Lesson Plan
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Motion Commotion

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students learn why and how motion occurs and what governs changes in motion, as described by Newton's three laws of motion. They gain hands-on experience with the concepts of forces, changes in motion, and action and reaction. In an...
Lesson Plan
Better Lesson

Better Lesson: A Change of Direction

For Teachers K - 1st
Students will make predictions and conduct an experiment using marbles to figure out what types of things can cause a moving object to change direction. Included is a video of the lesson in action, pictures, discussion questions, and a...
Activity
PBS

Wgbh: Peep and the Big Wide World: Explore and Play: Toy Sleds

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st
Students experiment with different materials and objects to make a sled that will slide down the ramps.
Interactive
CK-12 Foundation

Ck 12 Exploration Series: Simulations: Physics: Portrait Gallery

For Students 9th - 10th
[Free Registration/Login Required] Learn about adding force vectors in two dimensions using the example of a painting hanging from two strings. Experiment with variables of weight and angles to hang a portrait in this physics simulation....
Interactive
CK-12 Foundation

Ck 12 Exploration Series: Simulations: Physics: Butterfly Stroke

For Students 9th - 10th
[Free Registration/Login Required] Learn about the relationship between velocity and position for a swimmer. Adjust the velocity of the legs, streamline, and arms to experiment with the slope of velocity in the simulation swimmer. Dig a...
Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Runaway Train: Investigating Speed With Photo Gates

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students conduct an experiment to determine the relationship between the speed of a wooden toy car at the bottom of an incline and the height at which it is released. They observe how the photogate-based speedometer instrument "clocks"...
Interactive
CK-12 Foundation

Ck 12 Exploration Series: Simulations: Physics: Model Rocket

For Students 9th - 10th
[Free Registration/Login Required] Learn about the relationship between position and velocity for a model rocket during launch and in free-fall. Experiment with rocket mass, rocket thrust, and rocket burn time to understand the...
Unit Plan
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: The Force of Friction

For Teachers 6th - 9th
In the first of two lessons of this curricular unit, students are introduced to the concept of friction as a force that impedes motion when two surfaces are in contact. Student teams use spring scales to drag objects, such as a ceramic...
Activity
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Activity: Frictional Force Experiment

For Students 9th - 10th
A lesson about friction can be found on this website. Students will experiment to see how motion and frictional force affect the game of football.
Unit Plan
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Mechanics Mania

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Through ten lessons and numerous activities, students explore the natural universal rules engineers and physicists use to understand how things move and stay still. Together, these rules are called "mechanics." The study of mechanics is...
Lesson Plan
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Flocculants: The First Step to Cleaner Water!

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students experience firsthand one of the most common water treatment types in the industry today, flocculants. They learn how the amount of suspended solids in water is measured using the basic properties of matter and light. In...
Activity
PBS

Pbs Kids: Zoom Printables & Activities

For Students 3rd - 8th
Fantastic variety of printable activities that cover motion-related principles. Topics include the following: experiments (engineering, structures, forces and energy, fluids, sound and light, patterns, human body); arts & crafts;...
Lesson Plan
Better Lesson

Better Lesson: Collision Course (Part 2)

For Teachers 4th - 5th
This is part 2 of a two-part lesson on understanding how speed changes when two objects collide. Young scholars will conduct an experiment, collect data, and draw conclusions about the changes in energy that occur when objects collide....
Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Investigating Best Amount of Water to Fly a Bottle Rocket

For Teachers 6th - 8th
In this rocket experiment, students will investigate the question, "Which amount of water will cause the rocket to stay in the air the longest?" Students will compare how long the rocket was in the air with how much water was in the...
Interactive
Physics Classroom

The Physics Classroom: Newtons Laws: Rocket Sledder Interactive

For Students 9th - 10th
Experience the effect of friction, air resistance, and applied force upon a sledder. The speed, acceleration, and force values are displayed as the sled moves. Learners can vary the mass of the sledder and the size of the parachute...
Activity
Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments: Circular Motion

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In UCM, the net force called Fc is equal to mv2/r and is directed toward the center. This is demonstrated by an object that is suspended by a string and is moving in a circular path which makes a conical pendulum. In this experiment, you...
Activity
PBS

Pbs Teachers: Balloon & Straw Experiment

For Students Pre-K - 1st
Investigate air pressure, motion and the forces of air currents using a bendy straw, a balloon and a rubber band.
Activity
Hunkins Experiments

Hunkin's Experiments: Balance

For Students Pre-K - 1st
Hunkin's Experiments is a group of simple cartoon illustrations of scientific principles. Some would work well in the classroom, but others have little value beyond entertaining students. All of the projects are easy to do. This pair of...
Activity
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Investigation of Newtonian Forces on Plate Tectonics

For Teachers 6th - 8th
An investigation for students to understand plate tectonics by using models to see how motion and forces act on the plates. Students can use these models to see the connection between Newtonian Laws to Earth materials. Lesson plan...
Lesson Plan
Cornell University

Cornell University: Cornell Center for Materials Research: Friction

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A collection of experiments where learners can learn about how friction works and affects the physical world. At the end, students design a tortoise to win by slowing it down using friction. Lesson includes explanation of the concept of...
Website
My Science Site

Life Systems: Cells, Tissues, Organs

For Students 9th - 10th
Extensive site for teachers provides some helpful resources that pertain to plant and animal cells. Includes a microscope diagram as well as plant, animal and pond labs. Also contains links to structures and mechanisms, matter and...
Activity
Center of Science and Industry

Cosi Columbus: Boomerang

For Students 3rd - 5th
Students will make and fly boomerangs and discover that their spinning action is what makes them return to the thrower. Includes full list of materials, procedures, and scientific explanation of "gyroscopic precession".
Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: How Far?

For Teachers 7th - 9th
To learn how friction affects motion, students explore how different textures provide varying amounts of friction to objects moving across them. They build a tool to measure the amount of friction between a note card and various surfaces...
Interactive
Concord Consortium

Concord Consortium: Stem Resources: Building a Bungee Jump

For Students 3rd - 5th
Students are asked to create a bungee jump that will protect a hard-boiled egg from breaking. A force sensor is needed to measure the push/pull forces on the egg. Data is inserted into force-time graphs. After completing three...