Changes in an Object's Motion Activities for Middle School Science

The Kesler Science Newton’s Laws 5E Lesson is a comprehensive, student-led unit designed for middle school learners. It includes editable presentations, worksheets, choice projects, and assessments, requiring minimal prep while supporting differentiated instruction. The lesson engages students with essential questions about Newton’s laws and their real-world applications in sports, amusement parks, tectonic forces, and rocket launches. 

Following the 5E Model, the lesson features engagement activities, a hands-on, differentiated exploration station lab with nine stations, and editable PowerPoints in both standard and interactive formats. Students can explore concepts through reading passages, experiments, videos, and research tasks, while output stations reinforce learning through writing, drawing, categorization, and assessment. Spanish translations are available for vocabulary, reading passages, and interactive notebooks.

Students extend their learning through choice projects and are assessed with STAAR 2.0-aligned questions, review worksheets, and modified evaluation options. The materials are adaptable for both in-class and virtual learning environments, ensuring flexibility and accessibility. 

The Kesler Science Balanced and Unbalanced Forces Complete Lesson is an engaging, student-led unit designed for middle school classrooms. It includes editable presentations, worksheets, choice projects, and assessments, all requiring minimal prep. Aligned with NGSS and TEKS, the lesson supports differentiated learning and multimodal engagement.

The unit follows the 5E Model, providing structured resources for each phase. In the Engagement phase, students explore key vocabulary with word wall cards and class discussions. The Exploration phase features a differentiated, student-led station lab with nine stations, including hands-on demos, reading passages in English and Spanish, research tasks, and video discussions. Output stations allow students to demonstrate understanding through sorting activities, writing responses, illustrations, and assessments.

Explanation materials include editable PowerPoints, interactive notebooks, and note-taking templates in digital and print formats. The Elaboration phase offers student-choice projects to extend learning, while Evaluation includes STAAR 2.0-aligned assessments, review questions, and worksheets. Designed for flexibility, the lesson is available in both printable and digital formats, making it ideal for in-person and virtual learning environments.

The Kesler Science Net Force 5E Lesson is a comprehensive, student-led unit designed for middle school. It includes editable presentations, worksheets, assessments, and choice projects, requiring minimal prep while allowing for differentiated learning. 

Using the 5E Model, the lesson engages students with objectives, word wall cards, and discussion activities. Exploration includes a differentiated station lab with nine stations that incorporate hands-on experiments, reading passages in English and Spanish, research tasks, videos, and interactive activities. Explanation features editable PowerPoints, interactive notebooks, and note-taking templates. Elaboration allows students to extend their learning through choice projects, while Evaluation includes STAAR 2.0-aligned assessments, review questions, and worksheets.

Designed for both in-person and virtual learning, the lesson offers flexible formats, including digital and printable options. Spanish translations are available for vocabulary, reading passages, and interactive notebook pages. With multimodal learning and differentiated materials, this unit keeps students engaged while reinforcing key concepts in net force.

Engage your middle school students with this student-led station lab on Newton’s laws, designed to encourage independent learning and critical thinking. This hands-on activity guides students in planning an investigation to understand how an object’s motion changes based on the sum of forces and mass.

Students explore Newton’s laws through nine interactive stations that incorporate reading, research, videos, and hands-on demonstrations. Input stations introduce concepts through exploration, online research, reading passages (available in English and Spanish), and video analysis. Output stations allow students to demonstrate understanding by organizing information, illustrating models, writing responses, and completing assessments. A bonus challenge station offers extension activities for early finishers.

With differentiated tasks and a modular structure, this resource supports personalized learning in both in-person and virtual environments. Low-prep and highly engaging, this station lab fosters student-centered discovery and deeper comprehension of force and motion concepts.

Engage your middle school students with this student-led station lab on balanced and unbalanced forces. This interactive lesson allows students to explore changes in an object's position, direction, and speed when acted upon by an unbalanced force through a variety of differentiated activities.

Students direct their own learning through nine modular stations, featuring hands-on demonstrations, research tasks, reading passages, videos, and interactive exercises. They demonstrate understanding by organizing information, illustrating models, writing responses, and completing assessments. A challenge station provides extension activities for early finishers. 

Designed for flexible learning, this resource includes all necessary materials for independent or small-group work, with virtual adaptations for digital platforms like PowerPoint and Google Slides. This low-prep, high-engagement activity fosters critical thinking and deepens understanding of force and motion concepts.

Engage your middle school students with this student-led net force station lab, designed to promote hands-on learning and critical thinking. This low-prep resource allows students to explore force and motion through nine interactive stations, offering differentiated activities that cater to various learning styles. Students take charge of their learning as they apply net forces to real-world scenarios.

Students encounter net force concepts through hands-on demonstrations, research, readings, and videos, then demonstrate their understanding by organizing information, illustrating models, writing responses, and completing assessments. A challenge station provides extension activities for advanced learners, and English and Spanish reading passages support differentiated instruction. Stations can be completed independently or in small groups, fostering collaboration and problem-solving skills.

