- Balanced Forces
- Forces that do not change the motion of an object.
- Data
- Gathered facts.
- Energy
- The ability to do work.
- Estimation
- A prediction or value that is not exact.
- Force
- A push or pull that can change an object’s motion.
- Gravity
- A force that pulls objects toward the earth.
- Investigation
- How we collect data to know how things work.
- Motion
- The act of moving.
- Power
- The ability to do or act.
- Speed
- Rate of motion.
- Stability
- The state of being unchanged.
- Strategizing
- Making a plan.
- Unbalanced Forces
- Forces that change the motion of an object.
- Velocity
- How fast and the direction an object is moving.
Encouraging Vocabulary Usage
The following are additional ways to facilitate vocabulary usage as students are engaged in the activities throughout this Unit.
Students should be encouraged to use the vocabulary terms:
- Throughout all of the activities
- As they are working in groups
- As they are reflecting
- As they are sharing their knowledge and experience
Tips for Encouraging Vocabulary Usage
- "Biography page" Students will create a pretend biography page for one vocabulary word. Students can use the "about" section to write their own definition of the word. They can use the "photo" section to draw a photo that represents the vocab word. A "friends" section can be a list of other words that are synonyms of the selected vocabulary word. A timeline can be a list of where the students use the vocabulary word. This activity can be done individually or as a group. The biography page can be created on something as simple as a piece of paper using classroom materials.
- Example
- Name: Speed
- Photo Section: A picture of a car with lines to represent the car moving very fast
- Friends: rate
- Timeline: We configured the gears in order to increase the speed.
- Example
- "Race against the teacher" The teacher keeps a tally count on the board or on a piece of paper at the front of the room. The objective is to see how many times the students use the vocabulary words correctly in either a discussion or a question vs. how many times their teacher does.
- Example
- (Student) - Our Unpowered Super Car moved because of the force from our hands.
- (Teacher) - Students, keep in mind to write down the data you collect when testing the number of turns of the knob and how that affects the Super Car’s movement.
- Example
- Encourage vocabulary usage with discussions using open-ended questions about the builds and test trials:
- What did you notice when you tested your car?
- What forces affected the motion of the car in the trial?
- What specifically worked or didn’t work?
- Can you predict how the car will move in this experiment?