Dynamics · SHS1 Physics

Lesson notes

Learning Objectives

Indicator: 1.1.4.LI.1 - State Newton’s laws of motion.

By the end of the lesson, learners can:

State Newton’s first law of motion in their own words and identify the role of inertia in keeping a body at rest or in uniform motion.
State Newton’s second law of motion and express the relationship between force, mass and acceleration qualitatively.
State Newton’s third law of motion and identify action-reaction force pairs in familiar situations.
Use the three laws to explain simple everyday scenarios such as pushing a broken-down vehicle or moving a paper boat on water.
Work collaboratively in mixed groups to observe, record and present findings on motion, respecting divergent views from peers.

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Curriculum details

Strand: Mechanics and Matter (Strand 1)
Sub-strand: Dynamics (1.4)
Content standard: 1.1.4.CS.1 - Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of Newton's laws of motion. 1.1.4.LO.1 Apply the laws of motion to explain how bodies change their positions.
Indicator: 1.1.4.LI.1 - State Newton's laws of motion.
Suggested placement: Semester 1, Week 10 (Week 10 of the year)
Our suggestion, laid out in curriculum order across three terms of twelve weeks. NaCCA does not fix the week, so follow your school's scheme of learning.
Source document note: The official curriculum document has a fault in this entry, so the curriculum text above is transcribed exactly as printed:

content standard text - p.41: the document prints this content standard code as 1.1.4.CS1
Curriculum reference: NaCCA curriculum document, p. 41

Exemplars (from the NaCCA curriculum)

Talk for learning: A vehicle has broken down and as responsible citizens, you know that the vehicle needs to be moved off the road to prevent other cars from crashing into it. Explain using Newton's laws of motion using the following: i. To move the vehicle, the force applied must overcome the inertia of the body (1st Law).
ii. The change of speed of the vehicle is dependent on the force being applied (2nd Law).
iii. The force applied to the vehicle by those pushing it is equal to the force applied by vehicle on those pushing it (3rd Law).
Learners build simple paper boats and place them in a bowl of water and using made-up paddles, try to move the paper boats. Learners record their observations and using Newton's laws of motion explain the movement of their boats.
Foster an inclusive and respectful classroom culture and address bias in teaching materials and examples.
Assessment (1.1.4.AS.1). The document marks these depth-of-knowledge levels for this indicator: Level 2 Skills of conceptual understanding.
Teaching and Learning Resources:
- Audio-visuals
- PhET interactive simulations
- Trolley
- tennis ball
- soccer ball