Curated OER
Newton's Laws
Eighth graders distinguish between and apply Newton's Laws. They take a quiz reviewing Kinetic and Potential Energy. Students explain that they have just demonstrated Newton's three laws of motion. They also explain what forces are...
Curated OER
Newton's Second Law
In this Newton's Second Law activity, students answer 13 questions about force, mass and acceleration. They calculate weight, force, masses and acceleration of objects.
Curated OER
Simple Machines
In this simple machines worksheet, students identify the 6 simple machines. They answer 21 questions about the types of simple machines, the output force of simple machines, the input force and the work involved in using a simple machine.
It's About Time
Push or Pull - Adding Vectors
Demonstrate Newton's Second Law of Motion with an engaging lesson. Individuals explore the difference between forces in relation to a push or a pull, and they identify various forces that cause an object to move. They explore the concept...
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...
Curated OER
Construct a Buoyant Scuba Diver
Groups of young oceanographers get to use action figures to experiment with the property of buoyancy! This memorable lesson plan provides detailed background information, a link to the laboratory worksheet, and thorough instruction...
Curated OER
Center of Gravity
Fourth graders conduct experiments to identify the center of gravity. For this gravity lesson, 4th graders do two hands-on experiments to increase their understanding of this concept. This self-discovery lesson provides students with the...
Curated OER
Fettucini Physics
Young scholars design a structure capabl;e of holding a textbook. They demonstrate that the weight of a textbook is offset by the normal force exerted on the book by the structure.
Curated OER
Rocket Science 101
Students explore the aspects of Newton's First and Third Laws of Motion as they conduct controlled rocketry experiments and analyze the Mars Mission in terms of the principles of rocketry.
Curated OER
Balloon Rocket Race Track
Students discuss "How can we measure (or make it easier to record) the speed, distance or acceleration of the balloon?" They told that they are going to make a balloon racetrack. Pupils use meter sticks to accurately measure length and...
Curated OER
Ships to a New World
Students experiment with buoyancy as a force. For this buoyancy lesson, students access an assigned website to examine the sailing vessels that came to the New World. They work as teams to build boats out of aluminum foil to see which...
Curated OER
Freestanding Structures: A Tech Museum Floor Activity
Students attempt to design the tallest structure that they can with the given materials which are wooden dowels and rubber bands. They discuss the physics of their structure and how they would improve it the next time they built a...
DiscoverE
Zip Line Challenge
Harness the awesome power of gravity. Scholars build a zip line to transport a ping-pong ball. The challenge is to get to the finish line in under four seconds. At that speed, individuals better be sure to strap on the harness!
Curated OER
How do forces combine?
In this calculus-based worksheet, students experiment how to add forces in order to get a net force of zero with no acceleration while following the directions of a variety of different scenarios.
Curated OER
Wind Effects on Model Building: Lab for Deflection and Moment of Inertia
Students investigate the relationship between shape of object and moment of inertia. In this physics lesson, students collect data from the experiment and use spreadsheet to graph them. They discuss how load affects deflection.
Curated OER
Swinging on a String
Young scholars explore how pendulums work and why they are useful in everyday applications. In a hands-on activity, they experiment with string length, pendulum weight and angle of release.
Curated OER
Mass vs. Weight
Why do you weigh more in space? Each individual in your class explores this question and others as they determine the mass and weight of different objects using two types of scales. They perform conversions and discuss their results,...
Virginia Department of Education
States and Forms of Energy
Energy is just energy, right? Explain various forms of energy to your young scientists by using an interactive experiment that contains common objects to demonstrate complex concepts. Pupils conduct experiments for radiant, thermal,...
Teach Engineering
Rock and Boat
Present the class with a question on whether the water level of a pond will rise they take a large rock out of a boat and drop it into the pond. Groups come down on all sides of the question and try to justify their answers. The activity...
Curated OER
Mass, Volume, and Weight
Students explore mass, volume, and weight. In this science and measurement instructional activity, students compare volume, mass, and weight after listening to the teacher's description of each. Students explore different scales and...
Curated OER
Friction
Fourth graders investigate friction as a force that is present around us. They observe as a ball is rolled on different surfaces and stopped before discussing what happens. Using different surfaces, they make predictions as to what type...
Curated OER
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 plan, students calculate the average speed of a vehicle they constructed using distance and time information. They identify and draw the...
Curated OER
Hanging Around
Learners explore weight by building a spring scale and observing how it responds to objects with different masses. Each team of students can make their own spring scale by following steps which are specifically outlined in the plan. As...
Curated OER
Weightlessness
Students compare and contrast the terms "weight" and "mass". In this physics lesson, students observe an experiment in which objects are placed on a balance scale and weighed under different circumstances. Partners drop items and observe...