Lesson 2: Collisions 2

What causes changes in the motion and shape of colliding objects?

collision
force
kinetic energy
damage
contact force
deform
line of best fit
elastic limit
breaking point
Independent variable
dependent variable
peak force
free body diagram
concussion
axon
stored (potential) energy
air resistance
friction

MS-PS2-1
MS-PS2-2
MS-PS3-1
MS-LS1-8
MS-ETS1-2
MS-ETS1-3

Lesson Description
Students will use slow-motion video technology to look closely at what happens to objects during a crash, tracking exactly how they slow down, speed up, or bend. Using these observations, students will draw and develop their own scientific models to show the invisible forces and energy moving between objects at the exact moment of impact.

Purpose
Students will learn how to explain the "invisible" physics of a crash, discovering that even hard objects change shape when they collide and that forces always push in both directions. This helps them understand that energy cannot be destroyed; instead, it transfers between objects, causing the dents, sounds, and motion changes we see in real-world accidents.

DOK 2 & 3

For English Language Learners (ELL) & Emerging Readers: Provide a "Word + Arrow" graphic organizer to label models with bilingual or visual terms for direction (e.g., Force / Fuerza, Energy / Energía).

For Students Needing Extra Support (Scaffolding): Provide a model template that already has the "Before, During, and After" boxes drawn out, along with a checklist of items to include (e.g., "Did you draw force arrows? Did you label the shape change?").

For Visual & Spatial Learners: Use color-coding requirements for their models—for example, using blue arrows exclusively for forces and green wavy lines exclusively for energy transfer to keep the concepts distinct.

Formative Assessments