Motions, Forces, Energy...& amusement park rides!

On Caught In the Middle's recommendation, I bought Disney Imagineer's ENERGY video.

It didn't disappoint. 

Now, the students will be researching and analyzing the motions, forces, and energy of 

their favorite amusement park ride.

They have 2 days to create a informational brochure about the energy of their ride.

I created a sample to show them the expectations (seen above, click for it below):

The Motions and Forces of Disney's "Mad Tea Party" Tea Cups Ride


Update: Check out the brochures below:

I used a generic rubric for grading: Generic Brochure Rubric

(Next time around, I would like to create a more detailed and specific rubric.)

Enjoy!

Design-A-Rollercoaster Fun!

We had a blast in the lab today designing Roller Coasters!

Design-A-Rollercoaster Freebie

Steps to completing the lab:

1. Students design and draw a hypothesis of a rollercoaster.

2. Students test the rollercoaster with a BB pellet.

3. They record their changes and create a new design.

4. The process continues until they create a successful rollercoaster.

5. Write a conclusion reflecting on the process making sure to use key vocabulary: kinetic energy, potential energy, and gravitational potential energy.

Materials: lab tubing (about 5 feet per group), tape (5 pieces only!), BB pellet

Prior to completing this lab....

I showed my students this short video:

Student Made YouTube Video on Energy of Roller Coasters

Used these interactive links on my mimeo/projector:

Potential and Kinetic Energy - How Roller Coasters Work

Potential and Kinetic Energy - Energy in a Roller Coaster (same interactive activity with better graphics)

After completing this lab....

We went to the computer lab for them to each take this online quiz:

Roller Coaster 14 Question Quiz

Physical Science Videos Part II

Working on my upcoming Motions & Energy unit / science curriculum writing today....

Just took an hour out of my day to search for videos and links to use...

And here is the list I have compiled:

Brain Pop Videos:
Brain Pop Video: Forms of Energy
Brain Pop Video: Kinetic Energy 
Brain Pop Video: Potential Energy
Brain Pop Video: Gravity
Brain Pop Video: Law of Conservation of Mass
Brain Pop Video: Acceleration

You Tube Videos:
The Story of Potential And Kinetic Energy
Potential and Kinetic Energy Roller Coasters/Rides Student-Made
Wile E Coyote: Potential and Kinetic Energy
Harry Potter: An Example of Law of Conservation of Mass
Positive and Negative Acceleration
Solar Thermal Energy in Europe
Nuclear Power Democratic Debate Question
NASA: Calculating Real-World Kinetic and Potential Energy
Conduction, Convection, and Radiation Rap
Mythbusters: Flag on the Moon (Forces)

Teacher's Domain Videos/Interactive Links:
Teacher's Domain: Convective Cloud Systems
Teacher's Domain: Kinetic and Potential Energy in A Rollercoaster
Teacher's Domain: Law of Conservation of Mass Demo
Teacher's Domain: Virtual Car: Velocity and Acceleration
Teacher's Domain: Speed, Velocity, and Centripetal Force on the Race Track

Other Interactive Links:
Doppler Effect Interactive Activity
BBC Interactive: Energy Stored and Used
BBC Interactive: Forces
BBC Interactive: Electricity and Magnetic Forces

Ball Drop Lab.

A Kinetic and Potential Energy Lab

The lab ran smoothly and the kids enjoyed it.
I have shared it on my TpT account for you to download!

And here are some half decent interactive sites I used with my mimeo today (the kids love any opportunity to use the mimeo pen):

Temperature & Kinetic Energy
Potential and Kinetic Energy - Paint Buckets on a Ladder

And some video clips:  Surprisingly, my kids voted they liked the "older one" best. (embedded below)

Brain Pop - Potential Energy 

Brain Pop - Kinetic Energy

Cross Curricular Video (History)- Energy Transfer in a Trebuchet

Check back next week for a Roller coaster Lab Freebie and fun interactive links & videos! 

Everyday Acids & Bases Lab

Click on the picture above for a copy of my Litmus and pH paper Lab!

