Standard 3.3.1
Plan and carry out investigations that provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object. Emphasize investigations where only one variable is tested at a time. Examples could include an unbalanced force on one side of a ball causing it to move and balanced forces pushing on a box from both sides producing no movement. (PS2.A, PS2.B)Standard 3.3.3
Construct an explanation that the gravitational force exerted by Earth causes objects to be directed downward, toward the center of the spherical Earth. Emphasize that "downward" is a local description depending on one's position on Earth. (PS2.B)Standard 3.3.4
Ask questions to plan and carry out an investigation to determine cause and effect relationships of electric or magnetic interactions between two objects not in contact with each other. Emphasize how static electricity and magnets can cause objects to move without touching. Examples could include the force an electrically charged balloon has on hair, how magnet orientation affects the direction of a force, or how distance between objects affects the strength of a force. Electrical charges and magnetic fields will be taught in Grades 6 through 8. (PS2.B)Hall, K. (2004). Tug of war: All about balance. When the bigger Beasties take on the smaller Beasties in a game of tug-of-war, they soon learn that size matters.
Walsh, E. (2010). Balancing act. Two mice make a teeter-totter. They're balancing just fine, but then along comes a frog. Can they make room for one more friend on their teeter-totter? What about two? What about more? But then a big bird comes along and wants to play too.
Kroll, V. (2005). Equal shmequal. What does it mean to be equal? Mouse and her friends want to play tug-of-war but they can't figure out how to make teams that are equal. Nothing works until Mouse starts thinking mathematically.
Llewellyn, C. (2004). And everyone shouted: “Pull!”: A first look at forces and motion. Farm animals struggle to get a cart moving using pushes and pulls.