Foreword

The purpose of these lesson plans is to get students excited about science by using toys. It is easier to
keep students engaged in an activity when they play with something fun. The Whirl-O may look
simple, but it has several design features that can be used to explain important concepts in science and
engineering. We have partnered with Adjunct Professor and retired elementary teacher Pamela Marck
to help us design simple and adaptable lesson plans that you can use to help your classes meet the new
Next Generation Science Standards and be flexible enough to meet your state or district level standards.
We listed the most applicable NGSS standards in each lesson and developed tools such as anchor charts
and graphic organizers to achieve those standards. The activities in the lesson plans also create
opportunities for students to develop important skills including critical thinking and, forming and testing
hypotheses. Each lesson may take 30-60 minutes, and has ample opportunity for teachers to add in
learning extensions, so we also listed some great websites for helping you build those extensions.
Weve made sure each lesson includes an informal assessment for the students and a basic delta plus
chart for Teacher reflection.
We love feedback and suggestions for improving or expanding these lesson plans. If youd like to share
your ideas, please contact us at: sales@regalgamesllc.com or by phone 630-587-6700. We may post
your ideas or share your best practices.

2015 Regal Games, LLC

Magnets
Objective: Understand and be able to predict what things will stick to a magnet.
Next Generation Science Standards: K-PS2, 3-PS2, 4-PS3
Additional Standards May Apply in the areas of Reading, Writing, and Mathematics
Background Information: No one knows for sure who first discovered the magnet, but an ancient Greek
Scholar named Pliny the Elder told a story about a shepherd named Magnes who was out with his
flock, when he noticed that the metal on his shoes and on his staff stuck to a strange black rock. They
named it after himMagnetite. Many scientists throughout history were baffled by how magnets work.
The ancient Greek Democritus thought that they worked by air pressure, but today we know magnetism
is a property of electricity, and is related to the structure of atoms. The scientist most closely associated
with the study of magnetism is William Gilbert, who first wrote that the earth was a giant magnet,
solving the mystery of how the compassinvented in Chinawas able to work.
Online references:
http://www.howmagnetswork.com/history.html
http://inventors.about.com/od/estartinventions/a/Electromagnets.htm
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/discoveries-projects/discoveries/magnetism/v/discovery-ofmagnetism
http://www.computersmiths.com/chineseinvention/compass.htm

Opening discussion topics:

1. Use a KWL Chart as a graphic Organizer (Figure 1a) to activate prior knowledge of magnets.
2. Begin by filling out things that students know under the KNOW Section
3. Teacher shares background information with class to confirm what the children know
4. Guide discussion on WONDER section to What things will stick to a magnet?

Activity / Experiment Description:

1. Give each student a T-Chart (Figure 1b). Left side What magnets stick to, Right side, what
magnet do NOT stick to
2. Introduce the Whirl-O and have a short Free Explore Time.
3. Explain how to remove the top and utilize the magnet.
4. Have class fill out T-charts as they test magnetic and non-magnetic objects
5. Return to desks and have each student write a sentence about if or what each column has in
common.
Large Group Summarization:
1. Discuss results
2. Return to the KWL chart and fill in what they learned in the LEARN section.

2015 Regal Games, LLC

Assessment: Collect Student T-Charts as an Informal Assessment.

Resources:
1 Whirl-O per student (and Teacher)
Chart Paper Filled out with KWL form (Figure 1a)
Individual T-Charts (Figure 1b)
Small Paperclips for Extension Activity.
Suggested: several items that can be tested that are both metallic and non-metallic.
Suggested: include some visuals for background information.
Possible Extension Activity: The Magnets on the Whirl-O work well with small paperclips. Have
students hypothesize on whether or not you could create a chain of paperclip magnets. Then have
students try to get a chain to 2. The magnets on a Whirl-O should be strong enough for a chain of 2
and affect but not lift a third paperclip. This extension is a good way to broach 3-PS2.A which is a
discussion of relative strengths. You can implement this as a group activity or as a science station.
Works best in small groups.
Teacher Reflection: Use a Delta/Plus Chart (what went well, what would you change, what did you
discover about your students learning?)
Optional Homework Component: Have Student take Whirl-O home and share what they learned in
science class today with parents. Parents should sign figure 4b to confirm the students did their
homework and the Whirl-O will need to come back intact to class the next day for future lessons.

