5th Grade Gravity And How It Affects Motion Lesson Plan Example (Science)

Topic: Understanding how gravity affects motion

Objectives & Outcomes

• Students will understand how gravity causes objects to have an acceleration in the downward direction, and how this affects the motion of objects.

Materials

• Balloons
• String
• Markers
• Paper
• Gravity simulation app or website (such as http://www.gravity-simulator.com/)
• Calculator or spreadsheet for calculating acceleration due to gravity

Warm-up

• Ask students if they have ever thrown a ball up in the air and watched it fall back down to the ground. Ask them to describe what they saw, and if they noticed anything about the speed or direction of the ball as it was falling.
• Write the following statements on the board: "Gravity causes objects to have an acceleration in the downward direction." "This causes objects to speed up as they fall towards the ground." "This is also called the force of gravity."
• Ask students to think about what these statements might mean, and if they have any questions about them.

Direct Instruction

• Introduce the concept of gravity and explain that it is a force that causes objects to fall toward the ground.
• Use a ball, a pen, and a piece of string or yarn to demonstrate how gravity causes objects to accelerate as they fall. Tie the string to the pen and hold the other end of the string up in the air. Ask a student to throw the ball up in the air and watch how it falls back down to the ground, pulling the pen down with it.
• Explain that gravity also affects the motion of objects that are not falling. For example, the Earth's gravity causes objects to fall toward the ground, but it also causes objects to stay in orbit around the Earth and the moon to stay in orbit around the Earth.
• Write the following statements on the board: "Gravity causes objects to have an acceleration in the downward direction." "This causes objects to speed up as they fall towards the ground." "This is also called the force of gravity."

Guided Practice##

• Divide the class into small groups and give each group a set of objects to use (e.g. small balls, paper plates, pencils).
• Have the groups use the objects to demonstrate how gravity causes objects to accelerate as they fall. Encourage them to think about how they can demonstrate the concepts they learned in the direct instruction portion of the lesson.
• Have each group present their demonstration to the class.

Independent Practice##

• Have students work in pairs to conduct their own experiment to further explore the effects of gravity on motion.
• Have one student drop a small object while the other student times how long it takes for the object to reach the ground.
• Have the students switch roles and repeat the experiment several times.
• Have the students use their results to create a graph or chart showing the relationship between the object's mass and the time it takes to fall.
• Ask the students to share their findings with the class.

Closure

• Review the main points of the lesson, including what gravity is, how it affects motion, and the results of the students' independent experiments.
• Ask the students to share their thoughts on the topic and any questions they still have.

Assessment:

• The students' independent experiments will be the primary form of assessment, with the participation and understanding during group and whole-class discussions serving as supporting assessments.
• You could also give a small quiz or have the students write a short paragraph explaining what gravity is and how it affects motion.