Forces & Interactions - Newton's Notions In Motion

Total Unit Running Time: 25-40 minutes

FIELD TRIP : San Francisco Street 

Running Time: 3:57 

VVR Host, Steve Grubbs, travels to Lombard Street in San Francisco to discuss Newton’s Laws of Motion.  Specifically addressing Law #2, a basketball is used on this steep street to illustrate the concepts of gravity,  force, and motion. 

INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE : Simple Machines: Classify the Machine

Running Time: Self-paced 

Students play a game in which they identify common objects as one of the six different simple machine types.  There are four examples of each machine category (24 total images). Students will select each one and place it  in the appropriate simple machine box. If they are correct, a light turns green; if they are  incorrect, a light turns red, and they have the opportunity to continue trying to successfully make the matches.

THEATER 1 : Forces in Motion 

Running Time: 5:33 

NGSS: MS-PS2-1, MS-PS2-2, MS-PS2-4 

Topics Covered  

  • Newton’s 3 Laws of Motion 
  • 6 Categories of Simple Machines
  • Concepts of gravity, friction, force, speed, motion

Assessment Answer Key  & Critical Thinking Skills

  1. C (BT1—knowledge) 
  2. A (BT3—application) 
  3. B (BT2—comprehension)
  4. C (BT4—analysis) 
  5. D (BT6—evaluation) 

THEATER 2 : Isaac Newton 

Running Time: Self-guided 

NGSS: MS-PS2-4 

Topics Covered 

  • Newton’s biography  
  • Newton’s theory and contributions to the science community 

Assessment Answer Key  & Critical Thinking Skills

  1. D (BT2—comprehension)
  2. C (BT3—application) 
  3. D (BT4—analysis) 
  4. B (BT1—knowledge) 
  5. A (BT6—evaluation)

TEACHER DEMO: Wendy Martin: Game of Billiards 

Running Time: 4:41 

NGSS: MS-PS2-1, MS-PS2-2 

Topics Covered 

  • Newton’s 3 Laws of Motion 
  • Bowling Ball vs Pool Ball
  • Concepts of collision, momentum, acceleration, force

Assessment Answer Key  & Critical Thinking Skills 

  1. B (BT4—analysis) 
  2. D (BT3—application) 
  3. A (BT3—application) 
  4. B (BT2—comprehension)
  5. C (BT1—knowledge) 

Science Standards
NGSS: MS-PS2-1, MS-PS2-2, MS-PS2-4, MS-PS3-1; TEKS: 8(b.3.D), 8(b.6.A), 8(b.6.B), 8(b.6.C)