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  • 3rd Grade

    Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions

Students who demonstrate understanding can:

Performance Expectations

  1. Make observations and/or measurements of an object’s motion to provide evidence that a pattern can be used to predict future motion. 3-PS2-2

    Clarification Statement and Assessment Boundary

A Peformance Expectation (PE) is what a student should be able to do to show mastery of a concept. Some PEs include a Clarification Statement and/or an Assessment Boundary. These can be found by clicking the PE for "More Info." By hovering over a PE, its corresponding pieces from the Science and Engineering Practices, Disciplinary Core Ideas, and Crosscutting Concepts will be highlighted.

Science and Engineering Practices

Planning and Carrying Out Investigations

Planning and carrying out investigations to answer questions or test solutions to problems in 3–5 builds on K–2 experiences and progresses to include investigations that control variables and provide evidence to support explanations or design solutions.

Disciplinary Core Ideas

Crosscutting Concepts

By clicking on a specific Science and Engineering Practice, Disciplinary Core Idea, or Crosscutting Concept, you can find out more information on it. By hovering over one you can find its corresponding elements in the PEs.

Planning Curriculum

Common Core State Standards Connections

ELA/Literacy

  • W.3.7 - Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic. (3-PS2-2)
  • W.3.8 - Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into provided categories. (3-PS2-2)

Model Course Mapping

First Time Visitors

Resources & Lesson Plans

  • More resources added each week!
    A team of teacher curators is working to find, review, and vet online resources that support the standards. Check back often, as NSTA continues to add more targeted resources.
  • Newton and Me

    Newton and Me tells the story of a young boy and how he discovers the Disciplinary Core Ideas of Forces and Motion in his daily activities with his dog.  Readers follow these best friends as the boy applies these core ideas to the throwing of a ...

  • Swinging with Style

    In this lesson, which is an associated activity to the curated resource The Science of Swinging, students further investigate the variables that affect a pendulum’s motion by riding a playground swing. Students then extend their knowledge ...

  • The Science of Swinging

    Using a worksheet attached to this lesson, students will investigate how the length of a pendulum string affects its motion. The related curated resource, Swinging in Style, provides opportunitites for further investigations.    

  • Integrated STEM Through Tumblewing Gliders

    Students observe and measure a tumblewing glider's motion, conducting a series of investigations to test the effect of changes to the glider's structural features on the flight path and duration of their gliders.  The data coll ...

  • Experimenting with Force and Motion Using Origami Frogs

    Students conduct an investigation through measurement and data analysis of origami frog jumping to predict future motion. The effects of balanced and unbalanced forces are explicitly discussed. This lesson is from “Activitie ...

  • Pendulums and Crooked Swings: Connecting Science and Engineering

    This resource exemplifies the relationship between science and engineering while demonstrating how a formative assessment probe can be used to assess students' understanding. Students are asked to explain their thinking of how they might cha ...

  • Collision Zone

    Students make predictions, then investigate what will happen when balls of various sizes, weights, and material compositions collide with one another.  Trials provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the mot ...

  • Force and Motion Investigation

    In this lesson, students will collaboratively conduct an investigation to test how the strength of a force and the mass of an object affects motion.  The data produced will serve as the basis for explanation of this phenomena. Tips are provided ...

  • Investigating Motion: What Causes Objects to Move?

    In this lesson, students will be given a set of everyday objects and asked to make predictions on how far each object will move when they blow on it. They will then measure the distances the objects moved and record their data and observations in the ...

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  •  Blast Off: Generating Rocket Thrust with Propellants

    From TeachEngineering - Rockets need a lot of thrust to get into space. Students learn how rocket thrust is generated with propellant. The two types of propellants are discussed—liquid and solid—and their relation to their use on rockets is investiga...

  •  Forces and Motion for Third Grade

    Lessons in this unit: Lesson 1 - Force and Motion Lesson 2 - Balanced and Unbalanced Forces Lesson 3 - Energy Transfer Lesson 4 - Gravity Lesson 5 - Friction and Air Resistance Lesson 6 - Magnetic Force Lesson 7 - Electrostatic F...

  •  Make Some Waves

    From TeachEngineering - In this activity, students use their own creativity (and their bodies) to make longitudinal and transverse waves. Through the use of common items, they will investigate the different between longitudinal and transverse waves.

Planning Curriculum gives connections to other areas of study for easier curriculum creation.