Science Help For Educators

The articles cover the exact same content, but are written at approximately 6th and 8th grade reading levels. You might want to use the easier version - Magnets-How They Work for some students and the 8th grade version - Exploring Magnetism with other students. Since the information covered is the same it gives you flexibility to meet your students’ needs. You can choose to have the students do the assignment all on paper, all digitally or the way I prefer is a combination. I print the paperwork

Explains how electricity is generated, circuits, key vocabulary & safety precautions The articles cover the exact same content, but are written at approximately 6th and 8th grade reading levels. You can present the students the questions in a multiple choice format or they can answer open response questions. You might want to use the easier version - Unseen Powerhouse for some students and the 8th grade version - Invisible Powerhouse with other students. Since the information covered is the same

Use this worksheet to help students realize magnets are for much more than holding papers onto the refrigerator.  It has links to two short videos with questions to help students stay focused and then read a few paragraphs describing the history, benefits and usage of MRI machines. All information is contained on the worksheet. You don’t need to be an MRI expert to help the students gain a better understanding of this amazing technology. The only prep needed is printing the paperwork and opening

The driving question for this lesson is why does it sometimes rain instead of hail or snow?This lesson is based on the storyline for OpenSciEd 6.3 lesson 1, however the information presented here can stand alone or in coordination with other lessons I’ve posted about weather and climate. I have found OSE student facing materials to be limited in usefulness, so I’ve created my own.  OpenSciEd is a free curriculum with resources on their website for anyone to download and utilize. Note, if your sc

Included are two multi paragraph articles explaining how mass and distance affect gravitational force. The content of the articles is the same, but the readability has been modified so you can choose what works best for your class, or even on a student-by-student need. I’ve also linked two separate Google Forms that include the articles so that students can respond digitally and receive instant feedback for 10 multiple choice questions. There are also two open response questions that you’ll need

Want students to get a numerical representation of how changing mass and the distance between objects affects the gravitational force without needing to do any complex calculations? The free PHET simulation is easy to manipulate and the worksheet provided gives students an organized format to record data. Also, the worksheet reinforces identifying Independent, Dependent & Constant Variables. The lesson also requires students to think beyond the numbers to apply the concepts to a scenario. Also i

Use these simulations and document to have students create working circuits digitally. This is great to use prior to a hands-on lab so that students have some experience before actually building with materials. Or, use this as a make-up assignment for students who were absent during a hands-on circuit building lab. Even works for a sub day or a day you need students to work independently. The simulations state challenges, but don't directly tell students how to set things up. This is great for

Start with magnet basics that most students understand and then expand their understanding of how magnets are used to develop and advance our modern technologies. The worksheet contains the links for two magnet informational videos by Next Generation Science and Veritasium. Keep the students engaged by having students respond to questions while the videos play. I have found Next Generation Science videos a bit slow paced and usually play them at 1.25 speed or higher. Great for individual instruc

Most students know that gravitational forces vary throughout space and that they might be able to float, but do they know why???Use the linked video and the given values for differing gravitational forces to help students calculate what they would weigh at different parts of our solar system.They will also be able to explain and define in simple terms the difference between weight and mass, how they are related, but not the same.Students will either need to multiple by hand or use a calculator t

Included are two separate articles using tug-o-war to illustrate net forces. The short articles cover the same material, but at two different reading levels. Choose what aligns best with your class or individual students.You choose how students access the material and how they respond.You can print it for paper/pencil. Post the article digitally and students highlight and respond on the document. The other option is to  print the article and have students respond with an included Google Form.

Have students view a playful "crime scene" video to make observations. My bet is that they'll infer they are to solve the crime and not actually focus on observing changes being made on screen. I've used this activity for several years with the same results, kids are pulled in by the short video turning what can be a boring lesson discussing the differences between observations and inferences into a classroom full of kids actually focused on making observations. Test Your Awareness Whodunnit vid

Space travel is looking like it will be an option for the public within a few decades. Allow your students to creatively express that they understand that gravitational force changes throughout space. This Google Slides asks students to imagine they are preparing for a galactic space trip. They can choose what to bring and can make a list of activities they’d want to do in their free time. It reinforces the fact that all space travel would not be at a reduced gravitational force. Students need t

Need a quick way to access to see if your students are ready to use a real graduated cylinder? Look no further.This Google Form can be dropped into your learning management system for students to practice identifying volume within a variety of sizes of graduated cylinders. There are also questions with images for students to practice reading the volume of objects using water displacement.Students receive instant feedback and information is presented to you in a spreadsheet. The form is editable

This lesson helps students to understand how Earth’s magnetic field “works”. It moves the students from a simple visualization of magnetic field lines using simple magnets and iron filing (video is linked if you don’t want to do it live) to understanding how and why the Aurora Borealis are created. Allow students to illustrate with crayons/colored pencils the Northern Lights for increased participation. Let the videos be the instructor for the day. Great for when you need a low stress lesson,

Gravity’s Effect on Falling Objects - Aristotle vs Galileo -Bowling Ball vs  Feather - Air Resistance - Open vs Closed SystemForces at a DistanceDriving Question - Do heavier objects fall faster? We’ve all experienced gravity. Everyone knows when you drop something it will fall down, but does the mass of the object affect how fast it will fall?  This is not a new question; many philosophers and scientists have tried to answer the question for centuries. Aristotle claimed heavier objects would fa

No prep, great for a sub day, can be used together or individually. Worksheets have the videos linked directly on the paperwork.  You can use all three papers or mix-match as you like. Personally I do the Intro on a short day to begin the unit and the other two pages are glued into their notebooks. Three pages of notes. Fill-in the blank video notes. Answer keys are included. All video links were verified July 2025. Please check prior to purchase. The Theory of Continental Drift: Mike Sammartano

Have students use this digital assessment to show that they understand how real life occurrences are explainable through Newton’s Laws of Motion. The document has 14 gifs for students to choose from or they can even add a gif of their choice, to identify how two different Laws of Motion are illustrated. It also requires students to identify how energy is transferred from one object to another.There is not a single correct response for any of the Gifs, so students are able to explain the Gif thro

Most people realize that if you jumped while on the moon you would go up much higher than while on Earth. Use this worksheet and the 8 minute video linked to learn how high you could jump on different celestial bodies in our solar system while also gathering some quick facts about the locations. This is great for a no prep day, while keeping students engaged and learning about gravitational force and space. This activity takes about 20-25 minutes, you can use it by itself or pair it with another

If you have access to Gizmos in ExploreLearning.com, but don’t find their paperwork student friendly, here’s the solution.The paperwork is easy to follow and guides students through independently learning how a planet’s mass and radius determine the trajectory path of an object thrown at different velocities. They will also learn how the distance the object would travel before being pulled down by the gravitational force is affected.My students love the final challenge of hitting the pitcher in

This uses several short engaging videos to introduce Newton's 3 Laws of Motion. Students will be able to distinguish how the laws are used to explain real life occurrences. If you've got time and a Jenga set it's a great idea to set it up to hook your class in to the lesson. Continue with the hands-on by utilizing a balloon later on. Videos Linked all verified July 2025 - but you may want to check before purchasing. Video #1RaidersVideo #2Video #3Video #4 Video #5Note - the gifs used will be liv