View largerForces and motion poster for 3rd grade
Describing pushes and pulls, balanced and unbalanced forces, gravity and friction
1 page84 KB
Forces and Motion Worksheets
Pushes and pulls, balanced and unbalanced forces, friction and gravity, and using patterns of motion to predict what happens next.
Download the forces and motion worksheets
Forces and balance
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View all 2 pagesBalanced and unbalanced forces worksheet
Using force diagrams to tell balanced from unbalanced forces and predict the motion
Answer key on page 2
2 pages40 KB
View all 2 pagesTug of war forces worksheet for 3rd grade
Predicting motion from the sizes of opposing forces
Answer key on page 2
2 pages41 KB
Investigations and patterns
View all 2 pagesFriction Investigation: toy car bar graph
Reading a scaled bar graph of an investigation into friction on different surfaces
Answer key on page 2
2 pages39 KB
View all 2 pagesPatterns of Motion: pendulum data worksheet
Using measurements of a pendulum’s motion to find a pattern and predict future motion
Answer key on page 2
2 pages46 KB
Read and review
View all 2 pagesForces and motion reading passage for 3rd grade
Reading an informational passage about forces that change motion
Answer key on page 2
2 pages58 KB
View all 2 pagesForces and motion vocabulary fill in the blank
Using the vocabulary of forces and motion
Answer key on page 2
2 pages36 KB
View all 2 pagesForces and motion quiz for 3rd grade
Reviewing forces, balanced and unbalanced forces and patterns of motion
Answer key on page 2
2 pages39 KB
Print at 100% (actual size) for the cleanest tracing lines.
About these forces and motion worksheets
A force is a push or a pull. When the forces on an object are balanced, nothing changes. When they are unbalanced, the object starts to move, speeds up, slows down or turns. Third graders investigate forces with force diagrams, tug of war and toy cars, and use patterns to predict motion.
These forces and motion worksheets include a poster, a balanced or unbalanced chart with force diagrams, a tug of war page, a friction bar graph from a toy car test, a pendulum data page and a reading passage about the forces on a soccer field.
Every page is black and white, prints on US Letter or A4, and every page with right answers has an answer key on page 2.
Standards
NGSS 3-PS2-1Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object.NGSS 3-PS2-2Make observations and/or measurements of an object’s motion to provide evidence that a pattern can be used to predict future motion.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.3Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.4Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 3 topic or subject area.CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.MD.B.3Draw a scaled picture graph and a scaled bar graph to represent a data set with several categories. Solve one- and two-step “how many more” and “how many less” problems using information presented in scaled bar graphs. For example, draw a bar graph in which each square in the bar graph might represent 5 pets.
How to use them
- Push a book across a desk and stop it. Ask: what started it? What stopped it?
- Draw arrows on the board, longer for stronger pushes, before the balanced or unbalanced page.
- Play a gentle tug of war with a rope and a line on the floor, then do the tug of war page.
- Roll a toy car down a ramp onto carpet, tile and grass, measure, and compare with the friction graph.
- Hang a washer on a string, count swings in 10 seconds, and use the pendulum page to predict.
Teaching tips
- Balanced forces do not change motion: a still object stays still and a moving one keeps moving (if nothing else acts on it).
- On the force diagrams, the box moves toward the side with the weaker push, because the stronger push wins.
- Friction always acts against motion. Smooth surfaces have less friction than rough ones.
- A pendulum’s swing time depends on its length, not on how heavy the weight is or how far you pull it back (for small swings).
- Keep tests fair: same ramp, same car, same release point.
Questions teachers and parents ask
What are balanced and unbalanced forces?
Balanced forces are equal and opposite, so an object’s motion does not change. Unbalanced forces are not equal, so the object starts moving, stops, speeds up, slows down or changes direction.
What is a pattern of motion?
A motion that repeats in a predictable way, like a pendulum or swing going back and forth. Because it repeats, we can predict what it will do next.
Is there a magnets page too?
Yes. Magnets and static electricity, the other half of 3rd grade forces, are on our magnets worksheets page.