8.MS-PS2-1: Develop a model that demonstrates Newton’s third law involving the…
Develop a model that demonstrates Newton’s third law involving the motion of two colliding objects.
The Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Curriculum Framework (2016) outcome 8.MS-PS2-1 (Physical Sciences) for Grade 8 says: “Develop a model that demonstrates Newton’s third law involving the motion of two colliding objects.” This Fieldbook unit teaches it hands-on, with everyday materials and a printable teacher guide and student sheet for every lesson. Official wording: Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Curriculum Framework (2016).
Forces and Motion: Crash, Push and Stop Grade 8
Why you lurch forward when the bus brakes, how fast a toy car really goes, why heavier carts hit harder, and how to build a crumple zone that saves an egg. Four lessons on inertia, speed, mass and stopping safely.
- Why does a heavier cart hit harder? 50–60 min
Teams load a toy car with coins, roll it down the same ramp into a paper cup and measure how far the cup slides. They graph mass against slide distance and explain, with momentum, why a loaded truck is harder to stop than a small car.
- Can you design a crumple zone? Two periods of 45–60 min (or one 75–90 min block)
Teams design, build and test a crumple zone that lets a raw egg in a zip bag survive a cart crash into a wall, working to a budget and a size limit. They measure how far each design crushed and use class data to explain why a longer stop means a smaller force.
Printable practice for 8.MS-PS2-1
These pages practise a closely related idea; the match to 8.MS-PS2-1 is partial.
- Forces and Motion: Crash, Push and Stop workbook included with the unit
4 practice pages, 4 readings, 1 word wall, 1 English-support page, 1 unit review, 1 unit test, with answer keys.
Need just this outcome? Build a custom pack from these pages, with its answer key, in about a minute. Custom packs come with All-access and school licences.
Compared with NGSS: MS-PS2-1 (partial).
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