Teacher resources · Grades 1–6
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47 results
“Physical Science”
Grade 5 · Physical Science
Acids & Bases: Properties, Indicators & pH
Use safe indicator evidence to compare acidic, neutral, and basic solutions and interpret the pH scale without relying on taste or touch.
50 min · ~12 min prep · 7 materials
Grade 5 · Physical Science
Physical & Chemical Changes
Compare a familiar physical change with evidence from a safe mixing investigation. Record before-and-after properties, use more than one observation, and make a careful claim about whether new substances formed.
55 min · ~12 min prep · 10 materials
Grade 6 · Physical Science
Forces & Newton's Third Law
Model equal-and-opposite interaction forces and apply Newton's Third Law to improve a one-dimensional collision solution.
55 min · ~10 min prep · 4 materials
Grade 1 · Physical Science
Communicating with Light & Sound
Use flashes, taps, and simple patterns to design a signal that sends information across a distance.
35 min · ~7 min prep · 4 materials
Grade 1 · Physical Science
Light Helps Us See
Can you see a toy in the dark? Compare the same object with the light off and on. Then find things that make their own light.
35 min · ~6 min prep · 6 materials
Grade 1 · Physical Science
Shadows & Light Direction
Move a flashlight around the same object. Observe how a shadow changes when the light comes from a new direction or distance.
35 min · ~8 min prep · 6 materials
Grade 1 · Physical Science
Sound & Vibrations: How Sounds Are Made
Tap, pluck, watch, and listen. Notice that vibrating materials move back and forth and can make sound. Then observe that sound can make other materials vibrate.
35 min · ~8 min prep · 9 materials
Grade 1 · Physical Science
What Happens When Light Hits Materials?
Keep one light setup fixed, test four materials, and use the observed light patches as evidence.
35 min · ~10 min prep · 7 materials
Grade 2 · Physical Science
Air Is Matter: It Takes Up Space & Can Push
Use balloons, cups, bags, and syringes to gather evidence that invisible air takes up space and can push on objects.
40 min · ~10 min prep · 8 materials
Grade 2 · Physical Science
Build It, Take It Apart, Build Something New
Explore how the same set of pieces can be taken apart and rearranged to make a different object.
40 min · ~7 min prep · 4 materials
Grade 2 · Physical Science
Heating & Cooling: Changes We Can Reverse
Observe changes caused by heating and cooling, then use evidence to decide whether each change can be reversed.
40 min · ~8 min prep · 5 materials
Grade 2 · Physical Science
Insulators & Conductors: Which Materials Transfer Heat?
Compare how quickly thermal energy moves through different materials, then use evidence to choose a material for a simple design problem.
40 min · ~10 min prep · 6 materials
Grade 2 · Physical Science
Material Change Patterns: What Stays the Same?
Compare paper, foil, and sponge before and after folding, tearing, bending, or wetting to describe observable properties and distinguish a changed object from a completely new material.
45 min · ~10 min prep · 7 materials
Grade 2 · Physical Science
Material Properties & Purposes
Test how familiar material samples handle water and bending. Then use the results to choose a material that fits a purpose.
42 min · ~10 min prep · 10 materials
Grade 2 · Physical Science
Solids & Liquids: How Matter Behaves
Move, pour, and compare familiar matter. Watch whether a sample keeps its shape or changes shape to fit a container.
40 min · ~8 min prep · 7 materials
Grade 3 · Physical Science
Balanced & Unbalanced Forces
Investigate how pushes and pulls in different directions affect an object's motion. Change one force condition at a time and use what the object does as evidence.
45 min · ~8 min prep · 6 materials
Grade 3 · Physical Science
Bridge Engineering: Designing for a Load
Build, test, and improve small bridge prototypes while controlling span, materials, and load placement so failure points become useful engineering evidence.
50 min · ~15 min prep · 7 materials
Grade 3 · Physical Science
Friction Experiment: Which Surface Slows Motion?
Run a fair sliding test on different surfaces, measure how far an object travels, and use the results to explain how friction can change motion.
45 min · ~10 min prep · 8 materials
Grade 3 · Physical Science
Magnetic Forces
Use observations and simple data to explain magnetic pushes and pulls across a gap. Compare pole orientation, distance, and specific tested objects.
45 min · ~10 min prep · 6 materials
Grade 3 · Physical Science
Patterns of Motion & Prediction
Observe repeated motion, identify a pattern, test a prediction, and revise when conditions change.
45 min · ~8 min prep · 4 materials
Grade 3 · Physical Science
Scientific Method: Ask, Test, Measure & Explain
Turn a question into a fair test, change one variable, collect repeated data, and use evidence to explain what the results support.
45 min · ~12 min prep · 5 materials
Grade 3 · Physical Science
Static Electricity: Forces Without Touching
Investigate how charged objects can attract or repel across a gap and use distance evidence to describe cause-and-effect patterns in static electric interactions.
45 min · ~10 min prep · 5 materials
Grade 4 · Physical Science
Build an Electromagnet: Current, Coils & Magnetic Strength
Build a simple electromagnet and use fair tests to investigate how electric current and coil turns affect magnetic strength.
50 min · ~12 min prep · 6 materials
Grade 4 · Physical Science
Codes & Information Transfer: Patterns That Send Messages
Design, test, and compare pattern-based codes that use light, sound, cards, or two-symbol sequences to transfer information accurately across a distance.
