SCIENCE CONCEPT:

Newton's Third Law of Motion: for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction.

STUDENT OBJECTIVE:

Newton's Third Law of Motion: for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction.

OVERVIEW:

The student will experiment with skates and a friend to discover that for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction.

TEACHER TEXT:

PREPARATION TIME: 5 minutes

LESSON TIME: 15 minutes

TEACHER PREP:

Gather materials.

WORDS TO KNOW:

• push
• opposite
• roll
• equal

MATERIALS NEEDED:

• 2 pairs of roller skates
• a friend of the same weight as you to help

STEPS TO FOLLOW:

1. Put on the skates. (Your friend, too.)
2. Stand facing each other, hands in front with palms touching each other's.
3. Push your friend away gently. Make sure you stay upright.
4. Observe what happens. (Instead of pushing your friend away, you both roll back equal distances.

WHY?:

Newton's Third Law of Motion states that for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction. In this case, pushing your friend is the action. The opposite reaction has you rolling back the same distance, too.

ASSESSMENT: Can the student communicate what they observed?

4....The student is able to communicate that they both rolled back equal distances due to Newton's Law of action/reaction.

3....The student is able to communicate that they both rolled back equal distances.

2....The student is able to communicate that they both rolled back.

1....The student is able to communicate that they both moved.

CURRICULUM LINK IDEAS: