Electric and Magnetic Forces Matching

3rd Grade ScienceForces and Interactions3 pages

About this worksheet

Students work through ten cause-and-effect matches about forces that act without touching. The first five pair magnetic actions, such as holding a strong magnet near steel paper clips, with their results. The next five do the same for static electricity, from rubbing a balloon on your hair to touching a metal doorknob after walking on carpet in socks. A short-answer question about toy train cars that push apart closes the sheet. The page meets NGSS 3-PS2-3. Item 1 is already filled in as a model, and the answer key has a full reply for the train question.

Remix for free

Electric and Magnetic Forces Matching: Forces and Interactions - page 1

Electric and Magnetic Forces Matching: Forces and Interactions - page 2

Electric and Magnetic Forces Matching: Forces and Interactions - page 3

Curriculum objectives covered

3-PS2-3

“Ask questions to determine cause and effect relationships of electric or magnetic interactions between two objects not in contact with each other.”

All ten matches link an action to its effect across a gap, such as a charged balloon sticking to a wall. Question 11 asks students to find the cause of the train cars repelling.

What's inside this worksheet

Magnetic Actions

Items 1 to 5 cover like poles, opposite poles, paper clips, a magnet moved away from an iron nail, and a plastic ruler. Students write the letter of the matching effect in the middle box.

Static Electricity Actions

Items 6 to 10 cover a rubbed balloon, a charged balloon held near a wall, a carpet-and-doorknob zap, two charged balloons, and a plain unrubbed balloon that just falls down.

Short Answer

Question 11 describes two magnetic toy train cars that push away from each other. Students explain why it happens and how to fix it.

How teachers use it

After a static lab

Run the balloon tests from items 6, 7, and 9 first, then hand out the sheet. Students match from what they saw instead of guessing.

Partner talk

Ask pairs to say each match aloud as a because sentence, such as "the balloons repel because both are charged." It turns a matching task into cause-and-effect language.

Writing check

Grade question 11 on its own. A full answer names same poles facing each other and says to turn one car around, as the key shows.

More 3rd Grade Science worksheets

Weather and Climate Life Cycles Inheritance and Variation

Get started today

Create your own lesson plans, worksheets, and classroom activities in minutes using our AI-powered tools.

Try Chalkie for free