It’s a Balancing Act

Balance is the condition of equality between opposing or contrasting forces or elements. Stability is a lasting or enduring nature or quality; permanence.

You can explore the concepts of balance and stability through a variety of activities that are either abstract or concrete such as physical education, music, and art.

Balance and stability can also be found by studying electricity and magnetism. By making circuits, studying conduction and insulation, and building an electric motor you can see balance and stability in action.

In a simulation, you can act as a director of a new power plant by choosing the best energy source or sources to meet the needs of your community and keep the environment stable.

Historians consider balance and stability as they research and participate in simulations and activities that explore the factors that affect balance and stability in our nation.

You can explore the factors that affected the balance and stability of our nation in the areas of government, economics, and territorial expansion as you study the time period in U. S. history that begins with the Louisiana Purchase and ends with the conclusion of the Civil War.

Guiding Questions: How does balance lead to stability? How could balancing our uses of different energy resources stabilize our environment? Why did the westward movement lead to the balance and stability of our nation?