Force and Motion Phenomena Poster Set

Help students investigate how forces affect the motion of objects with this engaging Force and Motion phenomena resource.

This six-poster collection uses visually rich science phenomena to encourage students to observe motion, analyze force interactions, ask questions, and develop explanations about speed, direction, balanced and unbalanced forces, and how changes in force can produce changes in motion.

Students move beyond simply identifying pushes and pulls and begin thinking more deeply about how forces act on objects and how those interactions can be represented and explained.

What’s Included

This resource includes six individual full-color portrait phenomena posters.

Each poster includes:

A high-interest phenomenon question

A detailed science visual, model, or real-world scenario

“What do you notice?” observation prompts

“What do you wonder?” discussion questions

Key science vocabulary

A “Try This Thinking” activity or challenge

A CER Starter for Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning practice

A concise science statement reinforcing the main concept

Explore Forces and Motion

Students investigate how forces can change an object’s speed, direction, or overall motion.

The phenomena provide opportunities to examine objects that are moving, slowing down, speeding up, changing direction, or remaining still.

Students can use visible changes in motion as evidence when developing explanations about the forces acting on an object.

Investigate Balanced and Unbalanced Forces

Students can compare situations in which forces are balanced with situations in which one force is stronger than another.

They can consider questions such as:

What forces are acting on the object?

Are the forces balanced or unbalanced?

Why is the object moving in a particular direction?

What would happen if one force became stronger?

Why might an object remain at rest even when forces are acting on it?

How can a force diagram help explain the motion?

These questions help students connect force interactions to observable changes in motion.

Analyze Changes in Speed and Direction

Motion can change in several ways.

Students investigate how forces can cause an object to accelerate, decelerate, stop, start moving, or change direction.

The posters help students recognize that a change in motion provides evidence that the forces acting on the object are not balanced.

Use Models to Represent Forces

Force diagrams and other visual models help make invisible interactions easier to understand.

Students can analyze arrows that represent the direction and relative strength of forces and connect those models to what is happening in the phenomenon.

This gives students practice using scientific representations to support explanations.

Connect Force Strength to Motion

Students can examine how changing the strength of a force influences motion.

The phenomena encourage students to compare different situations and identify patterns between the forces applied and the resulting changes in movement.

Students can use those patterns to make predictions about what may happen when forces change.

Build Observation and Questioning Skills

Each poster includes structured Notice and Wonder prompts that encourage students to examine the phenomenon carefully before forming an explanation.

Students can:

Describe an object’s motion

Identify possible forces

Compare force strength and direction

Analyze force diagrams

Look for patterns

Generate scientific questions

Make predictions

Develop and revise explanations

These routines support inquiry-based learning and meaningful classroom discussion.

Strengthen Science Vocabulary

Important science vocabulary is embedded within meaningful phenomena.

Students encounter concepts related to force, motion, speed, direction, balanced forces, unbalanced forces, acceleration, interaction, net force, and model while actively using those terms to explain what they observe.

Displaying the posters throughout the unit provides students with an ongoing visual vocabulary reference.

Support CER Practice

Each poster includes a student-friendly CER Starter.

Students practice making a Claim, identifying Evidence from the phenomenon or force model, and using Reasoning to explain how that evidence supports their scientific explanation.

Repeated CER opportunities help students develop stronger explanations about why an object’s motion changes.

Analyze Cause and Effect

Force and motion provide clear opportunities for students to investigate cause-and-effect relationships.

Students can identify a change in force and then examine the resulting change in motion.

They can also work backward from observable motion to infer what forces may be acting.

This helps students develop stronger scientific reasoning and prediction skills.

Great for Classroom Use

Use these posters for:

Whole-group science instruction

Phenomenon launches

Science focus walls

Notice and Wonder routines

Small-group instruction

Science centers

Science notebook responses

Vocabulary development

CER practice

Force diagram analysis

Motion investigations

Prediction activities

Partner discussions

Unit introductions

Review and reinforcement

Classroom displays

Revisit the Phenomena Throughout the Unit

Introduce each phenomenon before students have developed a complete explanation and collect their initial ideas.

As students investigate forces, motion, and force diagrams, return to the posters and ask them to revise their thinking.

Students can add new evidence, refine their models, and use increasingly precise scientific vocabulary to explain each interaction.

Make Forces Easier to Visualize

Students can see an object move, but the forces responsible for that motion are not always visible.

These posters help bridge that gap by combining observable motion with visual models, structured questioning, and evidence-based reasoning.

By bringing together engaging phenomena, force modeling, vocabulary development, and CER practice, this resource provides meaningful support throughout a Force and Motion unit.

Important Disclaimer

This resource is independently created and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or produced by Amplify Education. The use of “Amplify” in the product title is intended only to help educators identify the curriculum topic with which this supplemental resource may be used. Amplify Education owns its respective trademarks and curriculum materials.