Description

Balanced and Unbalanced Forces for Third Grade. Students will learn about fair tests and they will plan and carry out an investigation on the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces. Students will learn about gravity and friction and that forces come in pairs. This unit includes two slide shows, hands-on activities, labs, and follow-up pages. It also includes answer keys and a one-page article on balanced and unbalanced forces. See more on teaching balanced and unbalanced forces.

Your third-grade scientist will love conducting their own fair test investigation! The only materials needed are a few tennis balls, a playground ball, a few toy cars, and blocks.

This resource is aligned with the following standards:

NGSS 3-PS2-1. NGSS Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object. [Clarification Statement: Examples could include an unbalanced force on one side of a ball that can make it start moving; and, balanced forces pushing on a box from both sides will not produce any motion at all.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to one variable at a time: number, size, or direction of forces. Assessment does not include quantitative force size, only qualitative and relative. Assessment is limited to gravity being addressed as a force that pulls objects down.]

Utah SEEd 3.3.1 Plan and carry out investigations that provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object. Emphasize investigations where only one variable is tested at a time. Examples could include an unbalanced force on one side of a ball causing it to move and balanced forces pushing on a box from both sides producing no movement. (PS2.A, PS2.B)

Also aligns with NJSLS 3-PS2-1 Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object

This resource is designed by Teaching Science with Lynda R. Williams.