Wentzville School District
Curriculum Development Template
Stage 1 – Desired Results
Unit 4 Forces (Newton’s Laws)
Unit Title: Forces (Newton’s Laws)
Course: Physics
WSD Overarching Essential Question
Students will consider…
 How can one explain the interactions of
matter?
 How can one explain and predict the
interactions between objects and within
systems of objects?
 How can one predict an object’s continued
motion, changes in motion, or stability?
 How can one explain and predict the variety of
interactions observed?
 Why are some physical systems more stable
than others?
 How is energy conserved?
 How is energy transferred between objects or
systems?
 How are forces related to energy?
 If energy is conserved, why do people say it is
produced or used?
 How are waves used to transfer energy and
information?
 How are instruments that transmit and detect
waves used to extend human senses?
WSD Overarching Enduring Understandings
Students will understand that…
 Scientific questions need to be asked so they
can be tested empirically and structured in the
form of testable predictions.
 Data must be collected to address scientific
questions and support predictions.
 Data analysis is conducted to search for
regularities and patterns in observations and
measurements.
 Evidence and scientific knowledge is used to
construct scientific explanations, models and
representations.
 Mathematical reasoning and quantitative
applications can be used to interpret and
analyze data to solve problems.
 A critical interdependence exists among
science, technology, and society.
 Changes in the natural and designed world are
caused by interactions.
 Interactions of an object with other objects
can be described by forces that can cause a
change in motion of one or both interacting
objects.
 The interaction of an object with other objects
is governed by conservation principles.
 Interactions of an object with other objects

can be described and explained by using the
concept of the transfer of energy.
Attractive and repulsive interactions at a
distance can be described using the concept of
fields.
Transfer
Transfer Goal
Students will be able to independently use their learning to…
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Use given information about a real-world problem or situation in order to determine other information
about the problem or situation.
Use critical reading skills to analyze written statements of problems for what is given and what is being
asked.
Draw a picture or sketch of a problem or situation to help visualize real-world contexts.
Meaning
Essential Questions
Understandings
Students will consider…
Students will understand that…
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What do the laws of physics suggest about
wearing a seat-belt in a vehicle?
When is friction helpful?
When is friction harmful?
How does the floor support you?
If a horse applies a forward force to a cart and
the cart applies an equal and opposite force to
the horse, how does the cart ever get
anywhere?
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Acquisition
An object in motion tends to stay in motion
unless acted upon by a net external force (An
object at rest tends to stay at rest unless
acted upon a net external force.)
For every action force there is an equal and
opposite reaction force.
A net force causes acceleration.
Mass (inertia) represents resistance to
acceleration.
Key Knowledge
Key Skills
Students will know…
 Forces are vectors
 Contact forces
 Field forces
 Newton’s 3 Laws of Motion
 Friction
 Normal Force
 Inertia
 The difference between mass and weight
Students will be able to…
 Draw free-body diagrams.
 Solve problems using Newton’s 3 Laws of
Motion.
 Relate everyday experiences to Newton’s 3
Laws of Motion.
 Set up and solve systems of equations to
model problems involving Newton’s 2nd law.