Virtual Motion Lab

Looking for fun phenomena or extension activity for your motion unit? Do you need a straightforward activity that students can complete without too much teacher assistance? This virtual motion lab is the perfect resource for you!

In this activity, students will use an online simulation from Phet to explore balanced and unbalanced forces, friction, speed, acceleration, and Newton’s Laws in an inquiry based fashion.

Visit the Phet Sim here: https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/forces-and-motion-basics

Who is this resource for?

This resource can be used by classroom teachers, tutors, and parents of students in grades 6-9. It comprehensively covers the topics mentioned, and provides opportunities for student responses which can be implemented in a whole group lesson or assigned for homework. Ideal for classrooms with internet access and student devices.

How Can I Use this Resource?

• Emergency Sub Plans
• An independent work station in a set of stations
• Flipped Classroom pre-reading
• Whole or small group opportunity to model and teach Close Reading strategies and annotation
• Differentiation – Assign this webquest as reteaching for students who have yet to show mastery.
• Homework
• Creation of Independent Work Packet for students who are not able to be present for direct instruction.
• Extension activity for early finishers or for students who show a special interest in the topic
• Use as a square on a Choice Board
• Interactive Notebooks: Print 2 pages in one and cut apart. Glue mini pages into notebooks with room for annotations on the side
• Interactive Notebooks: Print entire PDF as a mini booklet and add to notebooks using thesesimple instructions.

What’s Included?

Purchase includes a printable PDF file in color. On page 2 of this resource you will find a link to a student friendly Google Slide version of this file. You will be able to copy this file and use it with Google Classroom or any other paperless initiative.

Please take a look at the preview file to see more of this resource.

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FLASH DISCLAIMER:

This resource links to a website that requires Adobe Flash Player. Many browsers no longer support this software, but it is possible to work around this issue.

Here is a link for the download of a standalone flash player:

https://www.adobe.com/support/flashplayer/debug_downloads.html

There is also a web-based flash emulator called Ruffle that works well for the activity:

https://ruffle.rs/demo/

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NGSS Standards covered in this virtual motion lab:

MS-PS2-1 Apply Newton’s Third Law to design a solution to a problem involving the motion of two colliding objects. Examples of practical problems could include the impact of collisions between two cars, between a car and stationary objects, and between a meteor and a space vehicle. Assessment is limited to vertical or horizontal interactions in one dimension.

MS-PS2-2 Plan an investigation to provide evidence that the change in an object’s motion depends on the sum of the forces on the object and the mass of the object. Emphasis is on balanced (Newton’s First Law) and unbalanced forces in a system, qualitative comparisons of forces, mass and changes in motion (Newton’s Second Law), frame of reference, and specification of units. Assessment is limited to forces and changes in motion in one-dimension in an inertial reference frame, and to change in one variable at a time. Assessment does not include the use of trigonometry.