3rd Grade STEM

Forces and interactions are at work all around us. We experience pushes and pulls, resistance forces, gravity, and friction in our daily routines. In this module, students will gain understanding of forces and interactions using multiple modalities. They will explore, design, sketch, and build both simple and compound machines that demonstrate the use of forces. Students will also test the forces of magnets as they build skills and knowledge that can be applied in solving an open-ended, real-world situated problem. From the scaffolded learning that comes from the activities, project, and problem of this module, students will be able to predict the effects of a force on an object.

The design problem for this module will be presented to students through a fictional story. The problem will involve rescuing a trapped zoo animal. Solving this problem will require that students plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object.

As students work through this module on Stability and Motion: Forces and Interactions, they will also be engaged in hands-on experiences with how engineers use a step-by-step process to solve problems related to our wants and needs. Students will evaluate a problem in a novel situation—rescuing a zoo animal—and will apply the design process as they develop a solution.