50 min · ~10 min prep · 5 materials
Grade 4 · Physical Science
Collisions & Energy
Ask questions, make predictions, and use collision evidence to reason about changes in motion and energy.
45 min · ~10 min prep · 5 materials
Grade 4 · Physical Science
Electricity & Simple Circuits
Build and test simple circuits, use a bulb as evidence of a complete path, and investigate which tested materials can bridge a gap.
52 min · ~12 min prep · 9 materials
Grade 4 · Physical Science
Energy Conversions: Design a Device That Changes Energy
Trace energy through simple devices, distinguish transfer from conversion, and design or refine a device that changes energy from one form to another.
50 min · ~12 min prep · 6 materials
Grade 4 · Physical Science
Energy Transfer
Use observations as evidence that energy can move from place to place through sound, light, heat, and electric currents.
45 min · ~10 min prep · 8 materials
Grade 4 · Physical Science
Light Reflection & Vision
Build a source → object → eye model to explain vision, then use a mirror target investigation to show that changing mirror orientation changes the direction of reflected light.
45 min · ~10 min prep · 6 materials
Grade 4 · Physical Science
Waves & Sound
Build and revise qualitative wave models to compare amplitude and wavelength, use physical evidence to reason about wave-caused motion, and explain one limit of a model for sound.
50 min · ~8 min prep · 5 materials
Grade 5 · Physical Science
Conservation of Matter
Measure the same complete setup before and after matter changes form or mixes, then use the data to explain what stayed the same and why a scale reading can change when matter leaves what is being measured.
52 min · ~12 min prep · 8 materials
Grade 5 · Physical Science
Gravity Pulls Toward Earth
Use observations, diagrams, and models to support an argument that Earth's gravitational force pulls nearby objects toward Earth's center.
55 min · ~8 min prep · 5 materials
Grade 5 · Physical Science
Mixtures & Solutions: Dissolve, Separate & Recover Matter
Compare mixtures and solutions, use material properties to choose separation methods, and use recovery evidence to decide whether mixing formed a new substance.
55 min · ~15 min prep · 8 materials
Grade 5 · Physical Science
Particles Too Small to See
Use models and observable evidence to explain that matter can be made of particles too small to see directly.
55 min · ~10 min prep · 7 materials
Grade 5 · Physical Science
Simple Machines: How Levers and Pulleys Change the Effort
Compare lever and pulley designs with fair tests. Explain how a lower effort can require a greater movement distance, and improve a lifting design using measurements.
50 min · ~12 min prep · 7 materials
Grade 5 · Physical Science
Speed Experiment: Measure Distance, Time & Motion
Measure how long a cart takes to travel a fixed distance, calculate average speed, and use repeated trials to test how one change in a ramp setup affects motion.
55 min · ~12 min prep · 8 materials
Grade 6 · Physical Science
Atoms, Elements & Molecules
Build and interpret particle models for simple molecules, distinguish elements and compounds using atom identity, compare discrete molecules with an extended structure, and identify what the models do not show literally.
55 min · ~10 min prep · 4 materials
Grade 6 · Physical Science
Chemical Reactions: Evidence & Conservation
Analyze before-and-after property data to decide whether a chemical reaction occurred, then use particle models to explain atom conservation.
55 min · ~10 min prep · 4 materials
Grade 6 · Physical Science
Density: Mass, Volume & Floating
Measure mass and volume, calculate density, compare objects with water, and use force evidence to explain why objects sink, float, or approach neutral buoyancy.
55 min · ~12 min prep · 6 materials
Grade 6 · Physical Science
Force, Mass & Change in Motion
Plan fair one-dimensional investigations and use evidence to explain how net force and mass affect changes in motion.
55 min · ~12 min prep · 6 materials
Grade 6 · Physical Science
Kinetic & Potential Energy: Mass, Speed & Position
Use graphs to analyze how object-scale kinetic energy relates to mass and speed, then model how relative position changes gravitational potential energy in an Earth-object system.
55 min · ~10 min prep · 5 materials
Grade 6 · Physical Science
Thermal Energy Transfer: Temperature, Mass & Materials
Plan fair thermal-energy investigations, analyze temperature-change data, and use particle models to explain patterns involving mass and material type.
55 min · ~12 min prep · 8 materials
Grade 6 · Physical Science
Waves: Amplitude, Frequency, Reflection & Absorption
Measure repeating waves, analyze amplitude-energy data, and model reflection, absorption, and transmission at material boundaries.
55 min · ~10 min prep · 5 materials
Grade 4 · Space Science
Moon Phase Modeling: Why Does the Moon Seem to Change Shape?
Use a light-and-ball model to explain why the Moon's visible illuminated part changes as the Moon orbits Earth, and test common phase misconceptions.
50 min · ~10 min prep · 5 materials
Grade 5 · Life Science
Finger & Muscle Model: How Do Pulling Structures Move Joints?
Build and test a finger model to explain how bones, joints, tendons, and muscles work together to produce bending and straightening.
55 min · ~15 min prep · 7 materials
Grade 6 · Life Science
Human Body Systems: Cells to Organ Systems
Use organization models and prepared data to explain how cells form tissues and organs and how human body subsystems interact.
55 min · ~10 min prep · 6 materials
Grade 6 · Earth Science
The Water Cycle: Driven by Sunlight and Gravity
Build and revise a multi-pathway model of water moving among ocean, land, living things, and atmosphere; distinguish solar-powered phase changes from gravity-driven flows.
50 min · ~12 min prep · 5 materials