Newton's First Law of Motion Complete Science Lesson - New TEKS 7.7D

Everything you need for an engaging, ready-to-teach unit on Newton’s First Law of Motion is included in this resource! Students will explore how balanced and unbalanced forces affect the state of motion of objects through investigations, hands-on practice, and student-led learning. With editable presentations, worksheets, student-choice projects, and assessments, this multiday lesson is comprehensive yet low-prep.

Through differentiated, student-centered activities, your middle schoolers stay engaged while you focus on their success.

Essential Questions

• What is Newton’s First Law of Motion?

• How do balanced and unbalanced forces affect the motion of objects according to Newton’s First Law?

Aligned with 2021 TEKS Standard 7.7D

Why Teachers Love This Lesson

• Differentiated materials for learners who need extra support

• Multimodal activities to keep students interested

• Flexible formatting—works digitally or in print

• Editable PowerPoints for classroom customization

• Spanish translations of vocabulary, passages, and interactive notebook pages

This lesson is built on the research-based 5E Instructional Model (Engagement, Exploration, Explanation, Elaboration, Evaluation), giving you both structure and flexibility.

What’s Included

Engagement

• Lesson objectives and Word Wall Cards (English & Spanish)

• Teacher guide with discussion prompts, activities, and common misconceptions

Exploration – Student-Led Station Lab
Nine differentiated stations let students investigate Newton’s First Law of Inertia in a variety of ways:

Input Stations (absorb content)

• Explore It! – Hands-on demo or experiment

• Read It! – Differentiated passages (English & Spanish) + comprehension questions

• Research It! – Online investigation with guided tasks

• Watch It! – Short video with reflection questions

Output Stations (show understanding)

• Organize It! – Printable or digital card sorts

• Write It! – Open-ended short-answer responses

• Illustrate It! – Sketches and models for visual recall

• Assess It! – Task cards + vocabulary-in-context writing

Bonus Station – Challenge It!
Extension activities for early finishers, including crosswords, games, and mini-projects

Explanation

• Editable PowerPoints (standard & interactive versions)

• Interactive notebook templates (digital & print, English & Spanish)

• Note-taking templates

Elaboration

• Student-choice projects applying Newton’s First Law to real-world examples

Evaluation

• STAAR 2.0–style assessments (standard & modified versions)

• Review worksheet for homework, class practice, or test prep

Flexible for Any Classroom

This lesson works seamlessly for both in-person and virtual instruction. Station labs, interactive notebooks, and presentations are fully compatible with Google Slides and PowerPoint.

This is a finished product; it will be updated with corrections as needed. Future improvements and new features will be sold as a separate product.