Forces at Work
Grades: 3-6
Strand: Compound Machine
Summary: One of my favourite simple machine sites has another great companion site on compound machine and forces. Students are sent on a journey to find a plunger for the robot. Along the way, students must learn how compound machines work and which forces are working together to get the job done. There are twenty questions in all and students have the option to print out their scores at the end of the game.
How to integrate: Shared, Modeled, Independent
Some questions can be a little challenging (the target grades is from 2-6) but since it is multiple choice it is only a matter of time for students to answer all the questions. The questions also use a lot of terms that grade 3s might not be familiar with, therefore it could be more as a guided activity.
Grades: 2-4
Strand: Gravity
Summary: Use your student's engineering skills and simple machine knowledge to get a ball into a cup. There are a selection of simple machines that students can choose to use. Use one or two or all, the only objective is to get the ball into the cup.
How to integrate: Shared, Guided, Independent
This is a fun game that will get your students thinking about how simple machines help us do simple tasks. It is also a great game to start adding challenges to - for instance, challenge your students to create a path using the least number of parts, or the most number of parts, or use time to see if your students are up to the challenge.
Grades: 3-6
Strand: Friction and Gravity
Summary: In this "what if" simulation, students must decide which factors they want to change in order to make a great roller coaster. The factors include, hill size, mass of the cart, speed, friction and gravity. By exploring different combination, student will be able to do identify how each force is important in roller coasters.
How to integrate: Guided, Independent
Give the students a chance to do what they want and make crazy fly-off-the-rails coasters. Then slowly tell them to change on factor at a time to see what changes happen. Eventually, students should be able to maximize the forces and make them work together to create a successful roller coaster.
Grades: 3-5
Strand: Compound Machine
Summary: Students must create compound machines using different parts (bottom screen) by dragging and dropping to the right place in order to complete the assigned task. Tasks ranges from feeding the flower to walking the dog. They may sound a little silly, but they all have the same objective: Energy is always gathered from somewhere and energy can be changed to other forms to get work done.
How to integrate: Shared, Guided, Independent
Trial and error will often be the name of this game, but students should be able to see how one form of energy is transferred to another.
Grades: 2-3
Strand: Push and Pull
Summary: What happens when we give something a hard push versus a soft push? BBC use this virtual environment to create an experiment where students can test what would happen in such instances. They can also add different obstacles along the way to see if the horse will make it to the finish line.
How to integrate: Modeled, Shared, Independent
Students would benefit from having a chart or a table to ensure they test and try every combination. This is also a great way for students to "play" with the science without having to set up and rearrange the whole classroom. Or use it as a follow up after a similar in class experiment of the same nature.
Grades: 3-4
Strand: Push, Pull and Gradient
Summary: After exploring the factors of push and pull, students will examine how gradients and the mass of the car will affect how far the object travels. This activity will teach students to explore the different forces which push, pull or make things move and explore devices, including toys which makes things speed up or stop.
How to integrate: Modeled, Shared, Independent
Similar to the other BBC site, students should use the two together so that they can relate push and pulls as a type of force. Charts and tables are also a good tool to help capture the learning.
Grades: 3-4
Strand: Forces in daily life
Summary: This force site is a combination slide show with interactive elements that help introduce students to the idea of forces in our daily life. There are 9 slides in total, some slides are drag and drop while other involve writing on the board.
How to integrate: Shared, Modeled
This is a great introduction lesson. Students will be able to see the force and use a variety of ways to show it.
Grades: 3-5
Strand: Structures and Machines
Summary: Rube Goldberg designed machines that made simple tasks much more complicated. The ZOOMers were challenged to design a machine that serves lunch to the ZOOM cast and crew. They've called it the Goldburger To Go, and they need your help to finish it.
How to integrate: Shared, Modeled
Grades: 3-5
Strand: Structures and Machines
Summary: A set of interactive lessons on Forces.
- What are forces (online version) --> red section
- Balanced and Unbalanced Forces (online version) --> Orange
- Newton's Laws (online version) --> Yellow
- Types of Forces (online version) --> Green
- Free body diagrams (online version) --> blue
- Pressure (online version) --> Indigo
- Moment of a force (online version) --> Violet
How to integrate: Shared, Modeled
