Teach your students about balanced and unbalanced forces with this printable mini-book perfect for Year 7 science lessons.
Explore Balanced and Unbalanced Forces
By Year 7, our students understand that a force is a push or a pull that acts on an object. What they may not yet know is that forces have both strength and direction, that force is measured in a unit called ‘newtons,’ and that the forces acting upon an object can affect its motion in different ways. That’s a lot of new information to absorb and remember!
This mini-book about the concept of balanced and unbalanced forces has been designed by our experienced teacher team to help your students learn about this physics concept. Written in age-appropriate language and accompanied by relevant visuals to support understanding, you’ll want every student in your class to have a copy of this valuable science resource!
The pages of this balanced and unbalanced forces mini-book include:
- Title page
- KWL activity
- Measuring a force
- It all adds up
- Balanced forces
- Unbalanced forces
- Can forces be seen?
This balanced and unbalanced forces mini-book also contains three ‘Check for Understanding’ activities to help you assess whether your students are grasping the ideas presented. These include:
- Show What You Know (3 x quiz questions)
- Identifying Unbalanced Forces
- Vocabulary Matching
This resource downloads as a black-and-white PDF or an editable Google Slides document.
Students can keep their mini-book on hand as a reference as they work through their unit on balanced and unbalanced forces.
Using This Mini-Book in Your Forces Lessons
If you’re keen on some ideas as to how you might implement this balanced and unbalanced forces mini-book in your classroom, read on below for one experienced teacher’s suggestion:
- Introduction (Whole Class) – Begin with a brief discussion about balanced and unbalanced forces and introduce the mini-book as a resource to deepen understanding. Highlight key vocabulary and concepts, such as magnitude, newtons and net force.
- Guided Reading (Small Groups) – Divide the class into small groups based on reading levels or learning needs. Guide each group through the mini-book, facilitating discussions and addressing questions to ensure comprehension.
- Interactive Reading (Individual) – Allow students to explore the mini-book individually. Provide time for them to absorb the information at their own pace and to complete the ‘Check for Understanding’ tasks. You could also encourage annotation or note-taking for better retention.
- Application (Whole Class) – Engage the class in discussions about real-world examples mentioned in the mini-book. Connect the concepts to everyday experiences, encouraging students to share their thoughts and observations.
How to Create This Forces Mini-Book
Use the dropdown menu on the Download button above to access either the quick-print PDF or the editable Google Slides version of this resource. (Note: You will be prompted to make a copy of the Google Slides template before accessing it.)
This resource contains five A4-sized pages. Each page includes two mini-book pages (10 pages in total). To assemble the mini-book, follow these simple steps.
- Print out the resource. Create copies as required.
- Cut each page along the dotted line.
- Compile the pages in order.
- Staple the pages along the left-side margin to create a booklet.
- Distribute to the students.
Your students will love adding their own personal touches to this mini-book while learning about balanced and unbalanced forces.
This resource was created by David Steffes, a Teach Starter collaborator.
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