Topic: Forces: Kinds of Forces
Grade: 3
Subject: Science – Forces Causing Movement
Time: 80 min
OBJECTIVES
Ontario Curricular Expectations
 Overall Expectation: 3.demonstrate an understanding of how forces cause movement and
changes in movement.
 Specific Expectation: 2.5 use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including push,
pull, load, distance, and speed, in oral and written communication; 3.2 identify different
kinds of forces (e.g. gravity, electrostatic force, magnetic force; 3.5 Identify ways in which
forces are used in their daily lives.
Lesson Objectives: To identify different kinds of forces (i.e. gravity, muscular force, buoyancy, and
friction).
Social Objectives: Social objectives for this lesson are attentive listening, mutual respect, and
appreciations of classmates.
MENTAL SET
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Estimated time: 10 min
A video of Charles Hamelin 1500m short track winning performance at the 2014 winter
Olympics in Sochi will be shown to the class.
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcpwexCM4H4)
Students will be introduced to the goal of the lesson – learning how to identify gravity,
muscular force, buoyancy, and friction.
Each one of these forces will be defined and discussed after a brief demonstration
introducing it.
o Friction – sliding things down a ramp that have different surfaces (smooth,
rough), rubbing hands together (creating heat).
o Muscular force – turning a lid on a bottle, pulling a chair, licking a ball, swimming.
o Buoyancy – paper boat in large bowl of water.
o Gravity – balloon and straw.
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INPUT/ MODELLING/ DEMONSTRATION
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Estimated Time: 15 min
Re-watch the short track video, ask students to pay careful attention to the video in order to
identify the forces that are present.
After the video, students will share their observations about the forces they saw (gravity
keeping him on the ice, the skating blades shape to reduce friction, using his leg for muscular
force to maneuver around the ring).
Students will then watch another video on Dara Howell’s ski Slopestyle performance and will
again be asked to look for different forces that are present http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADybsLB1uH8
Students will share what they observed (gravity pulling her down the hills, using muscular
force to control movement, using muscular force to manage the ski stick, flat surface of the
skis to reduce friction).
PRACTICE
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Estimated time: 20 min
Students will use pictures of athletes performing in Olympic Games
that will be given to them to identify different forces that are at work.
First students will talk about the picture with their group and identify
the forces together. Then they will write down all the forces they see
in the chart provided.
When students are done filling in their charts, they will answer the 3
questions on the first worksheet and the three questions on the
second worksheet.
Students who are finished early can look at the images depicting
activities during the different seasons and identify the forces in those
pictures.
Materials:
 Definitions for
word wall
 Balloon
 Straw
 Sand paper
 Books
 Water bottle
 Large bowl
 Paper boat
 Olympics
pictures
 Chart paper and
markers
CHECKS FOR UNDERSTANDING
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Teacher observations and one-on-one discussion/questioning during practice
Assess charts for appropriate identification of the different forces.
Whole class dialogue for consolidation
CLOSURE
Estimated Time: 10 min
Whole Class Discussion – each picture will be discussed in terms of the forces that were observed.
Students who did not complete their charts will get an opportunity to write some examples down.
CONSIDERATIONS
Multiple Intelligences:
Accommodations:
- verbal linguistic *
- logical/mathematical
- musical/rhythmic
- bodily/kinesthetic *
- visual/spatial *
- interpersonal *
- intrapersonal *
- naturalist *
- existential
Who: Student who take longer
to finish.
How: Give them extra time.
Who: ELL student
How: use pictures in word wall
and pair with a student to
translate questions. Assist
them with answering
questions on worksheet.
Assessment:
- self-evaluation
- group evaluation
- teacher evaluation
- observation *
- anecdotal notes
- quiz/test
- checklist
- rubric
- interview
- discussion *
- work books *
GRAVITY: the pulling force of a large
object (like Earth).
MUSCULAR FORCE: your muscles
causing pulling on your bones to cause
your body to move.
BUOYANCY: the pushing force of a
liquid or a gas.
FRICTION: the rubbing force between
two objects.