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Lesson Plan
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Purdue University

Field Trip Snack Holder

For Teachers 3rd Standards
Is light related to insulation? An informative hands-on STEM activity demonstrates how light affects temperature. First, the class investigates how light passes through different mediums and how that relates to temperature. Then,...
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Lesson Plan
Micron Technology Foundation

Electricity

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Conduct four electrifying electricity experiments that challenge young scientists to explore positive and negative charges and magnetic fields without the shock.
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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...
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Lesson Plan
Captain Planet Foundation

Energy Flow in the Garden

For Teachers 4th Standards
How can you tell what an owl has eaten? Study the food chain and flow of energy in an ecosystem by dissecting an owl pellet and noting the bones found inside. Additionally, the lesson includes a game about consumers and producers with a...
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Interactive3:50
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Scholastic

Study Jams! Light

For Students 3rd - 6th Standards
Let there be light in your classroom with a video that explains that light travels in waves, the electromagnetic spectrum contains seven colors, and the color of an object depends on which light waves it reflects and absorbs. With...
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Lesson Plan
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Baylor College

Using Heat from the Sun

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Let's heat things up! This simple experiment demonstrates for learners the important role the sun plays in providing the earth with energy. Place one cup of water in direct sunlight and one in shade, then take measurements in order to...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Baylor College

Rainbow in the Room

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Uncover the science behind the beautiful phenomena of rainbows with a simple demonstration. Shine light through different-sized containers of water as young scientists learn that rainbows occur when visible light is split up into its...
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Interactive3:55
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Scholastic

Study Jams! Sound

For Students 4th - 8th Standards
Listen in as Mia and Sam expound on sound. It is caused by vibrations and travels in waves. It has the qualities of pitch, frequency, and volume. This hip animation displays a graph to depict the frequency and amplitude of sound waves....
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Interactive3:19
Scholastic

Study Jams! Light Absorption, Reflection, & Refraction

For Students 4th - 9th Standards
Zoe and RJ are trying to photograph an egret on a lake, but they are having trouble with the lighting. Reflection, refraction, and absorption are explored through their thoughtful dialogue so that your physical scientists are illuminated...
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Interactive3:45
Scholastic

Study Jams! Energy & Matter

For Students 4th - 8th Standards
After Sam knocks a glass off the lunchroom table, he uses it as a springboard for explaining kinetic and potential energy. He mentions that sound is a type of kinetic energy and introduces the different forms of energy: thermal,...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Bonneville

Learning About Solar Updraft Towers

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
Give it up for updraft towers. Pupils learn about solar updraft towers by first watching a video. They then research these structures on their own and think about how the toys they made in the previous lesson use the same scientific...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Bonneville

Let's Build Our Wind and Solar Energy Toy

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
Who says toys can't be educational? The fourth of five parts in the Solar Updraft Towers unit has scholars create toys that run on solar and wind energy. The devices need to be solar updraft towers that can be placed on a warm surface...
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Lesson Plan
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1
Bonneville

Wind Power: A Hands on Experience

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
Turn a learning experience into a fun activity. Future engineers create blades for a wind turbine using card stock. Using a fan, they test how well the blades help the wind turbine turn. The goal is to build blades that are effective...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Bonneville

Where Does Energy Go?

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
Convection currents aren't just a bunch of hot air. The second of five lessons in the Solar Updraft Towers unit focuses on energy transfer and convection currents. Young scientists watch six demonstrations that illustrate how warm air...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Bonneville

Informative Writing: Where Does Energy Come From?

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
Get energized about all the different sources of energy. A research project has scholars investigate a renewable or non-renewable energy type of their choice. They write a report on their findings and decide on a way to publish their work.
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Activity
NASA

Feel the Noise

For Teachers 1st - 5th Standards
Can you hear it now? Young scientists experiment with sound waves using metal objects and string. They strike metal objects while they hold them and as the objects hang from a string to compare the sound. They discover that sound travels...
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Lesson Plan
Bonneville

Solar Powered Water Pumping

For Teachers 2nd - 5th Standards
Here's the perfect lesson for those who think the world needs faster pumps. Building on the previous activity, scholars work to make the pumps function faster in transferring water between containers. They try adding an additional solar...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Bonneville

Designing a Faster Water Pump

For Teachers 2nd - 5th Standards
Things can always be made better. The culminating installment in the seven-part Understanding Science and Engineering unit has pupils design their own water pumps. In groups, they build a prototype of a design of their choice, then test...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Bonneville

Making Observations and Recording Data for Solar Powered Water Pumping

For Teachers 2nd - 5th Standards
Get pumped about an activity with water pumps. The fifth of seven installments in the Understanding Science and Engineering unit has pupils learn how to make observations, record data, and create data displays. Each group measures the...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Bonneville

A Simple Circuit

For Teachers 2nd - 5th Standards
Heat up a lesson on solar energy by building a circuit for a cooling fan. Given a solar module and a DC motor, scholars develop hypotheses for how to make the fan turn. They test out their hypotheses, and then draw a circuit diagram to...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Bonneville

Solar Powered Calculator

For Teachers 2nd - 5th Standards
The perfect place to do one's math homework? Outside, of course. The third of seven lessons in the Understanding Science and Engineering unit focuses on solar energy. Learners investigate solar-powered calculators and discover how solar...
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Lesson Plan
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1
Bonneville

Probes of Prior Knowledge

For Teachers 2nd - 5th Standards
A bright future learning about electricity awaits. Future scientists conduct two probes to investigate electrical energy. The first requires them to think about how electricity is made, while the second has them identify appliances that...
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Activity
NASA

Feel the Heat

For Teachers 4th - 12th Standards
Heat water up like a NASA engineer. Using the engineering design process, investigators create a system to trap and move heat through a water-filled tube. Designers participate in a post-activity discussion that highlights the role of...
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Lesson Plan
Bonneville

Solar Tracker Challenge

For Teachers 5th - 7th Standards
Follow the light—not with one's eyes—but with a special solar tracker. Future engineers design and build a device that tracks light. They must build circuits in which solar cells rotate to receive equal amounts of light.