3-PS2-1 Balanced and Unbalanced Forces Lab

Description

3-PS2-1 Balanced and Unbalanced Forces Lab Preview

SNAPs Lab Stations Activities require students to use science, math, literacy, problem-solving and engineering skills. They are designed to enhance students’ understanding of scientific concepts and help students apply scientific ideas to the real world. Each station activity promotes skills so to develop students into proficient and competent scientific thinkers.

SNAPs lab activities have five components:
• Science Skills Station to develop science skill proficiency
• Narrative Station to build science literacy
• Assessment Station to evaluate learning and understanding
• Problem-Solving Station to foster engineering design
• Synthesis Station and Project to inspire higher-order learning

DIGITAL LABORATORY – DISTANCE LEARNING & DIGITAL CLASSROOMS
• This lab is offered in a digital format to support digital classrooms & distance learning.
• The digital lab activity is designed to work with Google Slides and Microsoft PowerPoint
• The digital lab activity CANNOT be edited. However:
– Students can manipulate text boxes
– Students can create tables, graphs and diagrams
– Students can insert images and drawings

GOOGLE FORM ASSESSMENT STATION
• The assessment station is offered as a self-grading Google Form.
• Questions are all short answer and are 100% editable.
• Suggestions for use are included in the download.

DISTANCE LEARNING COMPATIBILITY
SNAPs lab activities are rated for their ease with distance – independent learning. Refer to the preview for more information about how well this laboratory works in a fully digital classroom and with distance learning.

EDITABLE DOCUMENTS
This download includes an editable word document (docx file) of all lab components:
• Pre-Lab and Post-Lab Activities
• The Lab Overview
• Lab Station Activities and Questions
• Directed Synthesis Project (when applicable)

Important Notes:
• Diagrams, illustrations, tables and graphs essential to lab activities are included
• Illustrative clipart is NOT included
• Editable documents and rubrics are included with the FREE SNAPs Setup Guide

Editable files allow you to:
• Edit the scope of the activities so to suit your students’ needs
• Edit the materials required based on resource availability
• Create single-period “mini-labs” using activities at the individual skills stations

The activities at each station in this lab are detailed below.

Balanced and Unbalanced Forces Lab Stations Activity Learning Objectives
1. Compare and contrast balanced and unbalanced forces.
2. Determine the effect of unbalanced forces on the motion of an object.

Science Skills Station
At this station, students will investigate unbalanced and balanced forces. They will conduct a short investigation with a wooden block to determine how unbalanced forces affect the motion of the block. They will also plan and conduct an investigation that explores how balanced and unbalanced forces affect objects with different masses differently.

Narrative Station
At this station, students will read an informational text about balanced and unbalanced forces. They will answer questions about the information in the text. They will then use the information learned in the text to categorize examples of balanced and unbalanced forces.

Assessment Station
At this station, students will answer questions about key terms and ideas relating to balanced and unbalanced forces. Students will have to employ lower, mid and higher order thinking skills to answer these questions.

Problem-Solving Station
At this station, students will create tug-of-war teams so that the teams are equal and balanced. Students will be given a group of scientists. They will have to divide the scientists into teams so that when they participate in tug-of-war, the forces exerted by each team are equal and balanced.

Synthesis Station
Students will compose a CER (claim-evidence-reasoning) report to summarize the lab. Students are provided the claim statement and must support the claim with observations, data and other information gathered in the lab. Students will explain how the evidence supports the claim using scientific reasoning.

Synthesis Project
Students will have a choice of 11 projects. Refer to the SNAPs Lab Stations Best Practices and Setup Guide for directions and suggestions on how to conduct the project.

This download includes:
• A pre-lab assignment and post-lab reflection
• Directions and questions for each lab station
• Student recording sheets
• Teacher Key

Additional Materials Required:
1 small wooden block
1 large wooden block (larger than the small block but made of same materials)
Piece of cardboard or thin piece of wood
Scale (optional but strongly suggested)
Calculator

NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS
This laboratory satisfies NGSS 3-PS2-1. It combines the three dimensions of science learning – science and engineering practices, disciplinary core ideas and crosscutting concepts – to meet the standard. This lab also makes interdisciplinary connections to STEM, Math CCSS and ELA CCSS to build the appropriate skills.

TERMS OF USE
• All rights reserved by Stephanie Elkowitz.
• This product is to be used by the original purchaser only.
• Intended for classroom and personal use only.
• Copying for more than one teacher, classroom, department, school, or school system is prohibited.
• This product may not be distributed or displayed digitally for public view.
• Failure to comply is a copyright infringement and a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).