Newton's Law Of Motion

Topic: Newton's Law of Motion

Objectives & Outcomes

• understand the principles of Newton's Law of Motion, and how it can be used to predict the motion of objects
• demonstrate an understanding of Newton's Law of Motion by creating a model of a sports car and using it to predict the motion of a ball rolling underneath the car

Materials

• cardboard box
• scissors
• tape
• ball
• markers
• pencil
• ruler

Warm-Up

• Ask the students if they have ever played a game where they had to duck under a towel while someone was swinging it around their head.

Direct Instruction

• Explain that in this game, the person with the towel is demonstrating a law of motion called "Newton's Law of Motion." This law states that an object will remain at rest or continue moving at a constant speed, until a force acts upon it.
• Ask the students if they can think of any other examples of Newton's Law of Motion. Write their ideas on the board.

Guided Practice

• Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a set of objects and a hand towel.
• Ask the groups to choose one object to be the "force" and one object to be the "object" in their demonstration of Newton's Law of Motion.
• Have the groups use the towel to demonstrate how the "force" (the object they have chosen) acts upon the "object" (the other object or objects) to move it at a constant speed.
• Have each group present their demonstration to the class, and explain how it demonstrates Newton's Law of Motion.

Independent Practice

• Give each student a piece of construction paper and a pen or pencil.
• Ask the students to lay the paper on a flat surface and place several small objects (such as coins or - marbles) on top of it.
• Ask the students to predict what will happen to the objects when they push on the paper from one side.
• Have the students perform the experiment and record their observations.
• Ask the students to analyze their results and create a class graph or chart showing the relationship between the "force" (the amount of pressure applied) and the objects' speed (how far the objects moved).
• Ask the students to share their findings with the class and discuss any questions or - observations they might have.

Closure

• Review the main points of the lesson, including the definitions of force and motion and how they - relate to Newton's Law of Motion.
• Ask the students to share one thing they learned about Newton's Law of Motion during - the lesson.

Assessment

• Observe the students during the group and independent practice activities to assess their - understanding of Newton's Law of Motion.
• Collect and review the students' drawings of their experiments to assess their understanding - of how the force of gravity affects an object's motion.
• Administer a quiz at a later date to assess the students' retention of the concepts covered - in the lesson.