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Rocket Me into Space
Students engage in a lesson that reinforces rockets as a vehicle that helps us explore outside the Earth's atmosphere by using the principles of Newton's third law of motion. Also, the principles that engineers deal with when building a...
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Red Light, Green Light
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...
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Newton Rocket Car
Learners observe a demonstration of Newton's third law of motion using a small wooden car. They discuss Newton's third law of motion and what happens to motion if the mass or acceleration is increased, construct their car, and record...
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Don't Crack Humpty
Students investigate the engineering design process and the relationship between distance, time, and speed. Using a generic car base, small groups design a device that will protect an egg on or in the car as it is rolled down a ramp at...
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Rockets on a Shoestring Budget
Students, operating under simulated budget constraints, build pop-rockets and launch them. Working in pairs, they complete budget worksheets and use their "Blast Off Bucks" to pay for the construction. They then redesign their rockets...
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Simple Rocket Science
Learners demonstrate Newton's Third Law of Motion. They discuss the history of rockets, observe how a rocket works, and draw a picture and write an explanation of the balloon experiment.
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TE Activity: Don't Crack Humpty
Students perform mathematical calculations to design safety device or enclosure to protect an egg as it is rolled down a ramp at increasing slopes.
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Sports and Sir Isaac Newton
Eighth graders choose a sport to observe and capture pictures of Newton's Laws of motion in action within the sport. They import these pictures into Avid Cinema to create a multimedia project to go along with the written report and oral...
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Motion and Forces
Ninth graders create PowerPoint presentations to present Newton's three laws of motion, and make and launch rockets.
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Medieval Catapults
Students design and build a working catapult or trebuchet to explore the concepts of force, motion, and distance.
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Projectile Motion
Students observe projectile motion and calculate the speed of a baseball based on the time and distance traveled. They record the time, measure the distance, and draw the path of the ball's travel on a data table.
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Phases of the Moon
Middle schoolers explore why when you examine the moon depends on its location in relationship to the sun and Earth. The moon never goes away or changes shape-we just see a different fraction of sunlight being reflected from the moon to...
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Planet Paths: Studying Planetary Orbital Paths
Students define and identify planetary orbit, ellipse, parabola, and hyperbola, and simulate Kepler's Second Law. They explore interactive websites demonstrating orbital motion and complete modeling activities.
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Newton's Laws
Beginning with definitions of mass and foce, this excellent set of slides summarizes Newton's Laws of motion and universal bravitaions. Components of each law are explained along with examples and questions to inspire discussion. This is...
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Pop Rocket - Trash to Treasure
First off, Newton's laws of motion aren't often taught at 2nd grade, so this activity may be more appropriate for upper elementary learners. It begins with a discussion and demonstration of the laws of motion, and then has individuals...
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Writing Exercises: Scientific Revolution
How is the Scientific Revolution evident in our lives today? Use this short-answer application and comprehension learning exercise as your scholars explore this progressive era. Questions have learners explaining the scientific method...
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Physics of Flight
Students view a PowerPoint slideshow on the basic physics of flight. They build and operate Newton cars as an illustration of these concepts.
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Pressure
In this physics worksheet, students use the clues at the bottom of the sheet to complete the crossword related to pressure. There are 15 clues to solve in the puzzle.
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Newton's Three Laws of Motion Lesson Plan
Students explore Newton's three laws of motion using a variety of activities. In this physics lesson, students calculate the average speed of a vehicle they constructed using distance and time information. They identify and draw the...
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Alka-Seltzer Rockets: How to Build Your Own Rocket
Learners create a rocket using Alka-seltzer of baking soda and vinegar. In this physics lesson, students identify the factors affecting the length of time the rocket is propelled. They relate this activity to actual rocket launched in...
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Earth Turns? Prove It!
Students construct a pendulum using a washer and thin fishing line. In this earth science lesson plan, students simulate Earth's rotation using the pendulum bob and swivel chair. They explain how this activity proves that the Earth is...
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E3 Ret Lesson Plan
Students explore friction. In this physics lesson plan, students will cover metal blocks with film to determine the changes caused by static and kinetic friction.
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Newton's Laws of Motion
Students investigate the effect of thin films to surface friction. In this physics lesson, students calculate the coefficient of friction using mathematical formulas. They discuss its importance in their everyday lives.
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Frisbee
Students examine the history behind the frisbee and how Bernoulli's principle and Newton's law plays a role. In this flight lesson students complete an experiment on how the rim of a frisbee effects flight.