Lesson Plan

Newton's Laws Part 1 - Newton's 1st Law

Subject Area

Science

Grade(s)

Overview

This lesson is the first part of a series of lessons based on Newton's Three Laws of Motion. This lesson introduces the laws and specifically centers on developing a video as a model for students to demonstrate and explain Newton's First Law of Motion.

This lesson results from a collaboration between the Alabama State Department of Education and ASTA.

Content Standards

Science (2015) Grade(s): 8

SC15.8.8
Use Newton’s first law to demonstrate and explain that an object is either at rest or moves at a constant velocity unless acted upon by an external force (e.g., model car on a table remaining at rest until pushed).

Unpacked Content

Vocabulary

Sir Isaac Newton
Newton's First Law of Motion
Constant velocity
Balanced force
Unbalanced force
External force
Rest
Motion
Inertia

Knowledge

Students know:

An object at rest remains at rest unless acted on by an external force.
An object in motion remains in motion unless acted upon by an external force.
Inertia is the tendency of an object to resist a change in motion.
An object subjected to balanced forces does not change its motion.
An object subjected to unbalanced forces changes its motion over time.
Constant velocity indicates that an object is moving in a straight line at a constant speed.

Skills

Students are able to:

Demonstrate Newton's first law.
Articulate a statement that relates a given phenomenon to a scientific idea, including Newton's first law and the motion of an object.

Understanding

Students understand that:

Newton's First Law states that an object at rest remains at rest unless acted upon by an external force.
Newton's First Law states that an object at in motion remains in motion at a constant velocity unless acted upon by an external force.

Scientific and Engineering Practices

Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

Crosscutting Concepts

Cause and Effect

Interdisciplinary Connections

Learning Objectives

Primary Learning Objectives

Learning Target:

I will be able to work with a group to design a model using technology to demonstrate and explain Newton's First Law of Motion.

Procedures/Activities

Engagement & Explanation Activity:

1. Before the video: Ask students the following anticipatory questions.

A) What forces do you think cause a baseball hit by a batter to eventually stop having a motion?

B) Why is it easier to balance a moving bicycle than to balance on a bike that is not moving?

Allow students the opportunity to contribute and hear the responses of others.

3. During the video: Allow students to comment on interesting ideas on TodaysMeet as the video plays.

4. After the video: students will be given the following follow-up questions adapted from the TedEd video.

A) In the Tour De France, Bicycles are designed to be extremely light, and nearly all competitors’ bicycles today weigh just 15 pounds. Why would it be a disadvantage for cyclists in this race to ride heavier bicycles? Use Newton’s Laws to explain your answer.

B) If an object in motion stays in motion as mentioned in the talk, then why does your bicycle eventually come to a stop when you stop pedaling? Which forces are responsible for stopping you?

Exploration & Elaboration:

5. Divide students into tiered groups (3-4 per group) of varying performance levels. Each group will need one laptop/tablet/iPad/Smartphone to create a video (or slideshow) to demonstrate and explain Newton's First Law of Motion.

6. Assign students to use their soccer ball (or other equipment) to demonstrate Newton's First Law. Videos/slideshows are intended to be open-ended so that students can explain Newton's First Law of Motion through kicking, throwing, headbutting, or however they want so long as they provide an oral narrative explaining how the movement is an explanation of Newton's First Law.

7. Require students to explain during the video how the motion of the ball/object is affected by external forces and how their actions demonstrate all parts of Newton's First Law.

Allow students to present their videos to the class.

Engagement & Explanation Activity:

1. Before the video: Ask students the following anticipatory questions.

A) What forces do you think cause a baseball hit by a batter to eventually stop having a motion?

B) Why is it easier to balance a moving bicycle than to balance on a bike that is not moving?

Allow students the opportunity to contribute and hear the responses of others.

3. During the video: Allow students to comment on interesting ideas on TodaysMeet as the video plays.

4. After the video: students will be given the following follow-up questions adapted from the TedEd video.

B) If an object in motion stays in motion as mentioned in the talk, then why does your bicycle eventually come to a stop when you stop pedaling? Which forces are responsible for stopping you?

Exploration & Elaboration:

7. Require students to explain during the video how the motion of the ball/object is affected by external forces and how their actions demonstrate all parts of Newton's First Law.

Allow students to present their videos to the class.

Learning Activity (Before)

Learning Activity (During)

Learning Activity (After)

Assessment Strategies

Evaluation:

Formative Assessment includes post video questions and responses on TodaysMeet and the final product of the group project videos demonstrating and explaining the 1st Law of Motion.

Acceleration and Intervention

Acceleration

Students who are able to continue further will have the opportunity to demonstrate and explain additional forms of Newton's 1st Law in their video or advance onto demonstrating Newton's 2nd Law in a video.

Intervention

Groups struggling to create presentations may need to see examples of Newton's 1st Law with explanations to guide them in their development of a product.

Approximate Duration

Total Duration

61 to 90 Minutes

Background and Preparation

Background/Preparation

Groups should be tiered appropriately to include varying skill levels in groups of 3-4.

As the teacher, you will need to go to http://www.todaysmeet.com and create a discussion room by simply creating a name for the room. The website will give you a URL to share with your students based on your room name. Share this with students and have all students log into the room discussion board.

Materials and Resources

Open space outside of the classroom

1 Laptop, tablet/iPad, or smartphone for each group

1 soccer ball or alternative equipment for each group to move as part of their demonstration

Technology Resources Needed

TedEd Video on Newton’s Laws: http://ed.ted.com/on/0xhkkf95

Each student needs a laptop or tablet/iPad with internet access for the engagement activity.

1 Laptop, tablet/iPad, or smartphone for each group to take photographs and label pictures for sharing presentations.

Teachers need to be able to show online videos and to establish a group discussion room on http://todaysmeet.com

Approved Date

2016-05-10

Learning Resource Type

Newton's Laws Part 1 - Newton's 1st Law

Subject Area

Grade(s)

Overview

SC15.8.8 Use Newton’s first law to demonstrate and explain that an object is either at rest or moves at a constant velocity unless acted upon by an external force (e.g., model car on a table remaining at rest until pushed).

Unpacked Content

Vocabulary

Knowledge

Skills

Understanding

Scientific and Engineering Practices

Crosscutting Concepts

Primary Learning Objectives

Procedures/Activities

Assessment Strategies

Acceleration

Intervention

Approximate Duration

Total Duration

Background and Preparation

Background/Preparation

Materials and Resources

Materials and Resources

Technology Resources Needed

Approved Date

SC15.8.8
Use Newton’s first law to demonstrate and explain that an object is either at rest or moves at a constant velocity unless acted upon by an external force (e.g., model car on a table remaining at rest until pushed).