An Online Science Resource for Friction Experiments

Friction is the name of the game! This package is an inquiry based activity that can be used for students to do either independently, in pairs, or even as an entire class. It addresses the grade 3 science curriculum, specifically the strand Understanding Matter and Energy: Forces Causing Movement.  It creates opportunity for students to get hands on with discovering what friction is and how it works. The package contains several copies of the book we wrote and published (What do you know about friction, eh?), a Teacher’s Resource Guide book (complete with directions, copies of the skier template, student worksheet, and assessment tool), copies of the student worksheet, popsicle sticks, toothpicks, tape, scissors and a variety of materials (different papers, tapes, sandpaper, foam, felt, etc.) to use on the skis.   The book and all the parts of this package are intended to guide students through the process of exploring what friction is, which follows Sticht’s Functional Context Theory.  This theory promotes that teachers should use instructional strategies that require students to make use of their language and problem-solving skills. The learners are afforded this opportunity through writing their predictions, reflecting on their predictions and the results of the experiments and also contributing to group discussions.