Virginia Department of Education
States of Matter
Scientists have been studying exothermic reactions before they were cool. The lesson begins with a discussion and a demonstration of heat curves. Scholars then determine the heat of fusion of ice and the heat needed to...
Curated OER
Red Light, Green Light
Learners investigate the friction between tires and the road and how it affects the movement of cars while driving. They discuss and define friction, experiment with sandpaper and wax paper to determine which material provides the least...
Curated OER
Newton's Second Law
Students examine how physical quantities and laws depend distance, mass and time. They examine the MKS system; meter, kilogram and second, for doing calculations.
Curated OER
On The Move
Eighth graders engage in a instructional activity to investigate the Laws of Motion while observing different examples with the use of video lessons. They predict why objects move the way they do and then apply the new knowledge to...
Curated OER
Rockets!!
Students launch a rocket. In this laws of motion lesson, students discuss the forces of flight, how a plane flies and how a rocket gets off the ground. Students watch a video about rocket launches, discuss Newton's Third Law...
Curated OER
Crash Course in Flight
High school physicists demonstrate Bernoulli's Principle by blowing on different items and finding that they do not move in the expected direction! They apply Bernoulli's equation to the flight of an airplane. This well-organized lesson...
LABScI
Potential and Kinetic Energy: The Roller Coaster Lab
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...
Curated OER
A Moving Experience - Forces and Inertia
Students consider the first part of Newton's First Law of Motion, the Law of Inertia of objects at rest, which states that every object remains at rest unless acted on by a force. They perform hands-on experiments which demonstrate this...
K12 Reader
How Things Move
As part of a comprehension exercise, kids read a physical science article about motion and then answer a series of comprehension questions based on the passage.
Curated OER
One, Two, Three--Isaac Newton and Me
Students experiment to develop understanding of Newton's Laws and how they apply to space travel in this ten day lesson sequence.
Curated OER
Thinking About Newton's 1st Law
Pupils discuss the lives of both Aristotle and Newton in order to bring important differences between the two to the forefront. They evaluate two statements about motion and use the ideas from the discussion to determine which statement...
Curated OER
Science in Focus: Force and Motion
Students explore force and motion through a series of experiments. In this physics lesson plan, students create and interpret speed graphs. They build an electromagnet and explain the factors affecting its strength.
Curated OER
Newton's Laws and Rocketball
Young scholars investigate Newton's Three Laws. In this Newton's Law instructional activity, students write the laws in their own words. Young scholars then do an experiment with a ping pong ball. Students drop the ball from a set...
Curated OER
Forces and Newton's Three Laws
Students watch demonstrations of forces and Newton's Three Laws. In this forces instructional activity, students watch four demonstrations and complete the associated worksheets associated with Newton's Laws. There is a PowerPoint that...
Curated OER
Newton's Laws of Motion
In this motion worksheet, high schoolers review the definitions of all three of Newton's laws plus give examples of each law. This worksheet has 9 fill in the blank questions.
Teach Engineering
Magical Motion
Make solutions to projectile motion problems magically appear using equations. Pupils watch a clip from a Harry Potter movie and find the length of time it takes for a remembrall to fall into Harry's hands. They use a projectile motion...
Curated OER
Simple Harmonic Motion
Back and forth, and back again. A presentation on harmonic motion would make a great backdrop for a directed instruction lesson in Honors Physics. It includes diagrams, formulas, graphs, and a few sample problems.
Urbana School District
Projectile and Circular Motion, Torque
Introduce your young scholars to the concepts of circular motion, projectile motion, angular speed, simple harmonic motion, torque, center of mass, centripetal force, and Hooke's Law with a 86-slide presentation. The circular motion...
Curated OER
Circular Motion
A helpful physics presentation will have you talking in circles! The material covers circular motion, and includes diagrams, formulas, and example problems. When used in addition with directed instruction and a teacher-created form...
Bowels Physics
Torque: Rotational Statics and Rotational Dynamics
Scholars examine the application of torque in relation to motion by viewing a comprehensive presentation that explains the basic concepts related to torque and rotational motion. The lesson ends with examples showing how to calculate...
Curated OER
F = ma, Inertia, and Action-Reaction
Fourth graders apply concepts of Newton's Laws in scientific inquiries. Use this lesson plan to have your charges test and identify the characteristics of objects that make them easier or harder to push. After a teacher-led...
CK-12 Foundation
Pirate Ship
Everything that happens is an interaction, from the wind blowing a sail to a cannon ball being thrust out of a cannon. A simulation shows the interactions involving a sail, air, ball, pirate, cannon, deck, ocean, and the Earth and...
CK-12 Foundation
Unicycle
What is the steepness of a hill before a unicyclist slides down it rather than pedaling down it? The simulation graphs the wheel speed versus the unicycle speed as the rider goes down a hill. Scholars control the mass of the rider,...
CK-12 Foundation
Bowling Alley
Sometimes it appears that a bowling ball slides down the alley rather than rolling, while other times it appears to switch rolling directions at some point. Scholars control the bowling ball size, initial rotation, initial speed, and...