What a wonderful way to explore motion and forces! Learners design a catapult, after watching a video and discussing types of catapults. This is a comprehensive and complete instructional activity with links to supplementary resources.

High schoolers are able to analyze gravity as an universal force. They are able to demonstrate ways that simple machines can change force. Students are able to determine how the force of friction retards motion. They are able to...

With a simple blackboard-style appearance, these slides list facts about the reason for the seasons, solstices, and equinoxes. It also touches on Kepler's first law of planetary motion. There are no pictures or graphics to help explain...

Students demonstrate Newton's Third Law of Motion. They discuss the history of rockets, observe how a rocket works, and draw a picture and write an explanation of the balloon experiment.

Students explore the motion of common objects. They make predictions and record results for cars running down different surfaces: sandpaper, rubber, felt, smooth and observe how surface material affects movement.

Students apply what they recall about objects in motion by animati ng sequences of pictures that model a set of physical conditions. They animate the orbital motions of the Earth, the space shuttle, and the Moon based on calculations of...

First graders discuss work, force, and energy. They study how work is done. Students discuss various types of work that are done. They act out how work is done. Student draw pictures of types of work they have done.

Students observe pictures taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. From a given website, students observe images of the Einstein Cross, Black Eye Galaxy, Hoag's Object, merging and interacting galaxies and more. This lesson plan gives a...

How can you launch an object that isn't propelled by air? The resource provides directions to build a launcher to launch rockets made of two-liter bottles. The launcher, built mainly from materials found at the local hardware...

Students explore Newton's three laws, gravity, momentum, trajectory, projectiles, circular motion, and friction by observing and breaking down skateboard tricks. They view short video clips of Tony Hawk and explain the physics concepts...

How can you tell if something is living or nonliving? Introduce a set of criteria which can be used to determine which things are alive and which are not. The class discusses the basic needs of all living organisms, checks out an...

From days of 24 hour sunlight, to endless nights that last for days, the Arctic is a very unique place to live. Examine the seasonal changes that occur in the northern-most reaches of the globe and the impact they have on the plants and...

Third graders create a flipbook. In this phases of the moon lesson, 3rd graders examine how the moon changes and phases occur.  Students create their own flipbook of the phases of the moon using file cards to create a motion-picture...

Students complete an in-depth study of the known planets in the solar system. As a class, students identify the planets that are known in the universe, in the night sky. They explain the differences between planets and stars and the...

Learners will design and build a structure to support a rock. Students will use their knowledge of movement of objects to determine the proper base to be built to support their rock. Learners will explore their natural area for...

Pupils discuss the meaning of a day and what happens to the sun as it turns to night. Then they go outside and draw the view in front of them, paying close attention to the location of the sun. Every hour they return and chart the sun's...

Define six common forces: propulsion, air resistance, water resistance, friction, gravity, and upthrust. A picture of a Smart Car is displayed with arrows showing all of the forces acting on it when it is motion. A picture of a rubber...

Students understand the basic properties of plate motion. They demonstrate what happens to a plate while faulting while using manipulatives. They demonstrate the Nature of Scientific Inquiry to solve scientific issues.

Learners explore clouds.  In this weather lesson, students identify the steps in the water cycle, define condensation and evaporation, and relate this information to cloud formation.  Learners perform a cloud experiment,...

Students investigate technology and make a correlation between technology and the weather. In this science lesson, students experiment with the weather and climate using technology to help them understand forces and motion. They identify...

Middle schoolers view a video on friction and examine how friction and gravity affect some sports.  In this investigative lesson students write a paragraph and draw a picture that illustrates how friction and gravity affect sports.

Seventh graders construct a food chain based on pictures shown on the board. In this biology instructional activity, 7th graders describe the motion of particles as energy is changed. They explain how pH changes during neutralization.

Students are introduced to potential and kinetic energy through the example of a ball being thrown straight up in the air. They are then told that the energy associated with the position of the object is referred to as potential energy....

Students observe the position of an object in the sky by describing its location relative to another object or the background, describe an object's motion by tracing and measuring its position over time, and create their own myths about...