Mr. Nolde's Third Grade Page!!

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Matter, Energy, & Forces	Rocks & Minerals
Simple Machines	Habitats & Ecosystems

Matter, Energy, & Forces

How much do I weigh on the Moon? -Go to the weighing station to find out! As you learned in class, gravity is the force that pulls things towards the center of the Earth. When we weigh something, we are actually measuring this force! Your bodyweight will be different, depending on what planet you're standing on!

Changing States of Matter -Find out what happens when you continue to apply more and more heat to a solid block of ice. Continue to click on the "Heat" button in this activity! You just might be surprised with what eventually happens!!

Solids & Liquids -When we learned about physical changes in class, we learned that all solid matter can change into a liquid if you give it enough energy in the form of heat. In this activity, test various kinds of matter by heating and cooling them. Find out which materials have a higher melting point and which materials cool quickly.

Characteristics of Materials -This activity lets you experiment on a wide variety of different materials. When you are finished, you will discover which materials are flexible (Can they bend?), which materials are transparent (Can you see clearly through it?), which materials are waterproof, and which materials are strong.

Reversible & Irreversible Changes -When we explored the differences between chemical and physical changes in class, we discovered that physical changes could easily be "reversed" or changed back to their original form. In this activity, you will perform various tasks of dissolving, heating, and filtering to discover which materials undergo reversible & which materials undergo irreversible changes.

Exploring Density - This activity allows you to compare how different items float or sink in different liquids. Be sure to use the drop-down menu to change liquids. Just click and drag the different items into the liquid container. Based on your experimentation, which liquid is the MOST dense in this activity?? Be sure to click "Launch Gizmo" to begin your adventure!

Separating Mixtures Lab -In class, we learned that mixtures are combinations of two or more different substances put together that can easily be separated. But did you realize that there are many different ways of separating mixtures? Play this activity to learn more.

Mixtures & Solutions -In this activity, you dig around and find things in a junk yard. Add them to your bucket of water to see if they form a mixture or a solution.

Measuring Mass -Find out which material has the most mass- Air, Water, Oil, or Helium. Place each item on the scale like we did in class.

Forces & Movement -In this activity, drag the red handle back to the yellow light to give the truck a little push. Find out how far the truck travels. Be sure to test the larger truck as well. Does it go as far? Why or why not?

Forces in Action -In this activity, see how far the truck travels when you increase or decrease the slope. You can also see how placing different sized parachutes and different sized weights on the back of the truck affects the motion of the truck as well.

The Energy Resource Game -Which energy resources are non-renewable? Which energy sources are inexhaustible? Play the energy resource game to find out! First, identify the resources, then click and drag the item to one of the 3 black holes. If you identify the resource correctly, it will disappear!

Strange Matter- The Transformer! -In this activity, you get to transform or change matter into different things by heating them, beating them, or by chemically treating them. Find out what happens when we take the raw materials of silicon, iron, and carbon and put them through the transformer!

Strange Matter-The Crusher! -Which materials are the strongest? In this activity, you get to crush all sorts of different types of materials. Click on different contests and find out who the winners are! Remember: The strongest material crushes last!

Strange Matter-Zoom! -Discover the incredibly small world where materials scientists do their work by zooming inside a soda can. Click on the red arrow to begin your adventure!

Line Rider -See if you can carefully design a sledding track that will allow our sledder to make a successful run down the track. Be sure not to make your slope too steep! Have fun and good luck!

Edheads Simple Machines -This is one of the best activities that I've ever seen on simple machines. Be sure to check out all four rooms in the house to learn about simple machines. Also, be sure to check out the tool shed to learn about compound machines.

Edheads- Compound Machines -Just when you think it doesn't get any better than the first Edheads simple machine activity, they come out with another one that it even MORE creative! See if you can get a perfect score of 120 points in this activity.

Build a Rube Goldberg Machine! -Using levers, pulleys, and ramps build your own Rube Goldberg machine. See if you can adjust these simple machines to lift the clown. Good luck!

Simple Machines in a Lawnmower -It always amazes me just how many simple machines are around us at all times. See if you can find all the simple machines in a lawnmower.

