FORCE & MOTION

Teacher Guidelines ▶ pages 1 – 2

3-4
Instructional Pages ▶ pages 3 – 4
Activity Page ▶ pages 5 – 6
Practice Page ▶ page 7
GRADE Homework Page
Answer Key
▶
▶
page 8
pages 9 – 11
 Classroom Procedure: Lesson Title: Force and Motion
Subject:
1. Ask students each of these questions separately to open
the lesson: What is motion? What does it mean to move? Approximate Grade Level: 3-4
How do things move? Objectives: The students will be able to
2. Allow for responses and discussion. Introduce force and identify Newton’s Laws of Motion, and will
motion by demonstrating the movement of something in be able to apply them to force and motion
the class. (Moving a desk, opening/closing door, etc.) examples.

3. Distribute Force and Motion content pages. Read State Educational Standards*
LB.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.1
and review the information with the students. Use the
LB.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.3
additional resources to enhance understanding. Save the LB.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.4
final question for the closing to the lesson. LB.ELA-Literacy.SL.3.1.D
4. Distribute Activity page. Read and review the instructions. LB.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.2
Pair the students. Remind students they may write more LB.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.3
LB.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.4
than one explanation for each term.
Class Sessions (45 minutes):
5. Distribute the supplies to each pair of students. Tell
At least 2 class sessions
students the explanation must be understood by another
person who reads their writing. Teaching Materials/Worksheets:
Force and Motion content pages (2), Activity
6. Once all students have completed the activity, collect the pages, Practice page, Homework page
pages and redistribute them randomly. Tell students to
read the explanations and repeat the activity. Student Supplies: 5 marbles, 2 balloons, 2 feet
of string, pencil or wooden rod, 2 balls, piece of
7. Collect the pages again and return to the owners. cardboard, checker piece or similar object for
8. Review each of the concepts allowing pairs of students sliding, handouts
to share what they have written and demonstrate the Prepare Ahead of Time: Gather enough
concept. Clarify any misunderstandings among the supplies for each pair of students substituting
students in the class. where necessary. Copy handouts.
9. Distribute Practice page. Check and review the students’ Options for Lesson: Students may work
responses. alone or threes for the activity. Use different
supplies than shown for the activity. Use
10. Distribute the Homework page. The next day, allow additional activities from the resources given.
students to share their observations and how it was Assign one of the laws to groups of students
related to one of Newton’s three laws. (Answers will vary.) to research, write about, and demonstrate
to the class in a presentation. The teacher
11. In closing, ask: Which one of Newton’s laws has most
demonstrates each law to the students allowing
recently affected you? students to guess the law being demonstrated.
12. Allow for responses and discussion. Some students may Go into more depth about each law depending
say movement in a car, playing a sport, etc. Encourage on the class level of understanding. Allow
students access to the Internet to discover
students to think about movements through the day and
interactive games, etc., for force and motion.
ask them which Law covers the movement.
*Lessons are aligned to meet the education objectives and goals of
most states. For more information on your state objectives, contact
your local Board of Education or Department of Education in your state.

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 Teacher Notes
The lesson is an elementary physics lesson introducing the students to the basics of force and motion,
and Newton’s laws of motion. Since movement takes place everywhere throughout a student’s day, it
is best to identify Newton’s laws along with the movements. It is encouraged that you use additional
activities and the resources as much as possible for students to do hands-on activities to enhance the
understanding of these concepts.

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Force and Motion
There are things that move in different directions. They move up and down, right to left, in circles, or in many
other directions. There are objects that move slowly, quickly, or in between. Some objects move on their
own, and there are other objects that need help to move. No matter how something moves, whether it is an
object, person, or animal, this movement is called motion.

Swinging is a back and forth motion and an up and down motion. Riding on a
merry-go-round is going round and round in a circle. If a person is trying to avoid
being tagged in a game, it might be a zig-zag motion or a straight-ahead motion.

Motion is movement from one place to another. For

example, when two people sit on a see-saw they cause
it to move up and down. One person will be in the air; the
other person will be on ground level, and then they will
switch places or positions. Position is the place where
a person or object is located. If the position changes, it
is movement or motion.

Many things that move, though, cannot move on their own.

The push or pull to get an object to move is called force. A
force is needed to get something to move. A person uses
force, their muscles, to help them move from place to place.
A door or a wagon can be pushed or pulled.

In addition to different movements in motion, there is also something called speed. Speed is how fast a
person or object moves.
While pushing and pulling is usually easy to do, sometimes
it can become more difficult. Friction is a force that acts
on another force to slow it down or cause it to stop. For
example, when riding a bike, a person pedals, the wheels
move, and the tires roll across the road or sidewalk. The tires
rubbing along the concrete will eventually cause the bike to
slow down and stop moving due to friction.

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Motion and force has been studied for a long time. A mathematician named Isaac
Newton had seen an apple fall to the ground. He figured out that the force which
caused the apple to fall also was related to the reasons for the motion of the Moon
and the planets. In 1687, he published three basic concepts called Newton’s
Laws of Motion. They describe the concepts of force and motion.

LAW ONE: A body in motion tends to remain in motion, a body at rest

tends to remain at rest unless enacted on by an outside force.
What does this mean? When something is moving or at rest, it will continue to
move or remain at rest unless something changes it.
EXAMPLES: A school bus or car suddenly stops and you are thrown forward.
Person on a horse is thrown off when the horse stops. Shake a tree branch and
the leaves or fruits will fall off.

