Purdue University
The Represented World: Recreational STEM
How are forces and motion important to a swing set? Scholars explore the concepts of force and motion using swing sets. In preparation for their own STEM design project, individuals take surveys and data from peers, complete labs on...
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Forces and Motion-The Downhill Racer
Students calculate a toy car's velocity and acceleration. For this force and motion lesson, students build ramps and attach a dropper to a toy car, which is released down the ramp. Students calculate and graph velocity and acceleration...
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Newton's Laws of Motion
Ninth graders utilize Newton's Laws of Motion to explain how things move, create poster illustrating each law of motion, and present and explain their poster to classmates.
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Exploring Force and Motion
Students explore the concepts of force and motion by creating a video. In this physics lesson, students are assigned one particular aspect of force and motion to investigate and work in groups to create a video that will be...
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Newton's Three Laws of Motion Lesson Plan
Students explore Newton's three laws of motion using a variety of activities. In this physics lesson, students calculate the average speed of a vehicle they constructed using distance and time information. They identify and draw the...
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Medieval Catapults
Students design and build a working catapult or trebuchet to explore the concepts of force, motion, and distance.
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Rover Landing Design Challenge
Students examine the concepts of forces and motion. They work together to design protective devices for their egg rovers as they are dropped from a specific height. They record their observations and discuss.
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Toying Around with Newton's Laws
Eighth graders identify balanced and unbalanced forces that affect the movement of objects and Newton's three Laws of Motion. Students also design a contraption utilizing Newton's Laws of Motion that will launch a marshmallow five meters.
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Simple Machines
Third graders are introduced to the six types of simple machines and discover how they make tasks easier. In groups, they rotate between stations to experiment with the different types of simple machines. To end the lesson, they make a...
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The Airplane
Students demonstrate the Bernoulli Principle, review the influences that affected the Wright Brothers, and make and modify paper airplanes. This amazing lesson plan has an excellent structure, and very clear plans for the students to...
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Building Bridges
Students identify the different types of bridges. Using the internet, they research information on how they are built by completing a scavenger hunt. Locating a specific area, they determine which type of bridge would be appropriate and...
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Machines at Work
Students discuss how simple machines have made our lives easier and construct a compound machine. In this machines lesson plan, students watch a video on machines, look at websites, and follow task cards in order to make a simple machine.