May the Force of Gravity Be With You

I have to be honest...I have always had a hard time understanding and enjoying physical science.  I was dreading teaching this unit to my fifth graders.  It is only one standard,  the force of gravity pulls everything toward the center of the Earth.  Once I got started developing lessons, there was no getting me down!!!

I have created a unit with many hands-on lessons, activities and STEAM challenges and I am learning to love it!!!! (I wish I had embraced Physics in high school) My goal is to get my students excited about physical science and wanting more.

True Books are a great resource for intermediate grades.

Crash Course Kids Videos on Youtube 

There are videos for all the grade five standards

                           

Great Balls of Gravity

Students have to predict which ball will hit the ground first when dropped from the same height

Ramps

 Students used binders to make ramps.  They experimented with a marble and bouncy ball.

Friction

We used ramps and cars to explore gravity and friction.

STEAM Balloon Rockets

We had a blast with our balloon rocket challenge, using force to move things.

STEAM Roller Coasters

Building roller coasters that use gravity

 Please check out my new Gravity Unit on TPT.

Click here for link

Chemical Changes: Balloon and Vinegar

My first science unit was Matter.  One of our NGSS standards is conducting an experiment to determine whether the mixing of two or more substances results in a new substances.  I filled the balloon and attached to a bottle with vinegar.  They made observations on the liquid and the solid in the balloon.  They did not know what the substances were.  We shook the baking soda into the bottle and instantly the balloons filled with the gas, carbon dioxide.  My students could identify that it was a chemical change.

I love to watch the reactions on their faces!!!! This is one of my favorite labs of the year and so easy to set up.

 I had them fill out the lab sheet after we completed the experiment.

This is part of my Matter Unit available on TPT

Click Here for Link