About this resource
5 mystery-driven Science Unlocked lesson sets for middle school (grades 6-8), about 5 weeks of forces, gravity & magnetism instruction. Each set opens with a real, surprising phenomenon, builds the science one level at a time, and ends with students cracking the case in a claim-evidence-reasoning (CER) write-up.
Topics: Newton's 3rd law, force and motion, Newton's 2nd law, Newton's laws of motion, magnetism, electricity and magnetism, gravity, claim evidence reasoning (CER), science phenomenon, review games.
Bundle price: $12.50 for 5 sets ($2.50 a set). Bought one at a time, these sets cost $15.
Sets in this bundle
- The Bouncing Lander (MS-PS2-1, Newton's Third Law Collisions Design). In 1997, NASA’s Mars Pathfinder slammed into the rocky ground of Mars at about 50 km/h, wrapped in giant airbags — then bounced about 15 times, up to 15 m high. How did the cameras, computers, and rover inside survive the crash?
- The Plane Pull (MS-PS2-2, Forces, Mass & Motion). In 2009, one man pulled a 188-tonne military jet across an air base with a rope. How could one person move a jet that heavy — and why did it take more than a minute to go just 8.8 meters?
- The Magnet Express (MS-PS2-3, Electric & Magnetic Forces). Japan’s record-setting maglev train floats about 10 cm above its guideway and has reached 603 km/h. How can magnets lift a 25-ton train car — and what makes those magnetic forces strong enough?
- The Ball-Pit Asteroid (MS-PS2-4, Gravity Depends on Mass). In 2020, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft gently touched asteroid Bennu, and its arm sank in like a hand in a ball pit. What holds a pile of loose rubble together in space, and why does it hold so weakly?
- The Floating Frog (MS-PS2-5, Fields: Forces at a Distance). A live frog floated in midair inside a giant magnet. Nothing touched it — and frogs don’t stick to fridge magnets. What held the frog up?
Every set includes
- An editable Teacher Deck with answers highlighted and speaker notes (what to say, support and GT tips).
- An interactive Student Deck (PowerPoint + PDF) where students type, drag and rate their confidence.
- Google Slides versions of both decks, with make-a-copy links.
- A Teacher Guide with a run-of-show for every level, materials, misconceptions, answer keys and sources.
- A Student Printable in 12 pt type, plus a low-ink greyscale copy, for paper days and sub days.
- A self-grading digital activity: SCORM 2004, SCORM 1.2, a web package and a single HTML file.
- Two whole-class review games (Jeopardy-style and Trashketball), plus Kahoot! and Blooket import files with an answer key.
- Leveled lessons with "I can" targets, notes, practice, checkpoints, exit tickets, a Mini Quiz and a Stretch beyond grade level.
By the numbers
- 5 one-week units, each with 5-6 levels (about one 45-50 minute class per level).
- 5 of the 5 sets include a hands-on lab with a materials list and safety notes.
- 256 Kahoot!/Blooket review questions across the bundle.
Try the digital activity first
- Not sure the self-grading activity will work in your LMS? Download the FREE HTML & SCORM Sample and test it with your students before you buy.
Save more
- Middle School Physical Science + Engineering (23 sets, $46)
- Science Unlocked Mega Bundle (89 sets, $133.50)
More from Mystery Lab Learning
- See every Science Unlocked set, and follow to hear when new ones are added, at Mystery Lab Learning.
Good to know
- When a set in this bundle is updated, you get the update for free in My Purchases.
- The illustrations in these resources were created with AI image tools, and AI tools helped draft the lesson text. Every slide, answer key and lab step was then fact-checked against the sources listed in each Teacher Guide and proofread.
- Kahoot!, Blooket, Jeopardy!, Google Slides and PowerPoint are trademarks of their owners. These resources are not affiliated with or endorsed by them.
- License: one teacher, for use with their own students. Please buy an additional license for each colleague who uses it.
