This lesson will quickly review Newton's 1st and 2nd Laws of Motion, gravity, force and inertia, mass and acceleration. It will then move into introducing Newton’s 3rd Law of Motion while learning about action and reaction. (Appropriate for grade levels 4-8 with extension activities that teachers can use after the lesson is completed.)
Lesson Time: 60-75 minutes
Adult Demonstration 1 and Student Activity 1: Students will experiment with exerting a force on an object, and the reaction to that force. They will work with a partner, a scooter, and a toning ball.
Student Activity 2: Working in groups, students will construct “rocket racers”. After building their rocket racer, students will conduct trials to see how far they can go.
Adult Demonstration 2: Students will see Newton’s Cradle in action.
Student Activity 3: Student groups will use a Balancing Nails Kit as a quick review of gravity and the center of gravity.
Group work: Students will work in pairs for the first 2 activities and then in groups of 3-4 students for the final activity. In order to save time, teachers are asked to create the groups before our Wizard arrives.
Science Standards:
4.PS.2: Energy can be transferred from one location to another or can be transformed from one form to another
5.PS.1: The amount of change in movement of an object is based on the mass of the object and the amount of force exerted
6.PS.4: An object’s motion can be described by its speed and the direction it is moving
7.PS.3: Energy can be transformed or transferred, but is never lost
7.PS.4: Energy can be transferred through a variety of ways
8.PS.2: Forces can act to change the motion of objects