Forces start simply on this 3rd grade sheet. It defines a force as a push or a pull that can make an object move, stop, or change direction. Students then label three action pictures as a push or a pull. A Magnet Magic section follows with two multiple-choice questions, one on which object a magnet attracts and one on what happens when a North pole meets a South pole. Answers are marked for teachers, and the page ties to NGSS 3-PS2-1.
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.”
The Pushes and Pulls pictures, where students decide which force makes each object move, and the opening definition of a force as something that can move, stop, or turn an object.
Students look at three action pictures and write PUSH or PULL in the box beside each one. The key gives push, pull, push.
Question 1 asks students to circle the item a magnet will attract from a wooden block, a plastic toy, an iron nail, and a rubber eraser. Question 2 asks what happens when opposite poles of two magnets meet.
First lesson on forces
Act out each picture in front of the class before students write. A push toward the body and a pull away from it confuse some 8-year-olds, so the actions help.
Hands-on follow-up
Put a wooden block, a plastic toy, an iron nail, and an eraser on each table with a magnet. Students test question 1 for real and then circle their answer.
Morning work
The sheet is short enough for the first ten minutes of the day. Collect it and use question 2 to see who already knows the word attract.
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