Physics Lesson Plans (Page 6)

Count the Seconds

Lesson Plan Grade: 4th-8th

Students design a device that can track a specific amount of time and indicate when that time has passed with a sound or visual signal. They iterate their designs and prototypes to improve repeatability. Learning Objectives Students will: Design and build a device that indicates when a specific amount of time has passed. Use simple machines in their device. Identify the ways in which energy is stored and transferred in their device. Iterate and improve their designs based… Read more

Cricket Wicket Knockdown Challenge for Grades 3-5

Lesson Plan Grade: 3rd-5th

Teach your students about the engineering design process with this fun lesson plan. They will design and build a ball-launching machine to knock down a target. Optionally, they can enter their designs in the 2020 Engineering Challenge for a chance to win a cash prize for your school! Teachers, note that middle school and high school versions of this lesson plan are also available. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

3-5-ETS1-3. Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.
3-PS2-1. Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object.

Cricket Wicket Knockdown Challenge for Grades 6-8

Lesson Plan Grade: 6th-8th

Teach your students about the engineering design process with this fun lesson plan. They will design and build a ball-launching machine to knock down a target. Optionally, they can enter their designs in the 2020 Engineering Challenge for a chance to win a cash prize for your school! Teachers, note that elementary school and high school versions of this lesson plan are also available. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

MS-ETS1-2. Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
MS-ETS1-4. Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification of a proposed object, tool, or process such that an optimal design can be achieved.
MS-PS3-5. Construct, use, and present arguments to support the claim that when the kinetic energy of an object changes, energy is transferred to or from the object.

Cricket Wicket Knockdown Challenge for Grades 9-12

Lesson Plan Grade: 9th-12th

Teach your students about the engineering design process with this fun lesson plan. They will design and build a ball-launching machine to knock down a target. Optionally, they can enter their designs in the 2020 Engineering Challenge for a chance to win a cash prize for your school! Teachers, note that elementary school and middle school versions of this lesson plan are also available. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

High School - Science & Engineering Practices

Drones in High-Tech Farming (Grades 3-5)

Lesson Plan Grade: 3rd-5th

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Students will discover the science behind how a drone works, explore how drones are used in agriculture, and program and operate a drone for the purpose of surveying a field. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

3-5-ETS1-1. Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.
3-5-ETS1-2. Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
3-PS2-1. Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object.
3-PS2-2. Make observations and/or measurements of an object's motion to provide evidence that a pattern can be used to predict future motion.

Drones in High-Tech Farming (Grades 6-8)

Lesson Plan Grade: 6th-8th

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(Image credit: by ackab1, via Flickr. Creative Commons). Students will discover the science behind how a drone works, explore how drones are used in agriculture, and program and operate a drone for the purpose of monitoring grazing sheep. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

MS-ETS1-1. Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.

How High Can a Super Ball Bounce?

Lesson Plan Grade: Kindergarten-5th

Students determine the coefficient of restitution (or the elasticity) for super balls. Working in pairs, they drop balls from a meter height and determine how high they bounce. They measure, record and repeat the process to gather data to calculate average bounce heights and coefficients of elasticity. Then they extrapolate to determine the height the ball would bounce if dropped from much higher heights.Engineering Connection Mechanical engineers select materials that meet… Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

3-PS2-2. Make observations and/or measurements of an object's motion to provide evidence that a pattern can be used to predict future motion.

Magnet Mining

Lesson Plan Grade: 6th-8th

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How was magnetism responsible for the destruction of dozens of ships during World War II? In this lesson, your students will explore the concepts of magnetic fields and forces using the example of World War II magnetic mines. With the help of a magnetometer, a smartphone, and a sensor app, students will investigate what factors affect the strength of a magnetic field. Then they will use their knowledge to try to discover the location of hidden "mines" and investigate how they can cloak a… Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

MS-PS2-3. Ask questions about data to determine the factors that affect the strength of electric and magnetic forces.
MS-PS2-5. Conduct an investigation and evaluate the experimental design to provide evidence that fields exist between objects exerting forces on each other even though the objects are not in contact.

Pulley'ing Your Own Weight

Lesson Plan Grade: 3rd-5th

Using common materials (spools, string, soap), students learn how a pulley can be used to easily change the direction of a force, making the moving of large objects easier. They see the difference between fixed and movable pulleys, and the mechanical advantage gained with multiple/combined pulleys. They also learn the many ways engineers use pulleys for everyday purposes.Engineering Connection Thousands of years ago as well as today, engineers used pulleys to make everyday… Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

3-5-ETS1-3. Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.
3-PS2-1. Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object.

Push, Pull and Weight

Lesson Plan Grade: Kindergarten

Experimenting with balls is fun! In this hands-on lesson, you and your students will make them collide and study how balls can push each-other and people too! While exploring, students will also feel how pushing a light ball is different from pushing a heavier ball. Weight is important. This lesson fits well together with a lesson where students push balls to discover how people use pushes and pulls to change motion. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

K-PS2-1. Plan and conduct an investigation to compare the effects of different strengths or different directions of pushes and pulls on the motion of an object.

Physics Lesson Plans (66 results)

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