Virginia SOL PS.8

ScienceGrades 7–8Physical Science

SOL Standard (Key Ideas Cluster)

The student will investigate and understand that work, force, and motion are related. Key ideas include

Virginia Standards of Learning for Science

Cluster contents

PS.8 is a Standards of Learning science standard. These are the key ideas and practices under it.

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students measure position over time and use tables or graphs to describe speed and changes in motion. They explain how net force, mass, and acceleration relate, apply Newton’s laws, and identify when a force does work.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student can read a position-time graph and tell when an object is stopped, moving steadily, or changing speed. They can predict motion from forces and explain inertia, acceleration, action-reaction pairs, and work using evidence.
Common Misconceptions: Students may treat graph height as speed instead of using the slope. They often think moving objects need a constant net force. They may think action-reaction forces cancel on one object or that every applied force does work.
How to Assess It: Show a position-time graph with a flat segment, a straight rising segment, and a curve that gets steeper. Ask students to describe each motion, identify where net force acts, and cite a related Newton’s law.

Lesson moves

Mark a hallway track, roll a cart, record position every second, graph the data, then change the cart’s mass or push.
Ask: Why does a passenger lurch forward when a bus stops, and which law explains the motion?
Run a card-sort race matching force diagrams, motion changes, position-time graphs, and Newton’s laws, with teams defending each match.
Analyze a bicycle trip by identifying where the rider does work, where forces balance, and where speed changes.

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