2015 Regal Games, LLC

Light & Color Theory

Objectives:
1. Understand that white light is made up of all the other colors of light.
2. Understand that our perception of color also depends on our eyes, and that our eyes can be
affected by other factors
Next Generation Science Standards: 1-PS4, 4-PS4.B
Additional Standards May Apply in the areas of Reading, Writing, and Mathematics
Background Information:
Color theory was developed by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Isaac Newton. Newton proved that
that color is a property of light by using prisms to refract light into a spectrum, and then using another
prism to refract the light back into white light. This was an important step in our understanding of why
things look different colors.
While Newton studied light, Goethe studied pigments and our perception of them. Goethe noticed that
while Newtons observations didnt explain why an object would appear differently when it was in
different rooms, or if it was near different colors. Goethe developed a color wheel and found that
mixing certain colors made completely new ones.
Online references:
http://www.webexhibits.org/colorart/bh.html
http://www.webexhibits.org/colorart/ch.html
http://www.homodiscens.com/home/ways/perspicax/color_vision_sub/art_color_theory/
http://zebu.uoregon.edu/2000/ph102/lec19.html

Opening discussion topics:

1. Teacher shares background information with class for discussion.
Activity / Experiment Description:
1. Assemble in Groups of 4
2. Hand out 1 Prism and Flashlight per group
3. Allow for a few minutes of Free Explore
4. Results may improve if you also give each group white copy paper to see spectrum better.
5. Have one person per group record group observations
Whole Group Discussion
1. What happened when you shined the light through the prism?
2. Where do you think the colors came from?
3. What do you think will happen if we put another prism in the spectrum?
Activity / Experiment Description:
1. Hand out one more prism per group, so each group now has two.
2. Have a new person record the groups observations.

2015 Regal Games, LLC

Large Group Summarization:

1. What did you observe? Was any group able to recombine the spectrum into white light?
2. If necessary, model second prism set up to recombine light.
Light and Color Section 2 (can be done on a separate day):
Opening Discussion topics
1. Review Background information and Introduce Goethes Color theory that some colors can
combine to make other colors.
2. Have kids hypothesize as to what colors will be made when the following combine
a. Red & Blue
b. Red & Yellow
c. Blue & Yellow
3. Student should record all the hypotheses on Tic-Tac-Toe Graphic Organizer (Figure 2a) in column
hypotheses individually.
Activity / Experiment
1. Introduce the Whirl-O and have a short Free Explore Time.
2. Put students in groups of at least 3, and distribute the Whirl-Os so that each student has one,
and each group has at least one of each color combination.
3. Have the students each record what color the Whirl-Os are when still, and what color they
morph to when spinning, in the results column of the Tic-Tac-Toe graphic organizer (Figure
2a)
Large Group Discussion
1. Compile results onto large version of Tic-Tac-Toe Graphic Organizer.
2. May be used as an Anchor Chart.
Assessment: Collect the Tic-Tac-Toe Graphic organizers to serve as an informal assessment.
Resources:
1 Whirl-O per student (and Teacher)
Chart Paper
Tic-Tac-Toe Graphic Organizer (Figure 2a)
2 Prisms per work group
1 Flashlight per group
White Copy Paper
Teacher Reflection: Use a Delta/Plus Chart (what went well, what would you change, what did you
discover about your students learning?)
Optional Homework Component: Have Student take Whirl-O home and share what they learned in
science class today with parents. Parents should sign figure 4b to confirm the students did their
homework and the Whirl-O will need to come back intact to class the next day for future lessons.

