Lesson Plan: Newtons Laws II

Standards:
NY Standard 4 - The Physical Setting;
Key Idea 5 - Energy and matter interact through forces that result in changes in motion.
Performance Indicator 5.1k - According to Newtons Second Law, an unbalanced
force causes a mass to accelerate.
ISTE*S Standard 1 - Creativity and innovation
Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative
products and processes using technology.
b. - Create original works as a means of personal or group expression.
c. - Use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues.
d. - Identify trends and forecast possibilities.
ISTE*S Standard 4 - Critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making
Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve
problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources.
c. - Collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions.
ISTE*S Standard 6 - Technology operations and concepts
Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and
operations.
a. - Understand and use technology systems.
b. - Select and use applications effectively and productively.
Objectives:
Without the aid of reference, generate Newtons Second Law with 100% accuracy.
Without the aid of reference, given a diagram, identify the specific forces acting on an object
with 100% mastery.
Without the aid of reference, given a description, draw and use accurate free-body diagrams with
100% mastery.
Without the aid of reference, using the PHET simulation for Net Force, predict the outcome of a
balanced and unbalance forces scenario with 100% accuracy.
Without the aid of reference, using the Physics Classroom Interactive for Free-body Diagrams,
label all forces in a scenario with 100% accuracy.
Without the aid of reference, using MS Powerpoint, construct an original free-body diagram of a
given scenario with 100% accuracy.

Lesson Plan: Newtons Laws II

Introduce Learning Activity:

Content objectives will be displayed by projector, one at a time. One student will read the
objective aloud and then I will give additional details. I will also have students write down a
sentence starter for each objective which they will complete at home.
Technology objectives will be read aloud by me when transitioning from lesson content to lesson
activities. Students will have the objectives on the activity webpage.
Interest in the content will come from the opening activity. On the board, I will have written the
laws of motion according to Aristotle in ancient Greece. Students will have several minutes to
read the quote and react to it in their science journals. Sample quote follows:
All things in our world are made from four elements: earth, water, fire, and air. Since earth and
water are heavier than fire or air, we find earth and water always underneath fire and air. If for
some reason air is found underneath water, it will move back to its natural place above it. Hence
air bubbles rise to the surface, and a rock that is thrown into the air will fall back upon the earth.
Interest in the technology activities will come from me speaking enthusiastically and animatedly
about the simulations, talking up their coolness and usefulness.
Provide Information:
The lesson content will delivered primarily through socratic discussion. First, we will discuss
the students reactions to the opening activity. This will lend itself to revisiting the content
objectives, where I will ask students to turn to the person next to them and come up with a
definition for force and an example of a force. I will have each pair share their definition and
example, and as a class agree on a definition. Sample definition follows.
Force: a push or a pull exerted on one object by another.
From here, I will show the class the Veritasium force part 1 video on YouTube. Once finished,
students will pair up again and come up with a list of forces acting on them. Then I will show
them part 2 of the video, and well compare lists as a class. Sample list follows.
Standing/sitting: gravitational force (weight), normal force, tension (muscular, skeletal)
Writing: above, plus friction and applied
The classs list will go on the board, and next to it I will draw a stick figure. Ill ask for
volunteers to come up and draw/label the forces from the list on the figure. Sample graphic
follows.

Lesson Plan: Newtons Laws II

I will then re-introduce the concept of a free-body diagram, noting how we just created one.
Lastly, I will build three houses of cards and ask the students to sketch the houses and draw force
arrows in their science journals.
Next, the students will get into lab groups and begin the technology activities. While they get
situated, I will read aloud the objectives and direct them to my faculty website for the activities
instructions. Students will begin and I will make rounds as they work.
Provide Practice:
Practice with the content will be at home, when students complete the sentence starters and
transcribe the free-body questions from The Physics Classroom Interactive into their science
journals. These will be completed individually and graded at the end of the week; credit will
only be given for 100% completion.
Practice with the technology will be done in-class. The PHET simulation for Net Force is a
review activity from the last lesson and will be completed individually. The Physics Classroom
Interactive gives students an opportunity to use new knowledge; they will work in their lab
groups. The MS Powerpoint slides allow students to visually represent how they have made
sense of the new knowledge; they will work in their lab groups.

Lesson Plan: Newtons Laws II

Provide Knowledge of Results:

Oral feedback on the lesson content will not be explicitly given, though I will answer questions
during the lecture and demonstration parts of class. Written feedback on the lesson content will
be given explicitly and individually in their science journals.
Oral feedback on the technology activities will be given explicitly as I go around the room check
on students progress. Written feedback will only be given on the group-submitted MS
Powerpoint activity.
Review the Activity:
Summary of the important points of the lesson will be implicit when students present to one
another their MS Powerpoint activity and explicit when completing the sentence starters given to
students in the beginning of the class. The class presentation will not be formally graded, but
rather contribute to an overall participation grade.
Methods of Assessment:
Lesson content will be assessed and graded by a quiz at the end of the week. A sample question
follows:
Two blocks are at rest on a frictionless surface and connected by a string (1). Block A is 50 kg
and Block B is 100 kg. If another string (2) is attached to Block A, and pulled, how does the
force from string 1 on block B compare to the force from string 2 on block A? Label all forces
involved.
The technology activities will be assessed for usefulness and benefit to comprehension. At the
end of the presentations, I will ask the class if the simulations helped them visualize the effects
of Newtons Second Law. I will also ask students to write down, on an index card, something
that they liked about the activities on one side and something that they didnt like on the other
side. These will be collected as the students leave.