Classroom Activity for Physics in Grade 8

Paper Airplanes

• Different airplane designs will travel a longer distance at varying speeds. Teach your students about the laws of aerodynamics by having them build their own paper airplanes. Set up start and finish points in the classroom. Have the kids stand at the start line and throw their paper airplanes. The one that travels the farthest is the winner. Take the winner and explain how the shape choices the creator made affected the results of the race.

Observing Friction

• Friction is the force that gives the world heat and stops us from sliding all over the place. Eighth graders are at the point in their education where it is important to learn about the effects of physics. Build a tilted wooden plane that sits at a 35-degree angle for this experiment and collect two hockey pucks. Place a piece of masking tape down the middle of the inverted plane that goes from the top to the bottom. Grease one side of the plane as well as one of the pucks. Demonstrate how much friction effects movement by letting the hockey pucks slide down the inverted plane on their broad sides. The greased puck moves much faster than the dry puck because the grease works as a lubricant, reducing the effect of friction.

Temperatures and Magnets

• Physics deals with the study of heat, so it makes sense to teach your children about how heat affects certain materials. Your eighth graders will already have a firm grasp on how magnets work, so they are an ideal tool to use in your heat experiment. Demonstrate the strength of the magnets to the children before you begin the experiment. Then heat the magnets to a temperature that is slightly uncomfortable to touch. When you attempt to use the magnets again, they will not be as strong as before because their atoms are busy moving at an accelerated rate.

Finger Trap Demonstration

• Sometimes items grow stronger as you apply pressure to them. You can demonstrate this fact to your students by passing out finger traps. Have the children place their fingers in either side of the trap. When they attempt to pull their fingers apart, the trap will hold them together. Only through pushing their fingers together will they get the finger trap off. Explain that by pulling the fingers apart, the fibers of the trap constrict. When the children push their fingers together, the fibers loosen.