Forces and Motion
Forces and Motion
Grade: 3
Duration: 45-60 minutes
Objective:
Materials:
Balloons
String
Tape
Cardboard
2 Books
Sandpaper
Marbles
1m board ruler
PE equipment (e.g., cones, balls)
1. Warm-Up Game: Start with a fun, active game on the soccer field to get students
moving.
o Play a quick game of “Red Light, Green Light” where students must stop and
start based on your commands. Discuss how they had to use force to stop and
start moving.
2. Discussion:
o Introduce the idea that everything in the universe is moving, even if we can’t
always see it. Ask students to think about how they know something is moving
(e.g., changes in position compared the other objects).
1. Skateboarder Observation:
o Show the picture from page 2 of the student book featuring a skateboarder.
o Ask: “What did the skateboarder have to do to get to the top of the ramp?”
o Discuss how the skateboarder used force (pushing with their feet) to move up
the ramp.
2. Module Big Idea:
o Lead into the big idea: “What is the relationship between force and motion?”
Explain that today’s lesson will explore how forces cause things to move and
change direction.
1. Vocabulary Introduction:
o Introduce key position words (near, far, left, right) and link the verb “direct” to
the word “direction.”
2. Reading and Measurement:
Conclusion (5 minutes):
Review the big idea: “What is the relationship between force and motion?”
Recap the day’s activities and ask students to share one thing they learned about how
force affects motion.
End with a fun fact: Did you know the Earth is moving around the Sun at about 30
kilometers per second?
Part 1: Vocabulary and Reading (15 minutes)
Vocabulary List:
6. Speed: How fast something moves. Speed is the distance an object travels over a
certain amount of time.
o Example: "The car is moving at 50 miles per hour."
Reading Text:
Motion is all around us. When you walk, run, or even ride in a car, you are in motion. Motion
happens when something changes its position. To understand motion, we need to look at the
distance something travels, the time it takes, and the speed at which it moves.
For example, if you ride your bike to school, you can measure how far you traveled (distance)
and how long it took (time). The faster you ride, the less time it takes to travel the same
distance. This means your speed is higher.
There are many different kinds of motion. Some things move in straight lines, like a car on a
road. Others might move in circles, like a spinning top, or back and forth, like a swing at the
playground.
Materials Needed:
Stopwatch or timer
Measuring tape or yardstick
Objects for a finish line (cones or markers)
Instructions:
1. Set up the race area: Mark a start and finish line about 10-15 meters apart.
2. Divide students into pairs: One student will race, and the other will use the
stopwatch to measure how long it takes their partner to reach the finish line.
3. Measure the distance: Use a measuring tape to measure the distance between the start
and finish lines.
4. Record the time: After each student completes their race, record the time it took them
to reach the finish line.
5. Discussion: Talk about how time and distance are related to speed. The student who
takes less time to cover the same distance has a higher speed.
Materials Needed:
Compasses (or you can mark directions in the playground with signs)
Instructions:
1. Introduce directions: Explain north, south, east, and west using the compass or signs.
2. Scavenger Hunt: Give students a list of objects or locations in the playground (e.g.,
"Go 10 steps north to find the slide" or "Walk 5 steps east to the tree"). Students must
follow the directions to find the locations.
3. Discussion: After the hunt, discuss how direction and distance helped them find the
objects. Relate this to how we measure position in everyday life (e.g., using GPS or
maps).
Instructions:
1. Straight Line Motion: Movement in a straight path (e.g., running down a track).
2. Circular Motion: Movement in a circle (e.g., a Ferris wheel or spinning top).
3. Back-and-Forth Motion: Movement that goes forward and then backward (e.g., a swing on a
playground).
Activity:
Discussion:
Ask students: "What happens if something takes more time to move the same distance?"
Explain that if two objects travel the same distance, the one that takes more time is moving
slower, while the one that takes less time is moving faster.
Example:
If one student runs 10 meters in 5 seconds, and another runs 10 meters in 8 seconds, the
first student is faster. The distance is the same, but the time is different, so the speed is
different.
Closure:
Review the key vocabulary words: position, distance, direction, motion, time, and speed.
Summarize the relationship between time, distance, and speed, and how different kinds of
motion occur.
Ask students to reflect on what they learned and how they can observe these concepts in
everyday life (e.g., while playing sports or riding a bike).
Using a rope-pulling (tug-of-war) activity is a great hands-on way to demonstrate various physics
concepts, including forces, motion, balanced and unbalanced forces, energy transfer, and
conservation. Here’s how you can incorporate these concepts using the rope-pulling activity:
Objective: Teach students that forces cause objects (or people) to move.
Activity:
Key Concept: The force applied by each team determines the direction and speed of motion.
Objective: Help students understand the difference between balanced and unbalanced
forces.
Activity:
Instruct both teams to pull with equal force, keeping the rope in the middle without moving.
Explain that when the forces are equal, the rope doesn’t move, showing a balanced force.
Neither side wins because the forces cancel each other out.
Now, ask one team to pull harder. When one team pulls with a greater force, the forces
become unbalanced, and the rope moves toward the stronger team.
Key Concept:
Objective: Demonstrate how energy is transferred and conserved during the activity.
Activity:
When students pull on the rope, they are transferring energy from their muscles to the rope.
As the rope moves, energy is transferred to the rope, and then to the other team. Even if the
rope doesn't move (in the case of balanced forces), energy is still being applied.
You can explain that the total energy in the system (the students pulling the rope) stays the
same, but it’s transformed from the energy in their bodies (chemical energy) into movement
(kinetic energy) or stored as potential energy in the tension of the rope.
Key Concept: Energy is not created or destroyed—it is transformed and transferred between the
students and the rope. This aligns with the principle of energy conservation.
Activity:
Ask students to pull the rope on different surfaces, like grass or a gym floor.
Discuss how friction between the students’ shoes and the ground helps them stay in place
and apply force. Without enough friction, they might slip, which means they can't apply as
much force effectively.
Key Concept: Friction is a force that opposes motion, and it helps students apply their pulling force to
the ground to counterbalance the opposing team.
An object at rest will stay at rest unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. Explain that
before either team starts pulling, the rope stays still (at rest) because no unbalanced force is
applied.
For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. When one team pulls on the rope,
the other team pulls back with an equal and opposite force.
Activity:
Demonstrate how both teams pull on the rope, and the forces applied by each team are
opposite. When the forces are unbalanced, one team moves, but both teams are applying
force equally in opposite directions.
Key Concept: Newton’s laws explain why the rope stays still (when forces are balanced) and moves
(when forces are unbalanced).
Activity:
While students are pulling the rope but neither side is winning, there is stored energy in the
stretched rope (potential energy). When one team pulls harder, this potential energy is
converted into kinetic energy as the rope starts moving toward the stronger team.
Key Concept: Energy is conserved by being transferred between potential and kinetic energy during
the tug-of-war.
Wrap-Up Discussion
At the end of the activity, have a group discussion to recap the key points:
Forces: Both teams are applying forces, and the motion of the rope depends on the balance
or imbalance of those forces.
Balanced and Unbalanced Forces: If both teams pull with equal force, the rope doesn’t move
(balanced). If one team pulls harder, the forces are unbalanced, and the rope moves.
Energy Transfer: Energy from the students’ bodies is transferred to the rope, and when
forces are unbalanced, energy is transferred into the motion of the rope.
Conservation of Energy: The energy remains in the system, transforming from potential to
kinetic energy depending on the situation.
This activity will give students a practical understanding of these key concepts while having fun!