PHYSICAL SCIENCE
Physical Science Website Resources (links included)
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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
This website includes multiple lesson plans that center around the ocean. The site also has additional resources available to learn more about the topics of the lesson plans. The NOAA website has updated resources about topics like climate, oceans and coasts, fisheries, satellites, marine and aviation, charting, and sanctuaries. It relates to physical science because the lessons and activities on the are focused on the ocean and determining force and motion through waves or by studying the effect of ocean acidification on animals.
This website was made with both teachers and students in mind. It has a section, "Adventures in Chemistry" with experiments, games, and videos to keep students engaged in and curious about science. This site also has sections with free downloads of instructional books ("Inquiry in Action: Investigating matter through Inquiry") as well as experiments to try out in the classroom. This is an incredible chemistry resource that would be a beneficial attachment to any physical science curriculum.
Science4Us has 3 sections of physical science (matter, force and motion, and energy), each with at least 4 specific topics (e.g. heat energy or states of matter) that include animated demonstration videos. The website defines physical science as "the way the world around us works" which helps put things in simple terms for younger elementary students. It says that "kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd-grade students may not understand Einstein’s theories, but they know from experience how gravity works–even if they don’t know the name for it". This is an excellent approach to teaching students about the world around them in terms of simple physical science.
This website offers eight sessions of physical science instruction for teachers and students. These sessions include video instruction in the introduction session (about an hour long) and a "children's ideas" section which offers statements and questions that may not be easily understood or common knowledge to students. Knowing these ahead of time can help you focus your lesson on areas that students are more likely to struggle with and be prepared to support them when they get confused.
This source allows you to search by grade level for physical science activities to use in the classroom. The activities start at pre-k and go up to 5th grade. Each activity also has between one and five stars attached to it to reflect what other teachers thought of the lesson. The activities also have detailed descriptions and reasoning as to why they are beneficial in the classroom. The website also includes printable worksheets and lesson plans that can be used to supplement activities.
LESSON PLANS
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Grades 1-2: This lesson prompts students to explore the ways that potential and kinetic energy are involved in their everyday lives
Grade 4: Students will be able to construct series and parallel circuits to create electricity, as well as analyze the advantages and disadvantages of both.
Grades 3-5: This lesson follows three friends that work together to explore the surface currents in the Great Lakes using plastic ducks.
Grade 6: This lesson focuses on molecular motion in gases. Students compare the mass of a basketball when it is deflated and after it has been inflated.
Grade 2: Students get the opportunity to explore the complexities of static electricity using just some paper and a balloon.
Apps/Virtual Labs
Bill Nye the Science Guy -
From cool optical illusions woven into a storyline about alien invasion to a video game-like planetary adventure to DIY at-home science experiments, kids will find something to love about science on this app
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goREACT -
This app is a great way for upper elementary students to see how chemicals can react with each other. Students drag elements from the periodic table to a "reaction site" and see what happens!
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Science Bear -
Students can learn about and review motion, forces, density, solids, liquids, gases, astronomy, atoms, periodic table, chemistry, and more. Each standard has a section and there are quizzes to assess students' progress.
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Little Alchemy -
Younger elementary students can explore what happens when you combine simple elements like earth, air, water, fire, plants, and stones.
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iCell -
Give 6th graders a 3D look inside a cell. You can study cell structures using a dynamic and realistic virtual model. The examples include animal, plant, and bacteria cells.
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