Mission: Motion! Exploring Newton’s Three Laws

Materials Needed

• 1 toy car, small ball, or empty cardboard box
• Several books or blocks
• A smooth surface, such as a table or floor
• A piece of string or yarn
• Plastic cup or paper cup
• Small soft items, such as cotton balls, pom-poms, or socks
• Paper and pencil or crayons
• Optional: timer and measuring tape

Lesson Length

40 minutes

Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, Valentina will be able to:

• Name and explain Newton’s three laws of motion using simple words.
• Give one everyday example of each law.
• Use safe experiments to show how objects move, stop, and push back.
• Draw or describe how one of the laws works in a real-life situation.

Success Criteria

Valentina is successful if she can:

• Match each law with the correct idea.
• Explain what happened during at least two experiments.
• Use the words force, motion, and push or pull correctly.
• Give a real-world example for all three laws.

Key Words

• Motion: movement.
• Force: a push or a pull.
• Inertia: an object’s tendency to keep doing what it is already doing.
• Mass: how much matter is in an object. We can think of it as how much “stuff” an object has.
• Reaction: what happens in response to an action.

Introduction: The Motion Mission — 5 Minutes

Hook: Ask Valentina:

“If you are sitting still on a chair, will you suddenly zoom across the room? What would have to happen to make you move?”

Invite her to share a prediction. Explain that today she will become a “motion scientist” and investigate three rules discovered by Sir Isaac Newton.

Tell Valentina:

“Today we will learn three motion laws. We will test them with objects, make predictions, and connect them to things like riding a bike, kicking a ball, and jumping.”

Body: Learn and Investigate

Part 1: Newton’s First Law — Objects Like to Keep Doing What They Are Doing — 8 Minutes

I Do: Demonstrate

Place a cup on top of a book. Quickly pull the book sideways from underneath the cup. The cup should stay almost in the same place.

Explain:

“Newton’s First Law says that an object that is still wants to stay still. An object that is moving wants to keep moving in the same direction. A push or pull can change its motion.”

Child-friendly example: When a car stops quickly, your body moves forward because it was already moving.

We Do: Predict and Test

1. Place the toy car on a smooth surface.
2. Ask Valentina: “What will happen if I give it a tiny push? What if I give it a big push?”
3. Test both predictions.
4. Place a book in the car’s path to make it stop.

Quick Check: Ask, “What changed the car’s motion?”

Expected answer: “The push started it, and the book or friction made it slow down or stop.”

Part 2: Newton’s Second Law — Bigger Pushes Make Bigger Changes — 9 Minutes

I Do: Explain and Demonstrate

Place one book on the floor or table. Push it gently, then push it more strongly. Compare how far or how fast it moves.

Explain:

“Newton’s Second Law says that a stronger force makes a bigger change in motion. It also says that an object with more mass needs a bigger push to move the same way.”

Use this simple idea:

More push = more change in motion.

We Do: Toy Car Challenge

1. Make a starting line with a pencil or piece of string.
2. Give the empty toy car a gentle push. Notice how far it travels.
3. Place one book or block in the car if it fits safely.
4. Give it a similar gentle push. Compare the results.
5. Try a stronger push with the empty car.

Ask Valentina:

• “Which car was easier to move?”
• “What happened when you pushed harder?”
• “What happened when the car had more mass?”

You Do: Motion Scientist Notes

Have Valentina complete these sentences orally or in writing:

• “When I pushed harder, the car __________.”
• “When the car had more mass, it needed __________.”

Part 3: Newton’s Third Law — Every Push Has a Push Back — 8 Minutes

I Do: Balloon-Free Demonstration

Place a soft object, such as a sock, on your hand. Push your hand down onto a table. Notice that the table pushes back against your hand.

Explain:

“Newton’s Third Law says that whenever one object pushes another object, the second object pushes back. The pushes happen at the same time and in opposite directions.”

