ELA / 3rd Grade / Unit 5: Forces and Motion
Students learn about the relationship between force and motion and the meaning of gravity, friction, magnetism, potential and kinetic energy while participating in teacher-created labs and activities.
ELA
Unit 5
3rd Grade
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In this science-based unit, students explore force and motion. In the first half of the unit students learn what force is, what the relationship between force and motion is, how applying a force can affect the way an object moves, what Newton’s three laws of motion involve, and how gravity, friction, and magnetism are all forces that influence motion. Students will also learn about energy and the differences between potential and kinetic energy. In order to understand force and motion at a deep level, the structure of this unit is slightly different than other units. After reading a section of text to build content, students will participate in teacher-created labs and activities that allow for students to interact with the material hands-on. It is important to note that this unit does not always specifically prescribe activities and labs; rather, a general topic and a potential link are provided, and it is up to the teacher to make the material come to life in a way that motivates and engages students. Without the lab days, students will not be able to truly internalize the concepts they are reading. In the second half of the unit, students will use everything they have learned about force and motion to understand the forces in action with soccer, race cars, and roller coasters. Students will also begin to interact with the scientific method and participate in a few hands-on labs that require students to come up with a question and hypothesis, test the hypothesis, and then analyze the results. Through a combination of reading, labs, and research, it is our hope that students begin to build a deep understanding of force and motion and its influence on our lives.
As readers, this unit builds on to the informational skills and strategies learned in previous units. At this point it is assumed that students are able to actively read and annotate informational texts in order to build understanding of a topic. Therefore, the focus of this unit is on refining students’ ability to use different strategies to comprehend denser scientific texts. In particular, students will work on identifying and explaining cause and effect using text features to understand a text, and explaining how an author uses text features and ideas to explain different concepts. Mini-lessons and annotation focus should vary depending on individual class and student needs.
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The central thematic questions addressed in the unit or across units
What transferable understandings students should have as readers by the end of the unit
The focus of this unit is on refining students’ ability to use different strategies to comprehend denser scientific texts. In particular, students will focus on identifying and explaining cause and effect relationship. Students will need to rely on a combination of key-vocabulary, the text, and text-features to describe key cause and effect relationships.
Specific skills to focus on when giving feedback on writing assignments
At this point in the year, all target writing focus areas and rubric rows have been taught. With remediation and small-group instruction, most students should be at a 3 on the majority of rubric rows. Therefore, the focus of this unit is on pushing students from a 3 to a 4, particularly in regards to elaboration and details. In this unit, students should be pushed to include the most relevant text-based details and examples to support the claim. Providing any evidence, even if it is close, is no longer sufficient. Students should also be challenged to think about what it means to provide evidence. At this point students are most familiar with providing evidence that is a direct quotation from the text followed by two to three sentences of explanation. This, however, is not the only form of providing and explaining evidence that students should be familiar with, and oftentimes providing one text-based quotation limits a student’s understanding and explanation of a topic. Therefore, students should also know how to and be encouraged to include facts, examples, micro-stories, and information that supports the overall claim.
An additional focus of this unit is on using words and phrases to connect different parts of the essay. Up to this point students have used transition words as a way of linking evidence. In this unit students should think about the ways in which they can use transition words to help shift from reasons to evidence or as a way to introduce a new point. Students should also use transition words as a way to show the overall structure and order of the text.
Literary terms, text-based vocabulary, idioms and word parts to be taught with the text
force, push, pull, friction, gravity, inertia, mass, momentum, exert, weight, mass, sliding friction, rolling friction, fluid friction, magnetism, poles, repel, attract, work, potential energy, kinetic energy, air resistance, scientific method, hypothesis, speed, velocity
In order to ensure that all students are able to access the texts and tasks in this unit, it is incredibly important to intellectually prepare to teach the unit prior to launching the unit. Use the intellectual preparation protocol and the Unit Launch to determine which support students will need. To learn more, visit the Supporting all Students teacher tool.
Fishtank ELA units related to the content in this unit.
Explain why the author says that “forces are all around us” by describing the relationship between scientific concepts in a text.
Standards
RI.3.3
Explain if all forces are the same and defend why or why not by describing the relationship between scientific concepts in a text.
Explain why Isaac Newton’s laws of motion are important by describing the relationship between scientific concepts in a text.
Participate in a hands-on activity to deepen understanding of scientific concepts and ideas.
Explain what life would be like without gravity by describing the relationship between scientific concepts in a text.
Explain what life would be like without friction by describing the relationship between scientific concepts in a text.
Explain what life would be like without magnets and magnetism by describing the relationship between scientific concepts in a text.
Explain what life would be like without energy and the ability to transfer energy by describing the relationship between scientific concepts in a text.
RI.3.3W.3.1
Explain how Newton’s three laws of motion connect to soccer by describing the relationship between scientific concepts in a text.
2 days
Design an experiment that shows how force affects the motion of a soccer ball by using the scientific method to confirm or deny a hypothesis.
Explain how the parts of a racecar affect how it moves by describing the relationship between scientific concepts in a text.
Create an experiment that shows which type of racecar will reach the finish line the fastest by using the scientific method to confirm or deny a hypothesis.
Explain the forces that make a roller-coaster car move from the beginning to the end of a ride by describing the relationship between scientific concepts in a text.
Design and build a roller-coaster track to get a marble from one desk to another and explain why it did or did not work by using the scientific method to confirm or deny a hypothesis.
3-5-ETS1-1
Analyze and debate unit-essential questions by stating a claim and supporting the claim with evidence from the entire unit.
RI.3.3SL.3.1W.3.1
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The content standards covered in this unit
3-5-ETS1-1 — Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.
3-5-ETS1-2 — Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
3-PS2-1 — Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object. Clarification Statement: Examples could include an unbalanced force on one side of a ball can make it start moving; and, balanced forces pushing on a box from both sides will not produce any motion at all. Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to one variable at a time: number, size, or direction of forces. Assessment does not include quantitative force size, only qualitative and relative. Assessment is limited to gravity being addressed as a force that pulls objects down.
L.3.1 — Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
L.3.2 — Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
L.3.4 — Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning word and phrases based on grade 3 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
L.3.5 — Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings.
L.3.6 — Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate conversational, general academic, and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal spatial and temporal relationships (e.g., After dinner that night we went looking for them).
RF.3.4 — Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
RI.3.2 — Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea.
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.
RI.3.4 — Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 3 topic or subject area.
RI.3.7 — Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur).
RI.3.8 — Describe the logical connection between particular sentences and paragraphs in a text (e.g., comparison, cause/effect, first/second/third in a sequence).
RI.3.10 — By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grades 2—3 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
SL.3.1 — Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
SL.3.4 — Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace.
SL.3.6 — Speak in complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification.
W.3.1 — Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons.
W.3.2 — Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
W.3.4 — With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1—3 above.)
W.3.5 — With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing.
W.3.10 — Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
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