1. A look at some ideas and activities involved in teaching Forces at KS3

2. Objectives To identify key words and ideas at KS3
To explore practical activities where pupils can experience and visualise forces both qualitatively and quantitatively
To consider and evaluate class management of practical activities
To develop clear procedures and rules for teaching pupils how to analyse forces and motion
To consider how and where diagnostic questions can be used

3. Forces at KS1 and KS2 They will have learnt about pushes and pulls
forces produce movement
friction
forces of magnets
forces of springs
forces between Earth, Sun and Moon
balanced and unbalanced forces

4. Forces at KS3 Pupils should be taught:- Force and linear motion
Speed
Gravity and weight
Balanced and unbalanced forces
Frictional forces
Force and rotation
Principle of moments
Force and Pressure
Pressure = Force/Area
Applications of pressure

5. Introducing forces What do they already know?
How do you engage pupils?
Starter activities
‘Large demonstrations’
Brainstorming

6. Direction of forces
Force acts at point of contact (bit obvious, but not always recognised by pupils)
Examples (lots and lots!)

7. Measuring forces Force-meter/newton-meter
Measuring forces round the room
Bathroom scales to measure your weight in Newtons
Which leads us on to GRAVITY

8. Gravity How would you define ‘mass’ and ‘weight’?
The force of gravity on every kg is 10N approximately here on the Earth’s surface
Gravity makes things accelerate downwards all at the same rate (neglecting air resistance at this point)
Gravity doesn’t affect forward motion

9. Friction
Can divide this topic into friction between solid surfaces and in fluids
Useful friction and friction as a nuisance
What happens if there is no friction?
Terminal velocity
Experiments to remember

10. Forces and linear motion
What do we mean by ‘balanced and unbalanced’ forces?
Balanced forces = constant motion (or stationary)
Unbalanced forces = changing motion
Measuring speed

11. Forces and pressure Pressure = Force/Area Units?
Demonstrating the effect of changing the area acted on
Measuring pressure on the ground made by our feet

12. Turning forces or moments
“Give me a lever and I can move the world”
Clockwise and anticlockwise moments
Examples of moments in action

13. Summary of forces topics
Introduction to forces
Direction and measuring forces
Gravity
Friction
Forces and motion
Forces and pressure
Turning forces and moments