Forces

Grade Level: 5th

Subject: Science

Time Frame: 8 weeks (October - December)

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Essential Questions

 

- how is motion measured?
- how is speed calculated?
- what are contact forces (applied, frictional and normal)?
- what are non-contact forces?
- how do you know if forces are balanced or unbalanced?
- how do magnetic fields work?
- how do electrical fields work?
- how did scientists learn about gravitational force?
- when objects are dropped, which object will hit the ground first?
- how does increasing the distance between two objects change the force of gravity between those objects?
- how does changing the mass of two objects change the force of gravity between those objects?

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By the end of the unit, students will know:

 

- how motion and speed are measured and calculated
- the difference between contact and non-contact forces
- the forces that act on a falling object
- the history of our understanding of gravity
- the relationship between mass and distance and how they relate to the force of gravity
- an object's mass does not influence the force of Earth's gravity on it

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By the end of the unit, students will be able to:

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- calculate speed, distance and time
- differentiate between contact and non-contact forces
- describe contact forces- applied, frictional and normal
- describe non-contact forces- magnetic, electrical, and gravitational
- explain how the concept of gravity was observed throughout history
- form hypotheses about the rate at which objects will fall when dropped
- explain how mass and distance relate to the strength of gravity 

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Topics

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- review motion
- review force
- gravity
- contact forces vs. non-contact forces 
- relating mass and distance to gravity

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Standards

PS2.B