As a teacher, you know that force and motion can be some of the more challenging standards to teach in your 3rd grade classroom. But don’t worry- this doesn’t have to be difficult! With the right activities, teaching force and motion can actually be fun! This unit covers so many topics including balanced and unbalanced forces, patterns in motion, electric and magnetic interactions, and using magnets to solve problems. It is aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards, as well as many state standards!
Read on for some fun force and motion activities for your 3rd grade class!
Teach Students About Balanced and Unbalanced Forces
In this unit, your students will learn about different types of forces including push and pull forces and balanced and unbalanced forces. They’ll read kid-friendly mini books to teach them Newton’s Three Laws of Motion.
Your students will love sorting the unbalanced and balanced pictures into the interactive notebook pocket. There are practice pages to allow them to demonstrate their understanding as well.
Photo posters and hands-on science activities help bring the concepts to life!
Learn About Patterns in Motion
The interactive mini book helps students to learn about different types of patterns in motion (back and forth, circular, and straight). Friction is also covered within this topic.
There are also posters, worksheets, and interactive notebook pages to teach this topic. Get hands-on by making a pendulum and practicing the different patterns in motion.
Teach About Electric and Magnetic Interactions
Electric interactions can be a really tricky concept to teach students. This unit makes it simple for students to understand. Students will learn about static, and how atoms make up everything and have a negative, positive, or neutral charge.
Students will get to sort various combinations of atoms to determine the overall charge of the object. They’ll learn how static works and can conduct experiments to determine whether or not distance affects static.
There is also a reading passage about Ben Franklin and his famous lightning experiment. Corresponding comprehension questions are included.
After learning about electric interactions, students will learn all about magnets!
First, they’ll study magnetic interactions and how magnets either repel or attract each other. They’ll learn what types of materials make an object magnetic, as well as how Earth behaves like a magnet.
In the final topic of the unit, students will further learn about how magnets can be beneficial solutions to problems. They’ll learn simple examples of how people use magnets today to solve problems (such as a compass preventing people from getting lost).
Take a Look Inside the Unit!
Grab this 100+ page unit today!
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