Students engage in a discussion about what a parachute is and how it works. They create a parachute using different materials that they think will work best. The students test their designs, which will be followed by a class discussion...

In this measuring speed in the universe learning exercise, students use photographs of 3 astronomical phenomena including supernova explosions, coronal mass ejections and solar flare shock waves to find how fast they move. The...

First off, Newton's laws of motion aren't often taught at 2nd grade, so this lesson plan may be more appropriate for upper elementary learners. It begins with a discussion and demonstration of the laws of motion, and then has individuals...

Twelfth graders examine the misconceptions of Newton's laws of motion.  In this motion and gravity lesson students interpret data and see the effects of gravity. 

Students perform three activities that each demonstrate one of Newton's Laws of Motion. They use a ramp and toy car to demonstrate inertia, calculate acceleration due to gravity, then use a medicine ball and rolling chair to demonstrate...

In this forces worksheet, high schoolers use the equations for acceleration and Newton's second law to learn about different motions and forces. This worksheet has 7 problems to solve.

Students, in teams, use given materials and their knowledge of Newton's First Law to create a device that will remove a sticky ping pong ball from a 16-oz. cup (which represents ketchup stuck in a bottle.)

Ron Toomer, a famous roller coaster designer, suffered from motion sickness. Pupils design their own roller coasters, learning about potential and kinetic energy in the process. Labs focus on the importance of drop height, energy...

If a car gets heavier, it goes farther? By running an activity several times, teams experience Newton's Second Law of Motion. The teams vary the amount of weight they catapult off a wooden block car and record the distance the...

How can you launch an object that isn't propelled by air? The resource provides directions to build a launcher to launch rockets made of two-liter bottles. The launcher, built mainly from materials found at the local hardware...

A common complaint among physics scholars studying Newton's laws of motion concerns drawing free-body diagrams. To practice the required pre-requisite skills for free-body diagrams, individuals identify which forces act in specific...

Fourth graders apply concepts of Newton's Laws in scientific inquiries. Use this lesson to have your charges test and identify the characteristics of objects that make them easier or harder to push. After a teacher-led demonstration,...

Focus on the conservation of energy, specifically looking at gravitational potential energy and kinetic energy, with a lecture that involves having friends throw light objects at each other to determine which has more kinetic energy and...

Just this once, it's okay to throw things in class. Out of craft sticks and rubber bands, pupils build catapults to launch an object of choice. This can be a ping-pong ball, a marshmallow, or any other small item. As long as it hits the...

In this linear motion worksheet, students answer 9 questions about velocity, acceleration and position of objects. They solve problems for acceleration and velocity and they interpret graphs of velocity vs. time, acceleration vs. time...

In this linear motion activity, students answer 12 questions including finding acceleration of moving objects, calculating distance objects travel and determining the time of travel. Students interpret graphs of position vs. time,...

In this linear motion worksheet, students answer 21 questions about acceleration, velocity, position and time. Students interpret graphs of position vs. time, velocity vs. time and acceleration vs. time. They calculate speed of objects,...

Students explore centrifugal and centripetal force. In this motion lesson, students expand on their knowledge of motion to study velocity, acceleration, and friction. Students examine multiple objects to demonstrate the laws of motion.

In this linear motion worksheet, students answer 12 questions about displacement, velocity, and acceleration. They solve problems for acceleration, displacement and velocity and show the equations they used to find the solutions. They...

In this linear motion activity, students answer 12 questions about acceleration, velocity and distance traveled. They interpret diagrams and indicate the location of an object if it has positive, negative or no acceleration. They...

In this linear motion worksheet, students answer 11 questions including finding acceleration of moving objects, finding the distance objects travel and finding the time it takes objects to move a particular distance. Students interpret...

In this graphing linear motion worksheet, high schoolers answer 20 questions about velocity of objects, the distance they travel and the time. They interpret a graph of position vs. time and identify the velocity at certain point on the...

In this graphing the motion of objects activity, students compare graphs of distance vs. time and speed vs. time of objects moving at constant speed, accelerating, slowing down, and stopped. Students identify the movement of a car given...

Learners design an appropriate and usable storyboard and then create a claymation video. They take digital photographs frame by frame, then assemble the stop-motion movie using video software.