MS-PS3-1 lessons
Construct and interpret graphical displays of data to describe the relationships of kinetic energy to the mass of an object and to the speed of an object.
The Next Generation Science Standards code MS-PS3-1 asks students to: “Construct and interpret graphical displays of data to describe the relationships of kinetic energy to the mass of an object and to the speed of an object.” These Fieldbook lessons teach it hands-on, with everyday materials, a printable teacher guide and a student sheet.
Forces and Motion: Crash, Push and Stop Grade 8 · partly supports this standard
- How fast is a toy car really going? 50–60 min
Teams time a toy car over measured distances from two ramp heights, calculate its speed and draw distance-time graphs. They use the slope of their graphs to argue which run was faster, and convert a toy car's speed to a real car's.
- 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.
NGSS is used as written in Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, so the code MS-PS3-1 matches there. Other states word and number their own versions: see curriculum alignment for your state's codes.
More NGSS standards for middle school
All standards we teach · Curriculum alignment by state and province
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