Time Test
Grades:2
Summary: Drag and drop the items to classify whether they are a solid, liquid or a gas.
How to integrate: Shared
Work together as a class as a hook or as a review of common everyday items.
Change It
Grades: 2-3
Summary: Drag the different objects into the freezer and the oven to see what happens.
How to Integrate: Modeled, Shared
This is a great follow up to an experiment without having to use an actual oven/freezer.
HMH - Solids, Liquid, Gas Under the Microscope
Grades: 2-6
Summary: Discover what the molecules look like between the different states of matter.
How to Integrate: Modeled
This is a good illustration lesson for students to see a what molecules look like up close.
1) Edheads Compound Machine - The Odd Machine
Grades: 3-6
Strand: Compound Machine
Summary: One of my favourite simple machine sites has another great companion site on compound machine and forces. Students are sent on a journey to find a plunger for the robot. Along the way, students must learn how compound machines work and which forces are working together to get the job done. There are twenty questions in all and students have the option to print out their scores at the end of the game.
How to integrate: Shared, Modeled, Independent
Some questions can be a little challenging (the target grades is from 2-6) but since it is multiple choice it is only a matter of time for students to answer all the questions. The questions also use a lot of terms that grade 3s might not be familiar with, therefore it could be more as a guided activity.
2) Lemelson Center's Learning Through Play - Tinker Ball
Grades: 2-4
Strand: Gravity
Summary: Use your student's engineering skills and simple machine knowledge to get a ball into a cup. There are a selection of simple machines that students can choose to use. Use one or two or all, the only objective is to get the ball into the cup.
How to integrate: Shared, Guided, Independent
This is a fun game that will get your students thinking about how simple machines help us do simple tasks. It is also a great game to start adding challenges to - for instance, challenge your students to create a path using the least number of parts, or the most number of parts, or use time to see if your students are up to the challenge.
3) Roller Coaster Simulation
Grades: 3-6
Strand: Friction and Gravity
Summary: In this "what if" simulation, students must decide which factors they want to change in order to make a great roller coaster. The factors include, hill size, mass of the cart, speed, friction and gravity. By exploring different combination, student will be able to do identify how each force is important in roller coasters.
How to integrate: Guided, Independent
Give the students a chance to do what they want and make crazy fly-off-the-rails coasters. Then slowly tell them to change on factor at a time to see what changes happen. Eventually, students should be able to maximize the forces and make them work together to create a successful roller coaster.
