Forces & Structures Resources

This is the LAST resources post regarding my Grade 7 Science curriculum planning and it covers the unit of Forces & Structures. All together, there are four units covered over the course of the school year and I have been sharing my individual unit breakdowns and online resource database. Until I actually meet my students and spend time learning their needs and interests, I have been building a plethora of resources to have in my back pocket as we make our way through the school year. Over the past 2 months, I have been sharing these resources with you! Check out my previous Grade 7 Science resources posts, broken down by individual units:
– Interactions with Ecosystems
– The Earth’s Crust
– Particle Theory of Matter

Forces and structures, structures and forces resources, manitoba grade 7 science curriculum, manitoba grade 7 science resources

Engineering the Future. (2013). Uploaded by Living Children Multimedia. Available online at: http://legacy.mos.org/etf/force.html

This unit was really enjoyable to plan out because it lends itself very naturally to having a lot of hands-on building activities. In regards to my full year planning, I have placed this unit as our very last one so that students have an opportunity to have lots of busy, hands-on, exploratory learning opportunities at the end of May and June. I feel like this will be a good fit for that time of year when students are not feeling like being in the classroom listening to lecture or working on written assignments.

Forces on Structures

Enduring Understanding: Structures are under internal and external forces that affect their strength and stability.

7-3-01 Use appropriate vocabulary related to their investigations of forces and

structures.

Include: frame, shell, solid, centre of gravity, stability, compression,

tension, shear, torsion, internal and external forces, stress, structural

fatigue, structural failure, load, magnitude, point and plane of application,

efficiency.

7-3-02 Classify natural and human-built structures found locally and around the

world.

Include: frame, shell, solid

7-3-03 Identify the centre of gravity in a model structure, and demonstrate that

changes in the location of a structure’s centre of gravity affect its stability.

7-3-04 Identify internal forces acting on a structure, and describe them using

diagrams.

7-3-05 Identify external forces acting on a structure, and describe them using

diagrams.

7-3-06 Recognize the internal and external forces apply stress to structures, and

describe examples in which this stress has lead to structural fatigue or

structural failure.

7-3-07 Investigate to determine that the effect of a force on a structure depends on

its magnitude, direction, and point and plane of application.

Analyzing & Designing Structures

Enduring Understanding: Specific materials & structural shapes can increase the strength and stability of structures so that they can withstand external forces.

7-3-08 Describe, using diagrams, how common structural shapes and components

can increase the strength and stability of a structure

7-3-09 Describe and demonstrate methods to increase the strength of materials.

7-3-10 Determine the efficiency of a structure by comparing its mass with the

mass of the load it supports.

7-3-11 Evaluate a structure to determine the appropriateness of its design, using

the design process.

7-3-12 Use the design process to construct a structure that will withstand the

application of an external force.

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In addition to hard-copy resources I have available in the school and from colleagues, I also started to organize some online resources to supplement our classroom activities. Here are the resources I found, organized by the themes I stated above. For each one I’ve included the title, a very brief point about what it includes, and the link.

Forces on Structures

Structures & Forces YouTube Video

– Review Video

– No sound but good demonstration and explanation of vocabulary

– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IN544ZKzmQ

Science 7: Forces & Structures YouTube Playlist

– 13 Videos

– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8wKV0UQtlo&list=PLAwN8FBhTbzZbo-MX649EUZGry0cLjWrn

Sturdy as an Egg Test

– U of M Lab Test

– Investigating pressures

– http://www.umanitoba.ca/outreach/crystal/Grade%207%20Science.html

Structures & Forces Textbook

– Chapter from a Textbook

– Good to put on website or pull info from

– http://schools.cbe.ab.ca/b682/pdfs/Science%207/Structures%20and%20Forces%20T1-2.pdf

Domino Tower

– U of M Lab

– Centre of Gravity test

– http://www.umanitoba.ca/outreach/crystal/Grade%207%20Science.html

Unit 4 Structures & Forces Webquest

– External & Internal, classifying structures, strength & stability

– http://www.edquest.ca/pdf/sia74rb.pdf

Types of Forces

– U of M Lesson

– Compression, Tension, Torsion, Shear

– http://www.umanitoba.ca/outreach/crystal/Grade%207%20Science.html

Structures & Forces PowerPoint

– Good teaching resource

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=Zm1jc2QuYWIuY2F8aGFuZHxneDplYmM2YTJiYzdlOTY1MmQ

Investigating Forces & Structures

– Webquest Activity

– Good for Supplementary Activity or if there is a Sub

– http://content.blackgold.ca/ict/Divison3/Structures/structures.htm

Forces of Wonder Game – Wonderville

– In-class Fun Activity

– Good game to have when students are done early

– http://www.wonderville.ca/asset/forces-of-wonder

Forces & Structures Study Notes

– Good review activity

– Includes everything

– http://daferguson.horizon.ab.ca/docs/library/sf_unitstudynotes.pdf

Analyzing & Designing Structures

Canada

’s Wonderland Structure Design Lab

– Good for real-life application

https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=5&cad=rja&ved=0CFQQFjAE&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.canadaswonderland.com%2Fimages%2Fuploads%2Ffile%2FScience%2520Grades%25207%2520%26%25208(1).doc&ei=tcTlUfqhHeLMiQKuhoDwAQ&usg=AFQjCNHF-chJBwzD8s37l1nZIgSsZMRLow&sig2=ODsS9VP_06_CXDRN3ThltA&bvm=bv.49405654,d.cGE

Structures Around the World

– Interactive, large-group activity

– http://www.exploratorium.edu/structures/

Children’s Engineering Educators

– LOTS of different labs, interactives, and articles

– http://www.childrensengineering.com/linksstructures.htm

Building Big PBS Forces Lab

– SMART Board, large-group activity or center activity

– http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/lab/forces.html

NOVA Physics of Stone Arches Interactive

– Large-group activity

– http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/physics/arch-physics.html

Structures & Forces Interactive

– Really good online activity

– Vocabulary, design sky scrapers

– http://legacy.mos.org/etf/force.html

Stable & Unstable Structures Discovery Ed Lesson

– 2 Day plan

– http://www.discoveryeducation.com/teachers/free-lesson-plans/stable-and-unstable-structures.cfm

NOVA Smart Bridges Video

– Analyzing structures

– 9 mins

– http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tech/smart-bridges.html

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I hope you find these resources as awesome as I do! If there is something you think I should add to my list let me know, I’d love to hear about the awesome things you are using with your class 🙂