Newton's Laws: A Fairy Tale
If you’re looking for a way to introduce physics concepts in a way that is memorable, engaging, and decreases anxiety, stories are a great way to do that.
(You can read more about the research behind using stories to teach, as well as my thoughts on best-practices here.)
Newton’s Laws: A Fairy Tale follows the story of Kip, the youngest of three sons who is gifted only a single apple with which to go into the world and make his fortune.
He encounters a mathematical wizard named Newton, whose arch-rival Leibnitz is attempting to take over the kingdom. The old king has recently passed away, and the law states that whoever is able to create three laws and make the whole kingdom follow those laws will become the next king. Newton has a clever plan to invent three laws that everyone already follows, and Kip offers to help him. Together they journey to the capital, discovering Newton’s three laws of motion along the way.
Newton’s Laws may seem simple, especially because we’ve all heard them already, but they’re more complicated than they seem, and most of us have incorrect intuitions about them. I wrote this story to help students build an intuitive foundation that corrects these misconceptions. (The biggest one is that objects require force to move – my free body diagram worksheet focuses on this, too.)
Age Range: 10-12
Generally I say 10-12 for the age range for this book. I’ve heard feedback from parents that their nine-year-olds really loved the story. There’s a math section at the end that students that age will need to skip, but it’s short. I’ve tried to make these books really adaptable, so you can tailor them to what works best for your students / child.
Younger students (ages 8-10) can read the story and draw their own illustrations (drawing is a fantastic way to reason through physics problems - it’s my favorite way to think through them.)
Middle grade students (ages 10-12) could try reading the non-fiction conceptual section in the back and maybe try some conceptual questions.
Older students (ages 12+) could read the whole thing, including the mathematical problem solving part at the end, and try the quantitative practice problems.
Overall, I’d say read however much of it makes it the most fun!
Here’s what this book covers:
Newton’s Three Laws
An object in motion stays in motion…
F = ma
For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction
Free body diagrams
Types of Forces
Gravity
Friction
Tension
Normal Force
Electric and Magnetic Forces
Apparent Weight
Contents:
83 pages
The 37-page fairy tale
A section at the end explaining the science behind the story
Another section diving into actual problem solving with math
Conceptual practice problems
Quantitative practice problems
Ways to Use this in the Classroom
Here are some ways that teachers have told me they’ve used this book in their classrooms (if you’d like to add to this section, please let me know!)
Read-aloud, with students reading the different dialogue roles
Reading the story and then writing their own stories
As review before a test or the AP test
Formats Available:
PDF version is available for purchase here.
For the eBook version, buy on Amazon.
For the paperback version, buy on Amazon.
If you’re looking for a way to introduce physics concepts in a way that is memorable, engaging, and decreases anxiety, stories are a great way to do that.
(You can read more about the research behind using stories to teach, as well as my thoughts on best-practices here.)
Newton’s Laws: A Fairy Tale follows the story of Kip, the youngest of three sons who is gifted only a single apple with which to go into the world and make his fortune.
He encounters a mathematical wizard named Newton, whose arch-rival Leibnitz is attempting to take over the kingdom. The old king has recently passed away, and the law states that whoever is able to create three laws and make the whole kingdom follow those laws will become the next king. Newton has a clever plan to invent three laws that everyone already follows, and Kip offers to help him. Together they journey to the capital, discovering Newton’s three laws of motion along the way.
Newton’s Laws may seem simple, especially because we’ve all heard them already, but they’re more complicated than they seem, and most of us have incorrect intuitions about them. I wrote this story to help students build an intuitive foundation that corrects these misconceptions. (The biggest one is that objects require force to move – my free body diagram worksheet focuses on this, too.)
Age Range: 10-12
Generally I say 10-12 for the age range for this book. I’ve heard feedback from parents that their nine-year-olds really loved the story. There’s a math section at the end that students that age will need to skip, but it’s short. I’ve tried to make these books really adaptable, so you can tailor them to what works best for your students / child.
