Unit Plan
NASA

Food For Thought

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Science can be quite tasty. A delectable unit from NASA shows learners why it's important to consider food, nutrition, and health in space. Four lessons explore the idea in great depth, including testing cookie recipes. Along the way,...
Interactive
Concord Consortium

Electrostatics: Maze Game

For Students 6th - 12th
Ready to have an a-MAZE-ing time teaching electrostatics? Introduce physical science superstars to an engaging resource that tests their knowledge of attractive and repulsive forces. Pupils change the charge of a ball to guide it through...
Interactive
Concord Consortium

Charge Intensity and Electric Force

For Students 6th - 12th
Looking for a quick way to supercharge your electricity and magnetism unit? Assign a very responsive interactive designed to illustrate the relationship between charge, electric field, and the resulting forces. Learners experiment with...
Interactive
PHET

Masses and Springs

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Have you ever stretched out a Slinkie so much it wouldn't go back to its original shape? Slinkies, like all springs, follow Hooke's Law. A simulation uses springs and masses to demonstrate kinetic, potential, and thermal energy. It...
Interactive
PHET

John Travoltage

For Teachers 3rd - 12th Standards
Did you get to play with electric currents or were you grounded? An electrifying simulation shows how building up a charge of electricity creates a static shock once grounded. Pupils rub John's foot across the carpet and view the buildup...
Interactive
PHET

Gravity And Orbits

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Have you ever wanted to turn off gravity? This simulation allows learners to do just that in addition to altering other variables. Scholars can move the sun, Earth, moon, and space station to see how distance affects gravitational pull....
Interactive
PHET

Forces in 1 Dimension

For Teachers 6th - Higher Ed Standards
A realistic simulation uses charts to show forces, position, velocity, and acceleration versus time based on how the simulation is set up. Once those concepts are mastered, scholars use free body diagrams to explain how each graph...
Interactive
PHET

Faraday's Law

For Teachers 6th - Higher Ed Standards
Could a flux capacitor really work? An engaging simulation encourages scholars to investigate Faraday's law. They experiment with various speeds, magnitude, voltage, and different-sized coils. Hopefully experimenters will be able to...
Lesson Plan
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American Chemical Society

Changing State: Evaporation

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Why do experiments require a control? Guide scholars through designing an experiment to see what they can do to evaporate water faster with a lesson plan that stresses the importance of controlling all variables. The second activity...
Lesson Plan
NASA

The Cycle of Matter

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
An educational lesson focuses on the idea of conservation of matter through a demonstration of the water cycle, a discussion of digesting food, and the path of carbon and oxygen atoms as they change form. 
Lesson Plan
National Renewable Energy Laboratory

No Fossils in This Fuel

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Yeast and sugar go beyond the pantry and into a fuel experiment. Use these common baking ingredients to assist your class in creating ethanol, a natural fuel. Pupils observe the process and gather information to elaborate...
Lesson Plan
PHET

Measuring the Interplanetary Magnetic Field

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Scientists need to figure out how to measure interplanetary magnetic fields, but the magnetic field of the spacecraft is interfering with their readings. Scholars attempt to solve the problem that has perplexed NASA scientists for years.
Lesson Plan
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STEM for Teachers

Tsunami!

For Teachers 4th - 6th
How does the depth of an ocean affect the speed of a tsunami's waves? Use Jell-o, graham crackers, and marshmallows to model the effects of an underwater earthquake and its resulting tsunami. The lesson includes hands-on activities,...
Unit Plan
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NASA

The Science of the Sun

For Teachers K - 6th Standards
There's more to that glowing ball of light in sky than most children realize. From the overall structure of the solar system, to the changing of the seasons, these hands-on lessons open the eyes of young scientists to...
Unit Plan
Government of South Australia

Don't Waste Your Energy

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
Don't lift another finger, this physical and environmental science unit has everything you need to begin teaching your class about energy. Starting with a look at the greenhouse effect, these lessons and activities take young scientists...
Unit Plan
Norwich Institute for Language Education

Simple Machines

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
Planning a unit on simple machines? Save some time and energy with this collection of lessons and activities that explores how these devices are used in the real world to make life a little easier. 
Lesson Plan
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Cheetah Outreach

Population Change

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Your youngsters become cheetahs in search of food, water, shelter, and space in a fun physical game that does a fantastic job of representing fluctuating species population based on resources available over years. 
Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Galileo: Revealing the Universe

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
To gain an understanding of the significance of Galileo Galilei's revolutionary ideas, class members watch the short video "Stargazing Before Galileo," and conduct a close reading of Galileo's Sidereal Messsenger. They then...
Unit Plan
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Curated OER

Youth Emergency Preparedness

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
What is an emergency, why is preparing for one important, and how can your pupils help others prepare for an emergency? Answer these questions and more with a short unit. Learners will participate in a variety of collaborative,...
Lesson Plan
NASA

Soda Straw Rockets

For Teachers K - 6th Standards
Three, two, one, blast off to a better understanding of force and motion with this exciting science lesson plan! Beginning with a discussion about rockets and gravity, young scientists go on to complete a series of worksheets...
Lesson Plan
American Chemical Society

Formation of a Precipitate

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Conclude this chemical change unit by having your class combine two liquids that result in formation of a precipitate. The learners discover that chemical reactions result in new materials. Make sure to consider all of the preceding...
Lesson Plan
American Chemical Society

Comparing the Amount of Acid in Different Solutions

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Upcoming chemists use chemical reactions to determine relative pH in two different acids. This is a terrific lesson for middle schoolers that can stand alone as a practice in precision and lab skills, or as part of the unit on chemical...
Lesson Plan
American Chemical Society

Color Changes with Acids and Bases

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Getting back to the beginning of the unit, learners use reactions with red cabbage juice to determine if solutions are acidic, neutral, or basic. This is a straightforward and classic investigation, but what you will appreciate is the...
Lesson Plan
American Chemical Society

Change in Temperature - Exothermic Reaction

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Alone, or as part of the intended unit on chemical reactions, this activity allows learners to experience an exothermic reaction. Here, learners add calcium chloride to a baking soda solution and watch the temperature rise! They will...