Newton’s Three Laws in Everyday Scenarios

SubstitutePlans.com
Science · Physical Science and Science Skills 6-8
SP-SCI68-016  ·  Free to print and use in your classroom  ·  substituteplans.com
Page 2
Newton’s Three Laws in Everyday Scenarios
Science · Physical Science and Science Skills 6-8 · Grades 7-8 · 50 minutes
Time needed
50 minutes (one class period)
Prep
Copy the 2-page worksheet (one per student). Write on the board: Force = mass ×
acceleration (F = ma).
Technology
Calculators optional.
Student
independence
High. Students work alone, then compare with a partner.
Copies to make
One 2-page worksheet per student
Materials
Pencils, Worksheet, Calculators (optional), Whiteboard or chalkboard
Goal for today: Students will identify which of Newton’s three laws explains everyday scenarios and will calculate
force, mass or acceleration using F = ma.
Before the bell
☐ Copy the worksheet, one per student (2 pages).
☐ Write on the board: 1st law: An object keeps doing what it is doing unless a net force acts on it. 2nd law: F =
ma. 3rd law: Every action force has an equal and opposite reaction force.
☐ Keep the answer key on your desk. Students do not do any physical demonstrations; this is a paper activity.
Say this to start
Good morning! Today in science we are looking at Isaac Newton’s three laws of motion. They explain why things speed
up, slow down and push back. The three laws are written on the board. You will match everyday scenarios to the right
law, and then do a few calculations with the formula force equals mass times acceleration. This is a paper activity, so
nobody needs to move around or try anything out.
Run of show
Minutes
What you do
What students do
0–5
Take attendance. Hand out the worksheet and ask
students to put names on it.
Settle in and write their names.
5–12
Read the three laws on the board aloud. Then read the first
scenario in the table and ask the class which law it
matches (answer: first law, because the passenger keeps
moving forward).
Listen, then copy the example answer.
12–25
Tell students to finish the scenario table. Walk the room
and point stuck students to the board.
Choose a law for each scenario and explain
why.
25–38
Tell students to complete questions 1–5 (matching) and
6–8 (F = ma problems).
Match the statements and solve the
problems with units.
38–47
Tell students to answer questions 9–11. Then read the
answers aloud from the key.
Finish the last questions and check their
work.
47–50
Collect all worksheets and stack them for the teacher.
Hand in the worksheet.


SubstitutePlans.com
Science · Physical Science and Science Skills 6-8
SP-SCI68-016  ·  Free to print and use in your classroom  ·  substituteplans.com
Page 3
If things go wrong
• If students are confused about the laws, ask them what the object was doing before and whether something
pushed or pulled it.
• If a student mixes up the order of the formula, point to F = ma on the board and ask which quantity they need
to find.
• If a student asks about a unit, tell them force is measured in newtons (N), mass in kilograms (kg), acceleration
in m/s².
• If the class is noisy, remind them it is individual work with quiet partner checks only.
Early finishers
• Think of two more everyday examples of the third law and write them on the back.
• Explain in two sentences why it is harder to stop a heavy truck than a bicycle going the same speed.
Support and challenge
• Support: Let students do the first four scenarios, questions 1–5, and problem 6 only.
• Challenge: Ask students to find the acceleration if a 40 kg sled is pulled with a net force of 100 N.
Notes for the teacher (you fill this in)
Jot a few lines before you leave. A full Daily Sub Report is in the free Sub Survival Kit at SubstitutePlans.com.
How far the class got / what to pick up next:
Students who were especially helpful:
Anything the teacher should know: