Lesson 13 — Forces: Pushes, Pulls and Arrows

Physical sciences, strand launch. Students learn that a force is a push or a pull that can change how an object moves. They sort everyday actions into pushes and pulls, then meet the key distinction: contact forces act only when objects touch (a push, a pull, friction), while forces at a distance act without touching (magnetism and gravity). Using a tug-of-war, they discover balanced forces (equal and opposite \u2014 no movement) and unbalanced forces (movement), and learn to represent forces with labelled arrows (bigger arrow = bigger force). Includes a slide deck with an animated push/pull and balanced-vs-unbalanced tug-of-war, and the Forces All Around worksheet. Connects to the recurring inquiry cycle used through the strand.