[Reflection: Plan an efficient way of pouring all the various substances for the students.  I did not plan enough in advance, wasted a few minutes of class time pouring liquids for the students, and kicked myself for it later.  I had the students stay seated and pass the substances from table to table. The final class, I had the students rotate the classroom for set amounts of time at each station. This worked the best.)

Acids, Bases, and pH Webquest

After my 6th grade students enjoyed the math symmetry webquest lesson last week, I was motivated to create another webquest....

This time, a SCIENCE WEBQUEST for my 7th grade students.

Check out the Acids, Bases, and pH Webquest below.

Materials Needed to use this Webquest:
Pencil
Red & Blue colored pencils (for shading the pH scale on pg. 2)
Computers!

Here are the websites it includes:

Science Spot is the starting point...which links to the following websites: 

Chemist- Acids & Bases

VL - Acids & Bases

ZOOM Kitchen Chemistry

Quia - Acids, Bases, & pH

Alien Juice Bar

Let me know what you think!

Make-Your Own Silly Putty

Want to investigate polymers and make a silly putty polymer with your class?

Help yourself to my worksheet below.

Want to send the toy home with your students?

Print out my "Silly Putty Polymer Disclaimer" to tape to the baggies.

SILLY PUTTY INQUIRY ACTIVITY AND LABELS PRINTABLES

Want to make Glow-In-The-Dark Silly Putty "Slime"...Check out directions HERE!

diet coke and mentos super-fountains!

 I am pretty excited to do the Mentos lab today! 

Try it yourself with my 

MENTOS AND DIET COKE EXPERIMENT! 

I am using it as part of my 7th grade unit on "Physical and Chemical Changes."

I'm wishing I had bought Steve Spangler's Geyser Tube... I've read that it is difficult to drop the mentos into the soda without making a mess :/ 

I imagine our lab will go something like this (A girl can dream can't she?):

Want the Research behind this time-old experiment? Check out the Mythbusters video below.

{Post-Experiment Update: I walked into class today... to find that I had a student bring in his own steve spangler geyser tube to class... So we got to try it after all!)

Below is a video explaining the contraption:

(We did not use the geyser for the whole lab, just as a grand finale at the end!)

Any tips or different versions for mentos & coke lab?

Physical Science Videos

I also have started working on my Physical Science UBD. (Disclaimer: That is a rough rough copy of my daily plans...as I said, I'm just now muddling my way though it since I've never taught it before!)

SO...I am giving myself the challenge of exactly ONE HOUR to find, watch, and list as many resources as possible to consider adding into my unit: 

Annnnnnd GO: 

Fun/Informative on Vocab:

Brain Pop Video on States of Matter

Brain Pop Video on Matter Changing States

Brain Pop Video on Atoms

Brain Pop Video on the Atomic Model

Brain Pop Video on Acids and Bases

Brain Pop Video on pH Scale

Brain Pop on the Periodic Table of Elements

(some other videos on Brainpop like measuring, body chemistry, water, salt..might be good for using before labs but I didn't link up to them.)

Kinda Really Really Really Boring:

United Streaming Video Clip: Chemical Changes vs Physical Changes

United Streaming Video Clip: Boiling, Melting, Freezing, and Sublimation

You Tube (My school blocks YouTube so we have to use KickYouTube to download.):

Physical and Chemical Change Song

The Elements Animation Song

Spongebob Sings the Elements Song

Daniel Radcliff Sings the Elements Song

Ph Scale (Student Made)

Just for Fun:

clip from the middle of the Magic School Bus episode: "MSB Meets MollyCule" (get it, MollyCule...molecule. bahaha) the gang discovers what a molecule looks like.

clip from the end of The Magic School Bus "The Magic School Bus: Meets Molly Cule"  addressing the idea that molecules are the smallest "bit" that give something it's characteristics.

Here's my favorite video of all.  Thanks, Harry Potter. You just make Chemistry a little bit cooler.

That's all folks.

PS- I also like a bunch of physical science activities found here!