Week 1: Week 1 Content
Grade 8 Science | Rosche | Kairos Academies
**Choose Your Path:** Select one of the following investigation pathways based on your interests: - **Path A:** Propulsion Engineering - Design rocket or fan-powered vehicles using Newton's Third Law - **Path B:** Sports Physics - Analyze force pairs in athletic movements (running, swimming, jumping) - **Path C:** Transportation Systems - Study how boats, cars, and aircraft use action-reaction principles
**Specialist Track:** As you progress, you'll develop expertise in force analysis and motion prediction. Advanced learners: try the multi-force system challenge at the bottom of this page.
**Career Connection:** Mechanical engineers, aerospace designers, and biomechanics researchers use Newton's Laws daily in careers like vehicle design, robotics, sports science, and prosthetics development. High school physics and AP mechanics build directly on these three laws.
**You're in Control:** Design your own propulsion system to answer: "How can I create motion using only action-reaction forces?" Use the engineering design process, but YOU decide the design approach, materials constraints, and testing strategy.
Accessibility & Learning Support
- Need text read aloud? Chrome: Right-click then "Read aloud" | Edge: Click speaker icon in address bar
- Working from home? Look for the HOME ALTERNATIVE boxes at each station
- Need extra support? Click the green "Need help?" buttons for hints and sentence starters
- Stuck? Look for the red "Stuck?" boxes with step-by-step help
NGSS Standards Covered This Week
MS-PS2-1 (Introduction - mastered in Week 3)
What it means: Apply Newton's Third Law to design a solution to a problem involving the motion of two colliding objects.
In student language: I can identify action-reaction force pairs and use them to design propulsion systems.
MS-PS2-2 (Foundation - mastered in Week 2)
What it means: 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.
In student language: I can explain how force and mass affect acceleration (introduction to F=ma).
3-Dimensional Learning
| Dimension | What You'll Practice |
|---|---|
| SEP-6 Constructing Explanations | Explain motion using Newton's Three Laws |
| DCI PS2.A Forces and Motion | Learn how forces cause changes in motion |
| CCC-2 Cause and Effect | Forces cause acceleration |
| CCC-4 Systems and System Models | Force pairs act on different objects in a system |
Success Criteria - How You'll Know You've Got It
Target 1: Explain Newton's First Law (Law of Inertia)
Self-check: Can I explain why a skateboard keeps rolling even after you stop pushing?
Target 2: Explain Newton's Second Law (Force causes acceleration)
Self-check: Can I describe how force and mass affect acceleration?
Target 3: Identify action-reaction force pairs (Newton's Third Law)
Self-check: Can I explain why both you AND the boat move when you jump off?
Why This Matters to YOU:
Every time you walk, run, swim, or ride in a car, Newton's Laws are at work. They explain rocket launches, athletic performance, why seatbelts save lives, and govern ALL motion in the universe.
The Phenomenon: The Boat Jump Paradox
Imagine this scenario:
- You stand on a small boat or skateboard at rest
- You jump forward - pushing the boat backward with your feet
- You move forward through the air (as expected)
- The boat moves backward (the paradox!)
- Even stranger: If the boat is lighter than you, it moves faster backward than you move forward!
Why do both you AND the boat move in opposite directions? Why does the lighter object move faster?
Focus Question: Why do you move backward when you jump off a boat?
Learning Targets
By the end of this week, you will be able to:
Sir Isaac Newton: Laws of Motion
Sir Isaac Newton (1643–1727) was an English mathematician, physicist, and astronomer who fundamentally transformed our understanding of the physical universe. In 1687, Newton published Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy), one of the most influential scientific works ever written. In this book, he presented his Three Laws of Motion—the exact laws you're studying this week.
What makes Newton's achievement extraordinary is that these three simple laws explain EVERYTHING from falling apples to planetary orbits to rocket propulsion. Before Newton, people thought celestial bodies (planets, stars) followed different rules than earthly objects. Newton unified physics by showing the same laws govern all motion everywhere in the universe. The force that makes an apple fall is the same force that keeps the Moon orbiting Earth—gravity, described by these very laws.