2015 Regal Games, LLC

Wheel and Axle

Objective: Understand and be able to explain how a wheel and axle works.
Next Generation Science Standards: 3-PS2, 4-PS3
Additional Standards May Apply in the areas of Reading, Writing, and Mathematics
Background Information: The Wheel and Axle is a simple machine that has many uses in engineering.
The axle is what holds up the bus you came into school in today, and allows the transfer of energy from
one place to another. The first Wheel and Axle was developed by the ancient Sumerians who used them
to make pottery wheels. Later, the wheel and axle was used by many ancient cultures as a chariot, or a
small cart drawn by a horse. Today, we use the wheel and axle in many different applications.
Online references:
http://scienceforkids.kidipede.com/physics/machines/wheel.htm
https://www.brainpop.com/technology/simplemachines/wheelandaxle/preview.weml
http://teacher.scholastic.com/dirtrep/simple/wheel.htm
http://www.machine-history.com/
http://www.explainthatstuff.com/howwheelswork.html

Opening discussion topics:

1. Teacher shares background information with class for discussion.
2. Ask if they can think of any places where the wheel and axle is used.
3. When the student have a good understanding of what a wheel and axle is, announce that today
they will learn how it works.
4. Have kids hypothesize as to whether the wheel spins more or less than the axle
5. Record the information on T-chart
6. The T-chart will not have a section for same, but students may hypothesize it, record the
sames at the bottom of the T chart only if they make that guess. Weve left a space at the
bottom of the form.

Activity / Experiment Description:

1. Introduce the Whirl-O and have a short Free Explore Time.
2. Explain that the top on the Whirl-O is a wheel and axle. And that today we will be testing their
hypotheses.
3. Teacher should now model the set up for the experiment, Use a dry erase marker to mark a spot
on the edge of the top. (With the mark on the edge facing up, make another mark facing up on
the point of the top. The edge is our wheel, and the point is our axle.).
4. Once class is set up, teacher will model how to roll the top along the rails slowly enough to
count. (Keep a finger on the edge of the top, be careful not to erase the mark).
5. Have each student perform the experiment themselves, keeping track of how many times the
dots reach the top of the top. You may find this works best as a small group activity.
Large Group Summarization:

2015 Regal Games, LLC

1. On a chart paper, write, What did you learn about the Wheel and Axle?
2. Use Sentence Strips or Sticky Notes have each student write a response to the question, What
did you learn about the Wheel and Axle?
3. Have a discussion about the responses. Were there any surprises?
4. This activity can serve as an informal assessment.
Assessment: See #4 in Large Group Summarization.
Resources:
1 Whirl-O per student (and Teacher)
Chart Paper
Dry Erase Markers
Sticky notes or Sentence Strips
T Chart and Anchor Chart Question prepared in advance.
Suggested: include some visuals for background information.
Teacher Reflection: Use a Delta/Plus Chart (what went well, what would you change, what did you
discover about your students learning?)
Optional Homework Component: Have Student take Whirl-O home and share what they learned in
science class today with parents. Parents should sign figure 4b to confirm the students did their
homework and the Whirl-O will need to come back intact to class the next day for future lessons.

2015 Regal Games, LLC

Figure 1a

Know

Wonder

Learn

Figure 1b

Which Things Will Stick To A Magnet?

Things that stick

Things that wont stick

What does each group have in common?

Red +
Blue

Hypothesis

Results

Red +
Yellow
Blue +
Yellow
Figure 2a

Figure 3a

Which Will Go Around More?

Wheel

Axle

Teacher Reflection Organizer

Lesson:

What went well

What would I change?

Figure 4a

Whirl-O Home Demonstration Assignment

Name:__________________________
Write three sentences about what I learned about Science from the Whirl-O today
1.
2.
3.
Who can make the top spin longer when launched?

Make up a trick and give it a name: _______________________________

Parent Signature _____________________________
Please return to class, and bring the Whirl-O for tomorrows lesson
Figure 4b