Middle School Physical Science Curriculum Without a Full Lab
For grades 6–8 physical science teachers working without lab space or equipment, Physics Complete – Middle School is a set of 20+ ready-to-teach resources on motion, forces and energy that puts concepts, graphs and models first. Students write testable hypotheses, plan simple investigations, read motion graphs and reason about forces and energy transformations, all from their desks.
See the physics curriculum →Physics Complete – Middle School, from $149.90, contains 20+ no-prep resources for grades 6–8. Without a lab, its value is in the concept-first approach: distance, speed, velocity and acceleration taught through motion graphs; balanced and unbalanced forces, friction, gravity and Newton's laws at a conceptual level; and energy transformations, thermal energy and heat transfer explained with models. Inquiry tasks focus on hypotheses, simple investigations and graphing.
The curriculum
Physics Complete – Middle School, Grades 6–8
Start with the full curriculum. The other resources below are optional add-ons. Open any cover for the full contents and price.
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Teach-Life-Balance: The Complete Time-Saving Course for Teachers (incl. Planner, Guides & Templates)
The real problem
Physical science without carts of equipment
Physical science seems like the subject that needs the most stuff. Ramps, carts, spring scales, timers, thermometers. Without them, teachers worry the class will turn into reading about motion instead of studying it. The bigger risk, though, is conceptual. Middle schoolers carry stubborn misconceptions into this course: that a moving object needs a constant push to keep going, that heavier things always fall faster, that speed and velocity are the same word. Equipment does not fix those on its own. Students can roll a cart down a ramp all period and still believe it. What changes their thinking is working with the evidence: reading a distance-time graph and seeing what a flat line means, predicting what happens when forces are balanced, explaining where energy went when a ball stops bouncing. Those tasks need good graphs, clear diagrams and well-designed questions, and they work at any desk. The challenge is finding them in one place. Most physical science materials are built around a lab that you do not have, which leaves you redesigning every activity around the missing equipment or skipping the practice entirely.
Why it fits
How it works in a lab-free room
There are no lab kits in the product. It gives you the concept, graph and model work that carries the course.
- Motion graph lessons teach speed, velocity and acceleration from data rather than equipment.
- Balanced and unbalanced force tasks build reasoning with diagrams students draw and interpret.
- Conceptual Newton's laws content targets the misconceptions middle schoolers bring with them.
- Energy transformation models show kinetic and potential energy changes without a demo.
- Conduction, convection and radiation lessons use diagrams to explain heat transfer.
- Hypothesis and investigation-planning tasks keep inquiry practice going without apparatus.
Getting started
Your first two weeks of concept-first physics
A suggested way to begin. The product does not include a pacing calendar.
- Surface what students believeStart by asking students to predict and explain a few everyday motion situations. Their answers show you which misconceptions to target before formal content. Keep the predictions to revisit later.
- Define motion carefullyTeach distance, speed and velocity with the included materials. Make the difference between speed and velocity explicit, since students blur it constantly. Use a quick check to confirm the difference has stuck.
- Read graphs before drawing themGive students motion graphs to interpret first. Once they can explain a flat line or a steep slope, have them sketch graphs for described trips.
- Plan a test on paperUse an inquiry task to write a testable hypothesis about motion and plan how it would be measured. Discuss variables and fair testing as a class. Return to the predictions from the first lesson and see what has changed.
- Bring in forcesMove to balanced and unbalanced forces using diagrams. Connect back to the motion graphs so students see why an object speeds up, slows down or stays steady.
Which version
Choosing a version and pairing with chemistry
The $149.90 version includes the 20+ physics resources. The $189.90 version adds Teach-Life-Balance, a digital planner and time-saving course for teachers, which does not add science content. Many middle school physical science courses cover matter and the periodic table as well as motion and energy. If yours does, pairing this with Chemistry Complete – Middle School makes sense: both follow the same structure, and TEACHMORE15 gives 15% off when you buy two or more Complete Curriculum packages.
Honest limits
What is not in the box
There are no lab kits, equipment lists or hands-on lab procedures. Physics Complete has 20+ resources, so for a full physical science year you may want to add chemistry material or your own lessons. Any demonstrations are yours to plan and run safely. Check the content against your state science standards. For use across a science department, send Teach Lessons a short message first. If it is not a fit, you can exchange it within 7 days for store credit of equal value. This is store credit, not cash.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Is it aligned to NGSS or state standards?
It is written for U.S. middle school classrooms and describes its inquiry work as NGSS-style practices. It is not approved, endorsed or certified by NGSS, any state or district, and it makes no official alignment claim. Compare it with your state's physical science standards before using it as your course base.
Does it include labs or kits?
No. It does not include lab kits, equipment or bench labs. Inquiry work centers on testable hypotheses, planning simple investigations, graphs and models, which is what makes it workable in a regular classroom. Students still practice identifying variables, describing measurements and reading results, which are the skills a lab is meant to build.
Is 20+ resources enough for a year?
It covers motion, forces and energy. For a physical science course that also includes chemistry, many teachers add Chemistry Complete – Middle School. You can also extend units with your own material, since lessons can be used individually. That makes it easy to extend topics students find hard, such as motion graphs or balanced forces.
How deep does the math go?
Newton's laws are taught at a conceptual level, and work and power are covered conceptually as well. Graphs carry much of the quantitative thinking, which suits middle schoolers. Students describe and interpret relationships between quantities before they are expected to calculate them. Keep this in mind if your district expects formulas.
Can I add demos if I have some equipment?
Yes. The lessons work without equipment, but nothing stops you from adding a demonstration you already run. Plan and supervise it under your school's safety rules. Adding a demo after students have made predictions on paper usually makes it more useful than running it cold.
How do I receive it?
Access is instant after purchase. A download link arrives by email, and the files stay in your customer account under Orders. The product page lists what is included. You can download the files again later from your account if you change devices. Keep a copy on a school machine too.
Teach motion and energy with graphs and models
Check the contents on the product page and decide whether to pair it with chemistry.
See the physics curriculum →