Students study the concepts of speed and velocity and complete practice problems. In small groups, students fly airplanes and record time and distance traveled for each flight. They calculate the speed and velocity of their plane for...

Lead your class on a speedy journey as you present an effective lesson on kinematics. Individuals review speed, acceleration, and velocity before completing several practice problems to integrate the concepts. 

Why does it take Pluto 90,000 days to orbit the sun, but it only takes Mercury 88 days? An interactive lesson helps pupils find a connection between the speed of orbit and distance a planet is from the sun. The simulation allows for...

Eighth graders explore calculating speed and velocity with Straw Rockets.

A nine-page physics resource supports your lesson on acceleration. A step-by-step lesson plan walks you through the materials you need, the background information, steps for leading experimentation, and the explanation of the results....

Students interpret a variety of motion graphs. In this physics lesson, students calculate the speed and acceleration of objects using numerical data from graphs. They apply what they have learned to solve real world problems.

High schoolers explore the concept of linear motion. In this linear motion instructional activity, students calculate distance and time in order to calculate average speed and velocity in the provided problems.

Eighth graders build and run mousetrap cars in order to measure distance, time, and mass for their cars. They use these measurements to calculate average speed and kinetic energy, then create a slide show to visually explain how the car...

Students experiment in small groups to answer the question, "Is there a relationship between ramps and speed?" They apply a formula to calculate the speed of the cars used in the experiment, complete the associate lab report, and...

Get things moving with this extensive collection of physical science resources. Covering the fundamentals of measurement, graphing, lab safety, and experimental design as well as the specific scientific concepts...

Students determine speed by running or walking a given distance and dividing the distance by the time it took them to do so. They record their average speed and compare it with the speeds of other moving objects.

Middle schoolers explore the principles of motion by constructing a car out of pasta that will carry a large marshmallow and travel down a ramp. They discuss the formula for calculating speed, design and build their cars, and calculate...

Students explore average speed, and graph distances and time.  In this speed and velocity lesson students complete a lab then calculate distances, acceleration and velocity and graph the data.

Seventh graders investigate velocity and speed. In this Vernier Probe lesson, 7th graders will use probes to calculate motion, speed, and velocity of an object. They will create a graph of their collected data.

Sixth graders read about and study motion. They conduct a lab in which they calculate speed using track records at their school. They graph the results and then invite a guest speaker (an officer from the local police department) who...

Students are able to build an understanding of linear motion. They are able to define and calculate the speed and acceleration of various objects. Students are able to differentiate betweeen instantaneous speed and average speed. They...

Students analyze the formula for speed and velocity. They explore and demonstrate how to calculate the speed of wind up toy pets, average the speeds and identify the correct units of measure of speed.

Fifth graders study the concept of momentum and its application by Newton in his studies. They view a demonstration and complete an experiment with toy cars on a racetrack that shows them the properties of momentum and how velocity and...

Computer-interfaced motion detectors are required to carry out this inquiry. It is a new twist on exploring motion with plunger carts: they are set back-to-back and then propelled away from each other. Their velocities are measured, and...

Pupils investigate integrals and their relationship to velocity in this calculus lesson plan. They use the idea of a moving elevator to explore vertical motion and use the TI to help them create a visual.

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...

Gotta catch them all—no learner left behind! Young scholars must predict the length of time it takes a phone attached to a fan to travel five kilometers given the radius and rotations versus time data. Why would you attach a phone to a...

High schoolers investigate the concept of velocity and apply it to the velocity of sound and measure the velocity of sound by measuring the echoes produced in a tube. They show their calculation of time and speed, and then conclude that...

Young scholars perform an experiment where a string is tied across the room. A straw is threaded onto the string, and a balloon attached to the straw. Students determine the speed of the balloon as it moves across the string. They repeat...