9th Grade Free Fall Lesson Plan Example

Topic: Free fall

Objectives & Outcomes

• Students will understand the concept of free fall and be able to calculate the speed of an object in free fall.

Materials

• Balloon
• String
• Marker or pen
• Paper
• Calculator
• Graphing calculator (optional)

Warm-up

• Begin the lesson by asking students what they know about gravity and how objects move towards the ground.
• Ask them to give examples of objects that fall to the ground, such as a ball, a piece of paper, a piece of wood, etc.

Direct Instruction

• Next, introduce the concept of gravity and explain that it is the force that pulls objects towards the ground.
• Show videos or demonstrate with objects that demonstrate how objects move faster and faster towards the ground as they get closer.
• Explain that the name for this phenomenon is "free fall," and that objects in free fall experience no drag or resistance from the atmosphere.

Guided Practice

• Divide the class into small groups and give each group a set of objects (such as balls, yarn, or feathers).
• Have the students experiment with the objects and see how they behave when dropped from a height.
• Encourage them to think about the effects of gravity and how the objects respond.

Independent Practice

• Give each student a variety of objects (balls, yarn, feathers, etc.) and have them conduct their own experiments to see how the objects behave when dropped from a height.
• Encourage them to record their observations and draw conclusions about the effects of gravity and how the objects respond.

Closure

• Review the concepts and observations discussed during the lesson.
• Ask students to share their findings and any conclusions they drew from their independent experiments.
• Remind them of the importance of experiments in science and how they help us better understand the world around us.

Assessment

• Observe students during the group and independent experiments to assess their understanding of the concepts discussed in the lesson.
• Review their reports and presentations for accuracy and understanding of the topic.