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3rd grade · Science · Unit 2 of 8

Pushes, Pulls & Forces

Gravity, magnets, friction and changing motion

What your child practices

Forces as pushes and pulls, contact and non-contact forces (gravity, magnetism, static electricity), friction, how bigger forces change motion more, and helmets and seat belts as safety devices.

Alaska content standards learning standard: 3-PS2-1; 3-PS2-3 · balanced and unbalanced forces, and magnetic forces that act without touching

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. A force is a push or a pull. A bigger force changes motion more.
  2. Contact forces need touching. Gravity, magnetism and static work without touching.
  3. Friction slows moving things. Helmets and seat belts spread out forces to protect us.

Example: A magnet pulls a paper clip from a short distance. Contact or non-contact force? The magnet does not touch the clip. Answer: non-contact

Pushes, Pulls & Forces in Alaska

In the Alaska content standards, this is unit 2 of 8 in 3rd grade Science, after How Plants Grow & Change and before Basic Needs & Life Cycles.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Alaska Department of Education and Early Development

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    A bike helmet helps keep you safe in a crash because it…

    ⛑️
    • makes the bike faster
    • takes away gravity
    • cushions and spreads out the force
    • stops the bike from falling

  2. Question 2

    Which kind of force can change a flat piece of clay into a ball?

    🧱
    • squeezing and pushing
    • gravity only
    • a smell
    • a magnet

  3. Question 3

    Which force can act without touching?

    🧲
    • pushing a swing
    • kicking a ball
    • magnetism
    • friction

  4. Question 4

    To reduce damage from flooding along a river, people can…

    🌊
    • remove all dams
    • cut down trees on the bank
    • pour more water on the banks
    • build barriers and keep homes away from the riverbank

  5. Question 5

    A hockey player hits a moving puck from the side. What changes?

    🏒
    • its color
    • its temperature only
    • its weight
    • its direction

  6. Question 6

    Two magnets push each other apart without touching. This shows a…

    🧲
    • contact force
    • non-contact force
    • twisting force
    • friction

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