Physical Science Lessons
7 FREE Special Reports!
Written from my own classroom experience, the truths in them will simplify your life and cause better lessons.
27 Most-Used Things In A Science Classroom- Simplify Your Life With The Grade Sheet
- Increase Student Responsibility With The Science Folder
- Four Proven And Practical Parent Pleasers
- No More Surprises-Get Organized With The Yellow Sheet
- Never Forget Anything Important Again
- Time-Saving Teacher Tips
Get the first now. Next 6 delivered weekly.
Chemistry Surprise
A complete lesson that not only hits the foundations of chemistry, but also emphasizes listening and good writing. A great day to be a science teacher!
Key Terms: chemical change, physical change, and the law of conservation of mass
Where’s Newton?
Newton’s Principia, written in 1673, explains the movements and attractions of everything in the universe. At its heart are Newton’s 3 laws of motion, which we are searching for here.
Key Terms: Newton’s first law, Newton’s second law, Newton’s third law, inertia, unbalanced forces, acceleration
Simple Motor
It’s true-when you build something yourself you understand it much better because you’ve seen the parts come together and you see how they interact.
Key Terms: electromagnetism, electric motor, armature, temporary magnet
Convection Engine
An aluminum pie pan, coat hanger, and candle are all we need to understand convection.
Key Terms: convection, heat, density, variables
Bag Balance
Yes, heat rises. But why? An unforgettable lesson focused on teaching just this one concept.
Key Terms: convection, heat, air molecules, prediction
Radioactive Beans
Do your students understand exactly what is happening when a radioactive atom decays? If not, they will after doing this fun activity.
Key Terms: radioactivity, decay, line graph, half-life
Abe’s Makeover
Take the edge off chemistry as we use vinegar and salt to instantly remove the tarnish from an old penny. Then the fun really begins as we notice that there are 3 very cool chemical reactions going on!
Key Terms: chemical reaction, chemical formula, reactants, products, valence electrons, ionic bond, covalent bond, balancing equations
Heat Transfer
Bad news if you love to lecture- these 3 simple demonstrations in the hands of your students will teach heat transfer about 100x more effectively than your best talk.
Key Terms: heat transfer, conduction, convection, radiation
Meandering Marbles
A directionless marble ends all confusion about what speed and velocity are.
Key Terms: velocity, speed, distance, time, direction
Electricity-Watts, Wire, and What It’s Worth
After comparing the Wattages of devices, student wire a home (on paper at least) and then calculate the annual cost of real devices in their home. No kidding.
Key Terms: watts, volts, electricity, amps, circuit, breaker
Clay Atoms
Most students fear atoms because they assume that since atoms are small they must be hard to understand. This activity undoes that.
Key Terms: atoms, proton, neutron, electron, nucleus, element
Counting Copper Atoms- An Investigation Into The Nanoworld Of Atoms
How can you measure something that’s so small that it can’t be seen? In this challenging but fun lesson students will count the number of atoms in a metal cube not with their eyes, but with mathematics.
Key Terms: atoms, density, volume, mass, Avogadro’s number, mol
Electromagnets-6 Mini Investigations
With their own hands students discover 6 amazing properties of electromagnets when they assemble, disassemble, and make changes to one.
Key Terms: electromagnet, temporary magnet, bar magnet, electric current, iron core
The Great Adventure
Join a molecule of water as it magically experiences an increase in energy, resulting in a change of state. Once there, can we ever get back home?
Key Terms: states of matter, gas, solid, liquid, energy, molecule, heat, cold
Mixtures
Proof that even the toughest topics to teach can soften with just the right illustration (in this case, chromatography). Good lessons are not supposed to be this cool!
Key Terms: mixtures, compounds, physical change, chromatography
Distant Forces
Contact forces are fun enough, but in this lesson we’ll explore 3 non-contact forces which, believe it or not, can move objects without even touching them!
Key Terms: magnetism, electricity, gravity, static electricity, centripetal force, contact forces, non-contact forces
Candlelight Journey Through The 3 States
Teaching the states of matter doesn’t have to be difficult. It can indeed be soothing, as this activity demonstrates.
Key Terms: states of matter, solid, liquid, gas, energy, molecules, heat
Dot Diagramming-Understanding The Placement Of Protons, Neutrons, & Electrons
This activity bridges 2 major chemistry concepts- atomic structure and how these atoms combine into molecules.
Key Terms: protons, neutrons, electrons, nucleus, atoms, electron shell, valance electrons
Atomic Model-Change Over Time
A fascinating look at how the model of the atom has changed over the past 200 years. Huge discoveries = huge changes.
Key Terms: atom, John Dalton, JJ Thomson, Ernest Rutherford, Niels Bohr, electron cloud, matter, cathode tube, alpha particle experiment
Balancing Chemical Equations
Teaching Balancing? What you need are methods that have worked with real students. This video is loaded with the tips I use to reach and teach all of my students.
Key Terms: balancing chemical equations, subscripts, coefficients
More Physical Science lessons coming soon:
- Circuits & Electromagnets
- Interactive Notes-Physical & Chemical Change