Younger students (ages 8-10) can read the story and draw their own illustrations (drawing is a fantastic way to reason through physics problems - it’s my favorite way to think through them.)
Middle grade students (ages 10-12) could try reading the non-fiction conceptual section in the back and maybe try some conceptual questions.
Older students (ages 12+) could read the whole thing, including the mathematical problem solving part at the end, and try the quantitative practice problems.
Overall, I’d say read however much of it makes it the most fun!
Here’s what this book covers:
Newton’s Three Laws
An object in motion stays in motion…
F = ma
For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction
Free body diagrams
Types of Forces
Gravity
Friction
Tension
Normal Force
Electric and Magnetic Forces
Apparent Weight
Contents:
83 pages
The 37-page fairy tale
A section at the end explaining the science behind the story
Another section diving into actual problem solving with math
Conceptual practice problems
Quantitative practice problems
Ways to Use this in the Classroom
Here are some ways that teachers have told me they’ve used this book in their classrooms (if you’d like to add to this section, please let me know!)
Read-aloud, with students reading the different dialogue roles
Reading the story and then writing their own stories
As review before a test or the AP test
Formats Available:
PDF version is available for purchase here.
For the eBook version, buy on Amazon.
For the paperback version, buy on Amazon.
If you’re looking for a way to introduce physics concepts in a way that is memorable, engaging, and decreases anxiety, stories are a great way to do that.
(You can read more about the research behind using stories to teach, as well as my thoughts on best-practices here.)
Newton’s Laws: A Fairy Tale follows the story of Kip, the youngest of three sons who is gifted only a single apple with which to go into the world and make his fortune.
He encounters a mathematical wizard named Newton, whose arch-rival Leibnitz is attempting to take over the kingdom. The old king has recently passed away, and the law states that whoever is able to create three laws and make the whole kingdom follow those laws will become the next king. Newton has a clever plan to invent three laws that everyone already follows, and Kip offers to help him. Together they journey to the capital, discovering Newton’s three laws of motion along the way.
Newton’s Laws may seem simple, especially because we’ve all heard them already, but they’re more complicated than they seem, and most of us have incorrect intuitions about them. I wrote this story to help students build an intuitive foundation that corrects these misconceptions. (The biggest one is that objects require force to move – my free body diagram worksheet focuses on this, too.)
Age Range: 10-12
Generally I say 10-12 for the age range for this book. I’ve heard feedback from parents that their nine-year-olds really loved the story. There’s a math section at the end that students that age will need to skip, but it’s short. I’ve tried to make these books really adaptable, so you can tailor them to what works best for your students / child.
Younger students (ages 8-10) can read the story and draw their own illustrations (drawing is a fantastic way to reason through physics problems - it’s my favorite way to think through them.)
Middle grade students (ages 10-12) could try reading the non-fiction conceptual section in the back and maybe try some conceptual questions.
Older students (ages 12+) could read the whole thing, including the mathematical problem solving part at the end, and try the quantitative practice problems.
Overall, I’d say read however much of it makes it the most fun!
Here’s what this book covers:
Newton’s Three Laws
An object in motion stays in motion…
F = ma
For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction
Free body diagrams
Types of Forces
Gravity
Friction
Tension
Normal Force
Electric and Magnetic Forces
Apparent Weight
Contents:
83 pages
The 37-page fairy tale
A section at the end explaining the science behind the story
Another section diving into actual problem solving with math
Conceptual practice problems
Quantitative practice problems
Ways to Use this in the Classroom
Here are some ways that teachers have told me they’ve used this book in their classrooms (if you’d like to add to this section, please let me know!)
Read-aloud, with students reading the different dialogue roles
Reading the story and then writing their own stories
As review before a test or the AP test
Formats Available:
PDF version is available for purchase here.
For the eBook version, buy on Amazon.
For the paperback version, buy on Amazon.
