Lesson Plan- Newton's 3 Laws of Motion

This lesson plan was created for grades 4-6. This lesson plan can be adapted for younger or older students as well.

Learning and understanding Newton's Laws of Motion can be fun! I thought I would share with you how I taught my students these important science facts. The goals of this lesson plan are that students will be able to recite Newton's Three Laws of Motion, they will be able to demonstrate understanding of each law, and will be able to conceptualize the reasons the laws are important.

First, it is important for students to memorize the laws. You, as the teacher, should display them in the classroom and when first introducing them, explain simply what they mean. Use tangible objects, such as toy cars and Legos if possible. Then print out the fun and colorful Newton's Laws of Motion handout for each of your students to use and refer to during this unit. Practice reciting the laws with your students, and encourage them to study at home or during free time.

Your students will need to see the laws of motion in action. After watching your demonstration (or you could not demonstrate on your own if you aren't comfortable with it) there are some wonderful resources online. You can visit BrainPop and watch the video "Newton's Laws of Motion". It is an entertaining and fun short video. If you don't have a BrainPop membership, just sign up for the free trial and you will have full access to all the videos. You can also find videos on YouTube that demonstrate Newton's laws. At the end of this article I will list some really good resources for this unit.

When your students have seen the laws of motion in action and have memorized the laws, it is time for them to demonstrate that they understand how each works. Each child should prepare a short presentation to illustrate their comprehension. With my student, I asked her to explain in her own words each law and use props when needed. Some children may enjoy getting into groups and making short videos. Home schooled children with younger siblings might enjoy creating a skit for their younger siblings.

At the end of the unit, ask your students what they think life would be like if there was no gravity. Ask them also if life would be different if we had gravity, but didn't know what it was. Discuss the other Laws of Motion similarly. Here, there are not any right or wrong answers. Let the students use their imagination to think about life without Newton's laws and consider how important they are. If you wish, you could at this time encourage students to create a drawing or painting of what they imagine.

At the end of this unit most children will understand Newton's Laws of Motion at least on a rudimentary level. Some children will have developed an interest in learning more and that should be encouraged.

For more websites about Newton's Laws:

PowerPoint Presentation for Kids

http://www.physics4kids.com/files/motion_laws.html

http://www.can-do.com/uci/ssi2001/newtonsphysicsnb.html

http://www.teachertube.com

http://www.youtube.com