May the neutrally buoyant force be with you !

This lesson helps students understand that forces affect motion and that some forces can be manipulated to be balanced or unbalanced with respect to motion. In the lesson, students use their knowledge of types of forces and free body diagrams to do an inquiry activity where they attempt to make a film canister neutrally buoyant in a 10 gal tank full of fresh water. (I have also used 2 L bottles with tops cut off and an empty pie pan to collect spillage.) Students need to predict, observe, and explain along the way as well as collect and record data to help quantify their results.
After the lesson, students apply their new knowledge gained through experiential learning to real life scenarios in an abstract way as a formative assessment.

Resource ID#: 75354 Type: Lesson Plan

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General Information

Subject(s): Science

Grade Level(s): 6

Intended Audience: Educators

Suggested Technology: LCD Projector, GeoGebra Free Software (Download the Free GeoGebra Software)

Instructional Time: 3 Hour(s)

Resource supports reading in content area:Yes
Freely Available: Yes

Keywords: Force, motion, balanced and unbalanced forces, nature of science, inquiry

Instructional Component Type(s): Lesson Plan, Problem-Solving Task, Learning Goal

Resource Collection: FCR-STEMLearn Physical Sciences

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