Ideal for both in-class and virtual learning, this modular lab encourages inquiry-based exploration while reinforcing key science concepts in an engaging and meaningful way.

The Newton’s Laws Student Choice Projects align with NGSS science standards, allowing middle school students to select a project that suits their preferred output style. A project page outlines six structured student-led options and a “design your own” project, with an editable rubric for teacher, peer, or self-assessment.

These projects are flexible and adaptable, offering multimodal choices for students to demonstrate their understanding creatively. Teachers can modify the rubric to fit grading needs. Two versions of the project page support differentiation, with targeted options for students needing remediation and opportunities for advanced learners to take on more challenging tasks.

The projects require standard classroom supplies such as paper, markers, and scissors, with many options available for digital completion. Some crafting materials may be useful for building models.

The Balanced and Unbalanced Forces Student Choice Projects lesson allows middle school students to select a project that aligns with their preferred output style. A project page outlines six student-led options, plus a “design your own” project, all with an editable rubric for teacher, peer, or self-assessment.

These flexible, multimodal projects provide creative ways for students to demonstrate their understanding. Teachers can modify the rubric to fit grading needs, and two versions of the project page support differentiation. The modified version includes three options designed for students needing remediation, while advanced learners can take on multiple projects using the same rubric.

The projects require standard classroom supplies like paper, markers, and scissors, with many options available for digital completion. Some crafting materials may be useful for model-building.

The Net Force Student Choice Projects lesson aligns with NGSS science standards, allowing middle school students to choose from six project options or design their own. A project page provides guidance, and an editable rubric supports teacher, peer, or self-assessment. 

These flexible, multimodal projects offer creative ways for students to demonstrate their understanding. Teachers can modify the rubric to fit grading needs, and two versions of the project page support differentiation, with modified options for students needing remediation and challenge opportunities for advanced learners. 

Projects use standard classroom supplies like paper, markers, and scissors, with many options available for digital completion. Some crafting supplies may be helpful for model-building.

The Newton’s Laws Escape Room is an interactive experience that engages students in demonstrating their understanding of Newton’s three laws through real-world applications. Before participating, students should be familiar with key vocabulary, including inertia, force, mass, acceleration, and friction. This activity aligns with NGSS MS-PS2-1 and MS-PS2-2.

Unlike traditional escape rooms, teachers can customize the experience by selecting from eight independent puzzles, making it adaptable to various class periods. The activity can be conducted using simple materials like manila envelopes or a more immersive setup with locks, hasps, and storage boxes. Printable materials and supply links are provided for flexibility.

For digital learning, a Single Student Digital Version is available as a PowerPoint file, which can be assigned via email or a learning management system. This version can also be uploaded to Google Drive and used with Google Slides. A printable version is offered as a PPT or PDF for at-home use, with copyright restrictions limiting sharing to individual classrooms.

Included in this resource are teacher directions, a detailed answer key, digital answer sheets for Google Classroom, a video challenge, eight unique puzzles with printable props, and over 50 prize ideas. Additional resources include reward templates and editable signs for post-game photos. This engaging escape room will leave students excited and eager to apply their knowledge.

The Net Force Escape Room is an interactive and engaging activity where students demonstrate their understanding of net force, balanced and unbalanced forces, and how these forces impact an object's motion. Aligned with TEKS, as well as NGSS MS-PS2-2, this escape room challenges students to identify, describe, and calculate changes in an object's motion due to unbalanced forces.

Teachers have full control over the eight independent puzzles, allowing for customization based on class time and student needs. The activity can be conducted using simple materials like manila envelopes or with a more immersive setup that includes locks and a storage box. A digital version is available for individual student use via PowerPoint or Google Slides, ensuring accessibility for both in-person and remote learning.

The resource includes teacher directions, a detailed answer key, printable puzzles, a digital answer sheet in Google Forms, and an editable teacher version. Additional features such as a video challenge, reward templates, and over 50 prize ideas enhance student engagement. With unique puzzles and interactive elements, this escape room provides a dynamic learning experience that students will remember long after the lesson ends.

The Speed, Velocity, and Acceleration Escape Room is an interactive and engaging experience that allows students to demonstrate their understanding of motion concepts. Aligned with TEKS and NGSS standards, this activity covers changes in position, direction, and speed due to unbalanced forces, calculating average speed, graphing motion changes, and differentiating between speed, velocity, and acceleration.

Teachers have full control over the eight independent puzzles, choosing which to use and in what order, making it adaptable for different class lengths. The escape room can be set up using manila envelopes for a simple approach or with locks and a storage box for a more immersive experience. Both setups require printed materials, envelopes, and a metal brad for the decoder ring.

A digital version is available for online learning, allowing students to solve puzzles in PowerPoint or Google Slides. A printable version is also included for at-home use. The resource provides teacher directions, answer keys, a digital answer sheet via Google Forms, video challenges, reward templates, and over 50 prize ideas. With engaging puzzles and immersive props, this escape room will keep students excited and actively learning about motion.