Child-friendly examples:

• When you jump, your feet push down on the ground, and the ground pushes you up.
• When you push a wall, the wall pushes back on your hands.
• When you swim, your arms push water backward, and the water helps push you forward.

We Do: String Rocket

1. Thread a piece of string through a straw, if a straw is available.
2. Tie or hold the string tightly between two safe points.
3. Attach a paper cup or small lightweight object to the string.
4. Gently push the cup in one direction and observe how the string or your hand pushes back.

Alternative activity: Have Valentina sit on a smooth floor and gently push a wall with her hands. Ask, “What do you feel pushing back?”

Quick Check

Ask Valentina to complete the sentence:

“When I push on something, it pushes __________.”

Expected answer: “back.”

Interactive Review Game: Motion Detective — 5 Minutes

Read each situation aloud. Valentina points to, says, or writes the law that matches it.

1. A soccer ball stays still until someone kicks it. First Law
2. A harder kick sends the ball farther. Second Law
3. A swimmer pushes water backward and moves forward. Third Law
4. Your body moves forward when a bike stops suddenly. First Law
5. A heavy wagon needs a stronger pull than a light wagon. Second Law
6. You jump up after pushing down on the ground. Third Law

Choice and Autonomy: Let Valentina choose one additional example for each law from one of these settings:

• Playground
• Sports
• Cooking or household activities
• Space travel
• Riding in a car or on a bicycle

You Do: Final Motion Mission — 3 Minutes

Ask Valentina to choose one of the following tasks:

• Draw it: Draw a picture showing one law in action and label the pushes.
• Act it out: Use her body to demonstrate one law while explaining it.
• Explain it: Tell a short story about a toy, person, or vehicle showing one law.

Her explanation should include:

• The number or name of the law.
• What object is moving or staying still.
• What push or pull is happening.
• What changes because of the force.

Assessment and Feedback

Formative Assessment

• Listen to Valentina’s predictions before each experiment.
• Ask her to explain what caused an object to start, stop, speed up, or change direction.
• Use the Motion Detective game to check whether she can match examples to the correct law.
• Give specific feedback, such as: “You correctly noticed that the harder push made the car travel farther.”

Summative Assessment

Ask Valentina these three questions:

1. What does Newton’s First Law tell us about objects that are still or moving?
2. How does the strength of a push affect an object’s motion?
3. What happens when one object pushes another object?

Suggested scoring:

• 3 points: Gives a correct explanation and example for all three laws.
• 2 points: Explains two laws correctly and shows partial understanding of the third.
• 1 point: Recognizes some examples but needs help explaining the laws.

Conclusion: Tell What We Learned — 2 Minutes

Ask Valentina to finish these statements:

• “Newton’s First Law is about __________.”
• “Newton’s Second Law shows that a bigger push causes __________.”
• “Newton’s Third Law says that every action has __________.”

Recap together:

• First Law: Objects keep doing what they are doing unless a force changes their motion.
• Second Law: A stronger push creates a bigger change, and heavier objects need more push.
• Third Law: Every push has a push back.

Differentiation and Extensions

Support for a Learner Who Needs More Help

• Use hand motions: freeze for the First Law, push strongly for the Second Law, and push hands together for the Third Law.
• Focus on one law at a time and use repeated examples.
• Allow Valentina to answer by drawing, pointing, acting, or speaking.
• Use sentence starters such as “The object moved because…” and “The push back came from…”

Extension for a Learner Ready for More

• Test whether a car travels farther on carpet or a smooth floor. Discuss friction.
• Measure how far a toy car travels after a gentle, medium, and strong push.
• Design a small “space vehicle” and explain how each law affects its movement.
• Write a comic strip with one scene for each of Newton’s laws.

Safety Reminder

Use only soft, lightweight objects. Keep experiments away from stairs, breakable items, and faces. An adult should supervise activities involving string, furniture, or moving objects.