Students explore friction as a force that slows moving objects, explain conclusions in terms of the roughness or smoothness of surfaces, relate results to predictions, and begin to know how to plan a fair test.

Students 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...

Students study the properties of the frictional force between two surfaces in contact. They inspect various phenomena in nature where friction plays an important role and demonstrate

Students investigate questions centered around force and motion by going through the scientific process and creating fair tests and experimentation. In this instructional activity about forces-in-action, students diagram their findings...

Students learn along with Ms. Frizzle's class. In this Magic School Bus lesson plan, students work in small groups to find how movement changes when there is more - and less - friction.

Planning an elementary science unit has never been simpler! These twelve lessons guide young scientists through an exploration of simple machines and their many uses in the real world before asking them to apply their learning...

Young scholars investigate different forces and draw arrows to signify specific directions of force. Students are then shown a brick and they are asked to draw a diagram which will include labels for the forces that are acting on the...

Students examine types of forces and movements. They identify different causes that can affect movement and speed. They create their own predictions about they believe to be the outcome of an experiment.

Sixth graders discuss how simple machines overcome friction. In this simple machine lesson, 6th graders review the parts of a plane and how they make up for gravity and friction. They roll different objects down an inclined board...

Students study the sliding and rolling friction.  In this forces instructional activity students divide into groups and use a cart to examine the amount of force that is used to move objects. 

In this accident reconstruction worksheet, learners use trigonometry and vectors to determine the speeds of automobiles in a car accident.  They compute the speed at which a car skidded before a crash.  This one-page worksheet...

Students examine gravity, mass, and friction. In this speed and motion instructional activity, students investigate how straight line motion is impacted by gravity, mass, and fiction as they participate in a hands-on activity.

In this science review worksheet, 5th graders answer questions about molecules, force, elements, nature, and more. Students complete 25 multiple choice questions.

Let physical science stars experience Newton's first law of motion by blowing marshmallows out of cardboard tubes! Using different lengths of tubing, they find that more force is needed to overcome increasing friction, and they have a...

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 by measuring the distance that a...

Does Newton's First Law of Motion explain how to move a sled across ice? A simulation encourages scholars to decide if they should push, pull, or apply no force. Their decision moves a sled across the ice and to the home at the...

Take a look at an organized physics course. The 34-section electronic textbook covers material in AP® Physics 1 and 2. Teachers use the text to supplement lectures and have the class work through the labs. Each section contains...

Students learn examples of friction and drag, and suggest ways to reduce the impact of these forces. The equation that governs common frictional forces is introduced, and during a hands-on activity, students experimentally measure a...

Fourth graders explore Newton's second law of motion, testing and identifying the characteristics of objects that makes them easier or harder to push. They identify what types of objects are the hardest to move, then test a variety of...

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.

Students design a roller coaster that allows a marble to run the course as fast as possible. Students create an experimental roller coaster taking into account the steepness of the hills and the sharpness of the turns. Students use a...

Sixth graders investigate the forces that move certain objects.  For this physics lesson, 6th graders design and create paper flying objects using origami methods, which they practice flying in different conditions.  Students...

Students discover the factors affect friction. Students, working in lab pairs, complete various experiments in order to discover what factors effect the amount of frictional force a block has as it is pulled across different surfaces.

Fifth graders experimentally determine the relationship of friction to the functioning of machines. They demonstrate that rollers can decrease frictional force and increase speed and research to discover other ways that friction can be...