Teaching a Unit on Newton’s Laws of Motion Are you teaching a unit on Newton’s Laws of Motion as part of your MS- PS2–1 or MS- PS2–2? Are you struggling to come up with ideas to help students understand how the laws apply to their everyday life? My focus, during my two to three week unit…
STEM Energy Project Using Rube Goldberg Machines and Food Chains! Are you looking for a great STEM energy project that combines two middle school units? I have a super engaging Rube Goldberg machine and food chain STEM project that ties together two units that deal with ENERGY LEVELS. Food Chain Energy Levels When you are…
How To Create STEM Electrical Circuit Games Are you looking for a STEM electricity project that solidifies student’s knowledge of series and parallel circuits? Have your students design and create electrical circuit arcade games that they can let younger students come in and play! It is amazing to watch students design and build projects from…
How to Interpret Distance-Time and Speed-Time Graphs Do your students need practice interpreting distance-time graphs and speed-time graphs as part of your motion and forces unit? By the time your students finish this activity called Interpreting Distance-Time Graphs and Speed-Time Graphs Unit, they will have a good understanding how to read the slope on a…
How to Create an Exciting But Structured Rube Goldberg Machines Unit Have you tried having your students make Rube Goldberg machines and had the project drag on and on with several false starts? Did you have an abundance of random materials around your classroom? Did your students start the project with enthusiasm but then fizzle…
How to Create STEM Magnet Mazes Are you looking for a well structured and fun project for your students to learn magnetism? Do you like projects that involve students learning the concept on their own as they create? I designed this Magnet Maze Structured STEM activityand it has become a yearly project. The upcoming…
Make Speed and Acceleration Labs Fun with Pullback Cars! Are you looking for ways to teach speed and acceleration, including their relationship to mass, potential and kinetic energy? Are you teaching the Laws of Motion and NGSS MS-PS2-2? This standard states: “plan an investigation to provide evidence that the change in an object’s motion depends…
Labs with iPads to Teach Balanced and Unbalanced Forces Teaching a “balanced and unbalanced forces” unit(MS-PS2-2) is so much more engaging when students do activities using the features on their iPads! My middle schoolers have a blast using the slow motion feature on their iPad cameras to capture what they call “things smashing into each…
