Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Gravity Gets You Down

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students design an experiment to investigate how objects with different masses fall. For this physics lesson, students predict how these objects will fall in a vacuum tube. They write a report explaining experimental results and conclusion.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Galileo: His Times & Beliefs

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students study Galileo and his scientific discoveries. They complete a series of experiments/model constructions, using 17th century equipment and procedures, to "recreate," demonstrate and explore the various discoveries of Galileo.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Gravity

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders discuss the myth of Galileo's experiments in which he threw items out the leaning Tower of Pisa to find out how fast they fell and predict what they think could happen when the two items listed on the same line are dropped...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

I'm Falling For You!

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders are introduced to the concept of gravity by observing different objects being dropped from a high point. In groups, they complete the same activities Galileo did and record their observations. To end the lesson, they...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Force and Motion

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Students experiment with force and motion. For this force and motion lesson, students test gravity using a variety of objects. Students rotate through a series of stations which use force, motion, friction, and inclines. Students predict...
Activity
Exploratorium

Falling Feather

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Whether or not Galileo actually dropped balls from the Leaning Tower of Pisa, this demonstration will solidly demonstrate that objects are accelerated at the same rate, regardless of mass. You will, however, need a vacuum pump and a few...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Way Things Fall

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students see that light and heavy objects fall at the same rate, as established experimentally by Galileo. They see that falling objects, and balls rolling down an incline, tend to accelerate at a constant rate a. Their velocity...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Newton's Laws

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students give examples of each of Newton's three laws as they occur in everyday experiences. They visually represent and differentiate the difference between a direct proportion and an inverse proportion. Students explain how the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Air: Demonstrating Its Presence and Effects

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the concept of air. In this gravity lesson plan, students perform various experiments that deal with gravity, air resistance, and air pressure.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Force and Motion - Part 2

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Students test different objects such as dominoes, marshmallows, slides, and more to test their force, motion, gravity, friction, and the concept of matter. For this force and motion lesson plan, students understand that the force an...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Falling Motion

For Teachers 2nd - 8th
Students design and conduct an experiment on Galileo's Rule of Falling Bodies. In this physics lesson plan, students collect and analyze data. They create a presentation and share it with the class.
Activity
It's About Time

Run and Jump

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Has your class wondered how fast a human could run or how high they are capable of jumping? Help them understand these concepts as they explore acceleration and use an accelerometer to make semiquantitative measurements of acceleration...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Weight A Minute

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students watch a video and engage in hands-on activities which introduce scientific information made real through re-cognition and understanding the phenomena of gravitational force and how it impacts life on our planet.
Lab Resource
Colorado State University

Why Do Raindrops Sometimes Land Gently and Sometimes with a Splat?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
A mouse can fall from large heights without injury! Air resistance is a large influence on small falling objects. In an exploratory lesson, young scholars build a raindrop bottle to compare the falling rate of different-sized objects.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Paper Helicopters

For Students 3rd - 6th
In this paper helicopter worksheet, students design and experiment making a paper helicopter to explore how some things fall and how varying the size of the rotor blades affect the way a helicopter spins.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Projectile Motion Demonstration

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Students dicusss Newton's First Law of Motion. They calculate a projectile moving horizontally and vertically at different intervals. They particpate in an experiment in which the projectile is at an angle. They record and discuss the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

WHAT HOLDS US TO EARTH?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students they imagine they are Galileo and try to duplicate Galileo's experiments and results.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hot Wheels

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students observe the action produced by toy cars. In this geometry lesson, students discuss motion and distance as they relate to the movement of a spherical object.They collect data and make conjectures based on their data.
PPT
Mr. E. Science

Forces

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
May the mass times acceleration be with you. The presentation covers forces, Newton's three Laws of Motion, momentum, and vectors.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Force & Motion

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders are introduced to the concepts of force and motion. In groups, they travel between stations to analyze the effect of force and motion on various objects. They research how various careers use these concepts as well.
Handout
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Galileo: His Experiments

For Students 9th - 10th
This interactive activity from the NOVA Web site samples Galileo's experiments with falling objects, projectiles, inclined planes, and pendulums.
Unit Plan
Vision Learning

Visionlearning: Mechanics: Gravity: Newtonian Relationships

For Students 9th - 10th
Explanation of how astronomers and scientist developed the current theories of gravity.
Interactive
Vision Learning

Visionlearning: An Experiment: Acceleration During Free Fall

For Students 9th - 10th
Animated simulation re-enacts Galileo's experiment of dropping objects off the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: What Goes Up, Must Come Down

For Students 3rd - 5th
Standing on a balcony near the top of the 179-foot tall Tower of Pisa, a young scientist dropped two iron balls into the crowd below. The scientist, young Galileo, was not trying to knock his fellow professors on the head, but was trying...