action at a Distance Lab

For Teachers 4th - 8th
The concepts involved with static electricity are typically taught in upper elementary physical science units. The lab described in this resource has pupils examine the behavior of small pieces of paper and a balloon when a charged piece...
+
Lesson Plan
Physics Classroom

Action-Reaction Lab

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Computer-interfaced motion detectors are required to carry out this inquiry. It is a new twist on exploring motion with plunger carts: they are set back-to-back and then propelled away from each other. Their velocities are measured, and...
+
Unit Plan
University of Southern Indiana

Manifest Density

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
There's a lot content packed into the four lessons of this physical science unit on density. From salad dressing to the water cycle and hot air balloons, these lessons engage students in hands-on activities that explore real-world...
+
Activity
National Science Teachers Association

Paper Car Crash Design

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High school physical scientists collide with motion. They work in pairs to design a paper car that will protect a raw egg during a head-on collision. Measurements of distance traveled, time of run, vehicle specs, and photo gate flags are...
+
Lesson Plan
American Physiological Society

How Does the Density of a Liquid Affect the Buoyancy of an Object?

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Here's a lesson plan that will really float your boat! Introduce physical science scholars to the relationship between buoyancy and density through an assortment of individual and collaborative exercises. Lab groups work together to...
+
Unit Plan
Columbus City Schools

What’s Up with Matter?

For Teachers 6th Standards
Take a "conservative" approach to planning your next unit on mass and matter! What better way to answer "But where did the gas go?" than with a lab designed to promote good report writing, research skills, and detailed observation. The...
+
Interactive
CK-12 Foundation

Atoms to Molecules: Constructing Helium

For Students 7th - 9th
Protons and neutrons and electrons, oh my! Physical science scholars get hands-on with interactive atomic modeling. Starting with a simple helium atom, participants create and name ions, then build isotopes. Questions throughout the...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring Basic Physical Science Concepts

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students use the concepts of simple machines to construct a mobile. The inquiry is made in groups and presentations are made by constructing reports. The assessment is based upon the final product of the mobile and how students use...
+
Lesson Plan
American Physiological Society

Feeling the Heat

For Teachers 9th - 12th
How do the changing seasons affect the homes where we live? This question is at the forefront of engineering and design projects. Challenge your physical science class to step into the role of an architect to build a model home capable...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Honesty and Ethics in the Science Lab

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners complete a variety of lab and discussion activities as they are introduced to ethics and honest lab practices. They perform various biology, chemistry, or physics labs which test their ethical lab practices.
+
Lesson Plan
Wild BC

The Greenhouse Effect: Warming the Earth Experiment

For Teachers 6th - 8th
First in a two-part lesson on the greenhouse effect, this lesson involves a classroom demonstration of the phenomenon, and a lab group experiment with color and absorption. Although there are easier ways to demonstrate the greenhouse...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Visible Spectroscopy Expert Witness Problem

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
In a simulated crime science investigation, chemistry or physics sleuths use spectroscopy to analyze solutions. The lesson gives learners practice making salicylate solutions, using spectrophotometers, calculating dilution amounts,...
+
Lesson Plan
American Chemical Society

Racing M&M Colors

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
More than anything, this is great practice in scientific inquiry. After discovering that the color coating of an M&M® dissolves in water during a preceding activity, investigators now question whether or not the color makes a...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Digestion & Nutrition: a Case Study

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers explore digestion/nutrition and utilize scientific investigation skills. They complete meal logs for several days and graph their results. After analyzing their data, they write formal lab reports.
+
Lesson Plan
American Chemical Society

M&M's in Different Temperatures

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Help your class come up with a procedure for comparing the dissolving rates of colored candy coating in different temperatures of water. If you are placing importance on controlled variables with your class, make sure that they use equal...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Deceleration of a Toy Truck

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders complete labs using toy trucks to study deceleration, record thier data, and then transfer it to graphing software to produce a graph. They create a lab report of the completed lab using a word processing program.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Air Pressure

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Learners participate in a series of demonstrations about Bernoulli's principle. They explain how air pressure varies with air speed. They write a detailed lab report about the activity. This is a great way to explore this concept.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Riding on a Pendulum

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
A comprehensive resource gets fourth grade physical scientists making observations about the period of a pendulum and then applying knowledge to a playground swing. Through seven different stations, they will record observations and...
+
Activity
American Chemical Society

A Dissolving Challenge

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
After collecting carbon dioxide bubbles from a cup of club soda, learners attempt to make their own lemon soda while preventing the loss of carbonation. They do so by creating a syrup before mixing the substances into the club soda....
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Case of Similar Substances

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students perform tests in the lab to identify an unknown substance. In this physical science lesson plan, students observe the physical and chemical properties of substances. They formulate a conclusion based on experimental results.
+
Lesson Plan
Cornell University

Sometimes You Behave Like a WAVE, Sometimes You Don't!

For Students 10th - 12th
Electromagnetic radiation behaves like both a wave and a particle. Help classes explore this concept through a lab investigation. Young scientists create optical interference patterns on a glass slide using a carbon layer. They analyze...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Using Photovoltaic Cells and Systems

For Teachers 9th - 12th
This interesting document suggests nine different activities for shedding light on photovoltaic cells. A bit of background information is furnished for you, as well as many, many resource links. Listed for each activity are a learning...