Move the Moai Statues of Easter Island -Do you remember trying to solve the mysteries of Stonehenge in class? Well, this is a different mystery. About 3,000 years ago the people of Easter Island, a tiny little island in the Pacific, moved and built these really cool 14 ton statues called Moai Statues. This activity lets you be the boss of Easter Island. You direct the people so that they can be successful in moving these statues.

Mysteries of the Nile -In class, we learned how the ancient druids moved the stones of Stonehenge using simple machines. We also learned how they were able to move them upright as well using levers. The ancient Egyptians up righted their obelisks using similar methods. Click here to learn more.

Design your own Rollercoaster -Make the most exciting rollercoaster ride that you can make without having the car go flying off of the track! You can do this by changing the height of the hills, the size of the loop, the starting speed of the coaster, its mass, the gravity at work, and the amount of friction on the track. Good Luck!!

The Virtual Rock Laboratory!-What kind of rock floats in water? Which rocks split easily? What kinds of rocks are more resistant to wearing away? Find out the answers to these questions & more by testing various rocks in your own virtual laboratory!

Name That Rock! -This activity is one that I built and designed myself. Play this game to learn about some of the most common rocks in the world.

The 15 Most Wanted Quiz Game! -This activity is one that I designed for my sixth graders. It will also help you learn to identify some of the most common rocks found throughout the world.

Take the Rock Hound Quiz -Name the type of rocks correctly and see if you can earn yourself a Rockhound Expert Award!

Moh's Drill & Castle of Doom! -Learn about Mohs' Mineral Hardness Scale while escaping the Castle of Doom! The walls are closing in on you. To escape, you must drill through the walls. See if you can find the right drill to blast through the wall.

The Mystery of the Floating Rock -Did you know that some rocks can actually float in water? In our unit on matter, we learned why some things sink and why some things float in water. Help Rex the dino detective unravel the mystery of the floating rock.

The Mystery of the Broken Necklace -Help Rex the dino detective solve the mystery of the broken necklace and learn all sorts of cool things about fossils along the way!

The Mystery of the Golden Cube -Help Rex the dino detective figure out what the golden cube is made out of. Is it a rock, mineral, or a fossil. Help Rex perform a number of tests on the golden cube to figure out what it is made of!

Habitats & Ecosystems

Worlds Within the Sea -See if you can follow the clues until you have connected all of the creatures in each of the three ocean ecosystems: The Deep Sea, The Coral Reef, and The Continental Shelf.

Habitats of the Rainforest -This game is similar to the one above, except that it explores three different ecosystems found in the rainforests of the Central African Republic: The Forest, The Bai, and The River. Click on each of the three boxes to begin your adventure.

Life in the City -You might not think that the city would be a habitat that would support a great diversity of life. This activity takes you to a city park and gives you a closer look at the surprising world around us!

The Blue Planet Challenge -Coral reefs at sea have been closely compared to rainforests on land. Both of these habitats are quite complex and are extremely delicate. Play the Blue Planet Challenge to learn more about the devastating effects human activities can have on coral reefs.

Dive to the Abyss -This activity lets you become a virtual scuba diver who needs to collect samples of animals that live deep within the ocean.

Fun with Food Webs -See if you can put all of the plants and animals in the correct spots for three different types of food webs- meadow, arctic, & pond habitats.

Build an Aquarium -All ecosystems work by living in balance. In this activity, create an environment that will keep your aquarium alive for at least 30 days!

Build a Fish -See if you can design a fish with the right adaptations to survive. Try different combinations and see which ones work together.

Food Chain Reaction -A lot of people don't realize just how much the survival of each plant and animal affects the balance of a food web. Play this game to learn more.

Recycle City -Click on different parts of the map to learn more about Recycle City. Then play the Dumptown Game to learn more about the ways in which we can recycle, reduce, & reuse waste.

The Great Habitat Match-Up -The place in which animals live is called their habitat. See if you can match all of the animals with their habitats.

Habitats & Food Chains -This activity features a woodland and a pond habitat. Take pictures of 8 different organisms that live in these habitats. Be sure to click on the magnifying lens to learn more about each organism. Also, see if you can correctly create 2 different food chains using organisms from these two different habitats.


To Third Grade!!