Investigating force direction helps Grade 3 students explore how the direction of a push can change an object's path. This Science reading organizer resource focuses on familiar objects, including toy cars, a ball, and a paper cup, to make the relationship between push direction and motion concrete and observable.

Explore how pushes change direction

Students read short informational passages about objects responding to pushes from different sides. They examine how a toy car can move forward or toward the right, how a ball can follow a different path when pushed from another side, and how pushing a paper cup from the left or right changes its direction of travel. These examples connect the main idea to specific supporting details that students can identify in each passage.

Practise reading and recording scientific ideas

The reading organizer format combines informational text with a graphic organizer. Students identify the main idea, locate supporting details in the passage, and record those details in the organizer. The set also introduces a simple fair-test investigation using a toy car. Students compare a forward push with a push from the left while keeping the car, floor, and starting line the same. They mark where the car stops and record the direction it travels.

Other tasks connect observations with visual representations. Students consider how a push from different sides affects a ball or cup, use arrows to show movement, and record forward, left, and right directions. Repeating a test provides an opportunity to check whether the car follows a similar path under the same conditions.

What teachers receive

• Short informational passages about force direction and object motion
• Main idea and supporting details graphic organizers
• Examples involving a toy car, ball, and paper cup
• A fair-test comparison using consistent starting conditions
• Visual direction and path recording activities

Ways to use the resource

Use these force and motion worksheets during a Grade 3 physical science lesson, as guided reading with science content, or for independent practice after students explore pushes in class. The passages can support a teacher-led discussion before students complete their organizers. The fair-test example can also help students connect written information with a simple investigation and explain observations using evidence from the text.

By linking reading comprehension to observable movement, this resource gives students a focused way to practise identifying main ideas and supporting details while exploring how the direction of a push affects motion. It is especially useful when students need to connect scientific explanations with specific examples rather than rely on broad statements about forces.