Curriculum  /  ELA  /  3rd Grade  /  Unit 5: Forces and Motion  /  Lesson 2

Forces and Motion

Lesson 2
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ELA

Unit 5

3rd Grade

Lesson 2 of 16

Objective

Explain if all forces are the same and defend why or why not by describing the relationship between scientific concepts in a text.

Readings and Materials

  • Book: Force and Motion by Ron Fridell  pp. 3 – 6

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Target Task

Writing Prompt

Are all forces the same? Defend why or why not.

Key Questions

  • What is the connection between motion and force? Give an example.

  • How can a person be a force?

  • In what ways are machines forces? Give specific examples.

  • In what ways can nature be a force? Give specific examples.

Vocabulary

push

pull

force

Lesson Guidance

Text Complexity Analysis

  • This is students' first introduction to this particular core text. Therefore, it is important to highlight and scaffold features of text-complexity in this lesson and in upcoming lessons to ensure that students are able to access the text:
    • Vocabulary: This is a scientific text and therefore includes a lot of scientific and domain-specific language that may be unfamiliar to students. The author bolds words that are important, however, the words are not always defined in context. The words are referenced in context after being introduced, but it isn’t always easy to infer what the word means. Therefore, students need to reference the glossary to ensure that they understand the meaning of the words in bold. Without a solid meaning of the words, understanding the scientific concepts explained in connection with the word will be tricky. Bold words should not be previewed, rather students should develop a procedure or system for figuring out the meaning of the words while reading. 
    • Text Features: The text includes some diagrams and charts to help a reader make sense of tricky scientific concepts. Not all concepts, however, include a matching diagram. Therefore, readers need to rely on the text and understanding text structure in order to figure out key scientific concepts. To help students make sense of the concepts, consider having them create their own diagrams to represent the scientific information from the text.

Notes

  • After reading the pages in the text, lead students in a hands-on activity that helps them understand the different forces of lifting, pushing, and pulling.
    • One potential activity could be observing kids playing on the playground and then charting what movements they see and what caused the movement.
    • Another potential activity would be to give students pictures of different motion and have students identify and sort based on the type of force that is required (e.g., dragging a backpack full of books, wind knocking down a tree, patting a friend on the back, etc.).

Common Core Standards

  • RI.3.3 — Describe 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.

Next

Explain why Isaac Newton’s laws of motion are important by describing the relationship between scientific concepts in a text.

Lesson 3
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Lesson Map

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