Overview

This module provides grade 3 students with experiences around physical sciences core ideas dealing with forces and interactions, matter and its interactions, and with engineering design. The anchor phenomenon for the first three investigations is motion. Magnetism and gravity are the phenomena investigated as students look for patterns of motion to predict future motion. The driving question is what causes objects to move? Students work with magnets and paper clips, wheel–and–axle systems, paper air twirlers, and rotating tops. Students use their knowledge of science to enter the engineering design process and through the process refine their science understanding.

In the fourth investigation, students move from energy to matter. They build on the science concepts of matter and its interactions developed in grade 2 using new tools to quantify observations. Students use metric tools to produce data on mass and volume to serve as the basis for evidence for an explanation of the phenomena of conservation of mass. The guiding question is how can we use tools to measure the mass of materials in mixtures?

Throughout the Motion and Matter Module, students engage in science and engineering practices to collect data to answer questions, and to define problems in order to develop solutions. Students reflect on their own use of these practices and find out about how others use these practices in science and engineering careers.

Anchoring Phenomenon/Event

The anchor phenomenon for this module is motion. The driving question for the module is what causes objects to move? The module begins with a demonstration of multiple magnets on a pencil interacting with each other and gravity. The guiding question for this investigations is how can some objects push or pull one another without touching?

In Investigation 2, students use a variety of systems as phenomena to explore patterns of motion. The guiding question for this investigations is how can we use our observations of systems to predict motion?

In Investigation 3, students design a “cart” that can roll freely on an incline and investigate the variables that affect the phenomenon of gravity–driven motion down a slope. The guiding question for this investigations is how can we use observed patterns of motion to design solutions to engineering problems?

In the final investigation, students use metric tools to produce data on mass and volume to serve as the basis for evidence for an explanation of the phenomena of conservation of mass. The guiding question is how can we use tools to measure the mass of materials in mixtures?

The documents below have been created to help consider the FOSS materials in the context of the Next Generation Science Standards. We recommend you review, at the very least, the following documents:

• Unit Guide - A summary of materials, sequencing and content for the module.

• Storyline - An overview of the sequencing and reasons for the various activities

• Assessment - A collection of assessment tools including what to look for as students work on the activities.