• On Day 1, assess students’ understanding of inertia based on their discussion of the photographs and also the drawings and explanations that they produce.

• During the demonstration portion of the lesson, monitor students’ participation in the discussion leading up to the demonstration to make sure they have an appropriate “educated guess” about what they think will happen. This will provide practice in using evidence to develop a prediction.

• Provide assistance during the lab to keep students on task and touch base with each group while they are working on the lab questions. Answer any questions and support them as they incorporate ideas from the lecture with the results from their lab.

Day 1

Start the lesson by providing students with a demonstration on the properties of inertia. They will not have learned about inertia yet but this demonstration will serve to create interest in the matter. Note: Be sure to practice this demonstration first before performing it in class.

Demonstration:

1. Choose a table on which to conduct the demonstration that is a safe distance away from students.

2. Set the glasses close together on a table in two rows near the edge of the table.

3. Fill each glass halfway with water.

4. Place the cardboard on top of the glasses so the edge barely sticks out over the edge of the table.

5. Place each empty toilet paper roll on top of the cardboard, directly over the center of each glass.

6. Place an egg on top of each empty toilet paper roll.

7. Place the broom on the ground, next to the table so that the top of it touches the cardboard that is sticking out.

8. Step on the bottom of the broom to provide force so that when you bend the top away from the cardboard, the bottom stays in place. If using a meter stick, you need to find a way to secure it on the bottom to allow you to pull it back to generate force.

9. See the diagram below and refer to the following Web site for an example:

www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=9600

Ask students a couple of questions to develop predictions of the demonstration to come, based on their observations of the setup.

“What do you think will happen once I let go of the broom?” Discuss the possibilities with students without giving any answers. “What makes you think that will happen?”

10. While continuing to step down on the bottom of the broom, bend the broom handle back so it has enough potential energy to snap forward and hit the cardboard first before it hits the table top.

11. Pull it back and let go. The broom handle should hit the cardboard first, flinging it and the toilet paper rolls out from under the eggs so the eggs drop directly into the water.

Note: You can substitute full-size empty paper towel rolls to make this demonstration more exciting.

Group Discussion and Independent Practice

After the demonstration, divide students into groups of four. Provide each group of students with copies of the real-world examples photographs (S-5-4-2_Inertia Pictures.docx). Have the groups look for and discuss a common theme in the photographs. Each of the photographs illustrates the concept of inertia.

Have students take out the K-W-L chart that they started in Lesson 1 (S-5-4-1_KWL Chart.pdf). Have them complete the “K” and “W” columns based on their observations of the photographs. Then, ask each group to present the common theme that they observed.

Tell students, “Sir Isaac Newton developed the theory of gravity by observing an apple falling from a tree. This observation also led to many other theories, which help us describe motion in our universe. Three laws of motion were developed by Newton and you just witnessed the first law, the law of inertia.”

• Inertia is the tendency of an object to remain at rest or remain in motion. In other words, it’s the reluctance of an object to undergo changes in its motion.

Have students add the term inertia to the “L” column of the chart.

Then, ask the groups to discuss how inertia relates to each of the photographs and also to the demonstration.

Have each student think of his/her own example of inertia and draw the example on a sheet of unlined paper. Below the drawing, students should write an explanation in a complete sentence of how the drawing illustrates inertia.

Day 2

Have students share their drawings of inertia from the previous day, without revealing the written descriptions below. Have other students try to describe how the drawings represent the concept of inertia.

Give students copies of the Voyager Article with Questions (S-5-4-2_Voyageur Article with Questions.docx). Have students read the article and work independently to write answers to the “Questions to Answer while Reading.” Go over the answers with the class.

Then, have small groups of students discuss the “Questions for Discussion after Reading” and record their answers. Hold a whole-class discussion on the questions. Clarify concepts as needed.

Close the class by saying, “Now we know what the definition of inertia is. Which has more inertia:

• …a paper airplane or a real airliner?

• …an adult or a baby?

• …a box filled with cotton balls or the same-sized box filled with golf balls?

• What do the objects with more inertia have in common with each other?”

Discuss the tendency to relate size with mass and reiterate that the larger the mass of an object, the greater the inertia.

Day 3

Inertia Lab Activity

Prior to the activity, follow the instructions on the Inertia Lab Teacher Directions (S-5-4-2_Inertia Lab Teacher Directions.doc). Set up several ten-meter target areas for your students to use during the Inertia Lab. Each target area will accommodate a group of four. Make as many targets as needed. You may create larger groups if space or materials are limited.

Assign students to groups of four and hand out the Inertia Lab Worksheets (S-5-4-2_Inertia Lab Worksheet and KEY.doc). Take the class to an open area at school where each group can spread out in order to complete the activity. An athletic field or gymnasium will work. Alternatively, a hallway may work but the noise level may be an issue. Go over the directions with students as a class before starting the lab (S-5-4-2_Inertia Lab Teacher Directions.doc).

Extension:

• For students who may need opportunities for additional learning, verbally accept their responses to the lab questions after the results are recorded in the data table.

• For students who may not be able to perform the physical aspects of the activity, select a teacher’s aide or a pair of students to assist them during the lab. (Assistants can push wheelchairs for students as they drop the ball. Students can give directions to other students running in their place or marking the drop zone for them.)

• Ask students going above and beyond the standards to explain how inertia plays a role in various sports. For example, why is it harder to throw a baseball to first base if the player is running in a different direction? Have students create a one-page essay on this topic.