Newton's Third Law—"For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction"—is particularly powerful because it's counterintuitive. When you push a wall, the wall pushes back with equal force. When you walk forward, you push Earth backward. These insights revolutionized engineering, enabling the design of vehicles, rockets, bridges, and machines. Every spacecraft that has launched into orbit, every airplane that has flown, every car that has driven—all rely on Newton's Laws.
As you learn about Newton's Laws this week, you're following in the intellectual tradition of one of history's greatest scientists. These laws have remained unchanged for over 300 years—a testament to their power and accuracy. (Only at extreme speeds approaching the speed of light do Einstein's relativity corrections become necessary—but for everyday motion, Newton's Laws are perfect.)
Why This Matters in St. Louis
St. Louis is a major transportation hub—freight rail, Lambert Airport, Mississippi River barges—all operate using Newton's Laws. MetroLink uses F=ma for braking calculations. Boeing's aerospace division designs aircraft using Newton's Third Law (jet engines push gases backward, creating forward thrust). Autonomous vehicle software being tested in Missouri uses these exact laws to calculate stopping distances and predict collisions—the principles you're learning this week!
Vocabulary
Cognate Strategy: Many science words look similar in English and Spanish — use your Spanish to learn science!
| Term | Spanish | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| force | — | A push or pull on an object |
| motion | — | Movement; change in position over time |
| inertia | inercia | Resistance to changes in motion |
| acceleration | aceleración | Change in speed or direction |
| mass | masa | Amount of matter in an object |
| action | acción | One force in a force pair (Newton's Third Law) |
| reaction | reacción | The equal-opposite partner force |
Worked Example
Step-by-Step Problem Solving
Problem Scenario
Review the problem scenario and work through each step below.
Need extra support? Click here for hints and sentence starters
Key Concept Reminder:
- Inertia = resistance to motion changes (NOT a force!)
- Force = push or pull that causes acceleration
- Acceleration = ANY change in motion (speed up, slow down, turn)
Sentence Starters:
- "According to Newton's First Law, objects..."
- "Newton's Second Law says that force causes..."
- "The difference between N1L and N2L is..."
Word Bank:
inertia, resist, force, acceleration, mass, at rest, in motion, constant velocity, unbalanced force
Stuck? Click here for step-by-step help
Try these steps in order:
- Read the law definition carefully (in the blue box above)
- Look at the examples in the table - which law applies?
- Ask yourself: "Is the object resisting change (N1L) or is a force causing acceleration (N2L)?"
- Use the sentence starters to organize your thinking
- Still stuck? Email Mr. Rosche with your specific question
COMPLETE THE STATION 1 FORM BELOW
Apply Newton's First and Second Laws to scenarios.
[EMBED G8.C2.W1 Station 1 Form Here]
Form ID: ________________
Station 2 - Action-Reaction Pairs (Newton's 3rd Law)
20 Points | ~15 Minutes
COMPLETE THE STATION 2 FORM BELOW
Identify action-reaction force pairs in different scenarios.
[EMBED G8.C2.W1 Station 2 Form Here]
Form ID: ________________
Station 3 - Design a Propulsion System
25 Points | ~20 Minutes (Highest Value!)
COMPLETE THE STATION 3 FORM BELOW
Design your propulsion system and explain using Newton's Third Law!
[EMBED G8.C2.W1 Station 3 Form Here]
Form ID: ________________
Exit Ticket - Newton's Laws Mastery Check
23 Points | ~15 Minutes
COMPLETE THE EXIT TICKET BELOW
This is your final assessment for Week 1. Take your time!
[EMBED G8.C2.W1 Exit Ticket Form Here]
Form ID: ________________
Enrichment & Extension
Optional deep dives for early finishers.
Optional content if you finish early or want to go deeper.
Scientist Spotlight
Research a scientist who contributed to this week's topic area and describe their key findings.
Environmental Justice Connection
Explore how this week's science concepts connect to environmental justice issues in our community.