LAW TWO: A force acting on an object will change its velocity by

changing its speed, direction, or both.
What does this mean? An object is moving, hits another object, and either one
or both objects will change direction, speed, or both. The more force = more
movement.
EXAMPLE: Pushing a ball. Marbles colliding with other marbles. A horse
pulling a carriage.

LAW THREE: For every force and action, there is an equal and opposite
reaction.
What does this mean? One force and action causes another equal and
opposite reaction.
EXAMPLE: A cannon is fired and then jumps backwards. A bat hitting a
baseball. Your foot kicking a soccer ball.

Everything that moves or stays at rest can be explained by one of Newton’s Laws
related to force and motion.

Which law has most recently affected you?

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 Activity Name __________________________ Date _________

Supplies: 5 marbles, 2 balloons, 2 feet of string, pencil or wooden rod, 2 balls, piece of cardboard,
checker piece or similar object
1. Use the supplies to explain each of following terms and Newton’s Laws of Motion.
2. Write out one or more explanations using the space provided. Describe what happened.
3. You may also sketch of draw a picture to help explain the concept. Give details.
4. Another person should be able to use their supplies to understand the concept based on your
written explanation.

Motion

Position

Force

Speed

Friction

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 Activity Name __________________________ Date _________

Newton’s
First Law

Newton’s
Second Law

Newton’s
Third Law

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 Practice Name __________________________ Date _________

Match the description, example, or definition with the correct term. Each used two times.
_____ 1) Famous mathematician responsible for Laws of Motion.
_____ 2) Law: Force acting on an object will change its velocity...
_____ 3) It is how fast an object or person moves.
_____ 4) Law: For every force/action, opposite and equal force/action. A force

_____ 5) Push or pull of an object. B friction

_____ 6) Place where a person or object is located. C Isaac Newton

_____ 7) Movement from one place to another. D motion

_____ 8) Force acts on another force to slow or stop it. E Newton’s 1st Law

_____ 9) Example of this law is a tow truck pulling a car. F Newton’s 2nd Law

_____ 10) The football player kicking the football is this law in action. G Newton’s 3rd Law

_____ 11) This is needed to get something to move. H Position

_____ 12) Law: A body in motion/at rest, stays that way unless acted on... I speed

_____ 13) Can occur up and down, right to left, in circle, or zig-zags.
_____ 14) He saw an apple fall from a tree, thought about the Moon/planets.
_____ 15) In the air or on the ground are examples of this.
_____ 16) This can be fast, slow, or in between.
_____ 17) This will cause movement to become more difficult.
_____ 18) Law says a roller coaster ride will force your body against the seat.

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 Homework Name __________________________ Date _________

Instructions
1. Review Newton’s Three Laws of Motion
2. Either inside your home or outside your home, with parent’s permission, observe each of Newton’s
Laws in action.
3. Record observations carefully, and explain why it is related to the specific Law of Motion.
4. Use a drawing or diagram if necessary. Be as detailed as possible.

Newton’s
First Law

Newton’s
Second Law

Newton’s
Third Law

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 Answer Key (may vary)
Activity Name __________________________ Date _________

Supplies: 5 marbles, 2 balloons, 2 feet of string, pencil or wooden rod, 2 balls, piece of cardboard,
checker piece or similar object
1. Use the supplies to explain each of following terms and Newton’s Laws of Motion.
2. Write out one or more explanations using the space provided. Describe what happened.
3. You may also sketch of draw a picture to help explain the concept. Give details.
4. Another person should be able to use their supplies to understand the concept based on your
written explanation.

Motion Balls of marbles rolling string attached to pencil being pulled, etc.

Position Any item placed in a location.

Force Pushing the ball or pulling something with the string.

Speed Pushing the ball to increase the speed, pulling the pencil faster, etc.

Sliding the checker on the table, eventually stops; slows down when slid on
Friction
the cardboard due to increased friction. May also use the ball movement, etc.

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 Answer Key (may vary)
Activity Name __________________________ Date _________

Marble on top of checker, checker is pushed away, marble will fall off.
Newton’s Pull cardboard out from under the checker sitting atop of it.
First Law

Newton’s Marbles colliding with each other or the balls, arrows in explanation
Second Law showing different movement, pulling pencil with string, etc.

Newton’s Blowing up balloons, releasing the air, air goes in one direction, balloon goes
Third Law in opposite direction. Pencil “swinging” and hitting the marble, etc.

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 Practice Answer Key
Name __________________________ Date _________

Match the description, example, or definition with the correct term. Each used two times.
__C__ 1) Famous mathematician responsible for Laws of Motion.
__F__ 2) Law: Force acting on an object will change its velocity...
__I__ 3) It is how fast an object or person moves.
__G__ 4) Law: For every force/action, opposite and equal force/action. A force

__A__ 5) Push or pull of an object. B friction

__H__ 6) Place where a person or object is located. C Isaac Newton

__D__ 7) Movement from one place to another. D motion

__B__ 8) Force acts on another force to slow or stop it. E Newton’s 1st Law

__F__ 9) Example of this law is a tow truck pulling a car. F Newton’s 2nd Law

__G__ 10) The football player kicking the football is this law in action. G Newton’s 3rd Law

__A__ 11) This is needed to get something to move. H Position

__E__ 12) Law: A body in motion/at rest, stays that way unless acted on... I speed

__D__ 13) Can occur up and down, right to left, in circle, or zig-zags.
__C__ 14) He saw an apple fall from a tree, thought about the Moon/planets.
__H__ 15) In the air or on the ground are examples of this.
__I__ 16) This can be fast, slow, or in between.
__B__ 17) This will cause movement to become more difficult.
__E__ 18) Law says a roller coaster ride will force your body against the seat.

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