Mississippi Science P.5.6.4
The Standard
- P.5.6
- Students will demonstrate an understanding of the factors that affect the motion of an object through a study of Newton's Laws of Motion.
Plan and conduct scientific investigations to test the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the speed and/or direction of objects in motion.
2026 Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science · Motions, Forces, and Energy
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students test how pushes and pulls affect a moving object. They compare equal and unequal forces, then record changes in speed or direction.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student plans a test that changes one force while keeping the starting motion the same. They use measurements or marked paths to explain when an object speeds up, slows down, or turns.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think a moving object must have a force pushing it forward. They may also call two forces balanced just because both are present, without checking their strength and direction.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: A cart rolls right. Equal forces pull it left and right in trial A; the right pull is stronger in trial B. Predict its speed in each trial and name one measurement that would test your predictions.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Roll a toy car down a ramp, tug a side string in one run, and mark how its path differs from an untugged run.
Ask, 'Can a cart keep moving when forces are balanced?' Have students draw force arrows and explain their answer.
Give pairs arrow cards and a moving-cart sketch; have them draw two cards and predict the cart's next motion.
Watch a cyclist brake in a short video; have students draw arrows for the bike's motion and the force slowing it.
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Printable P.5.6.4 Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to P.5.6.4, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
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Related Standards
- PHS.5.2
Design and conduct an investigation to study the motion of an object using properties such as displacement, time of motion, velocity, and acceleration.
- P.6.6.5
Conduct investigations to predict and explain the motion of an object according to its position, direction, speed, and acceleration.
- P.3.6.2
Plan an experiment to investigate the relationship between a force applied to an object (e.g., friction, gravity) and resulting motion of the object.
- P.3.5.3
Plan and conduct investigations that particles speed up or slow down with addition or removal of heat.
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