Subject Physical Science

Grade level k-5

Duration 1 week
Objectives:

Demonstrate an understanding of the terms force, gravity, friction, and speed

Experiment with the effects of mass and friction on speed and motion

Understand that friction and other forces have an effect on speed and motion

Materials:

Motion, Forces, Energy, and Electricity video and VCR or DVD and DVD player

Group k-1

Books, blocks, or other stacking materials

36" x 12" (1 m x 30.5 cm) pieces of smooth plywood or other sturdy, flat
material, 1 per group

Small toy cars with moving wheels, one per student group

Pennies, washers, or other small uniform objects with weight, 6 per student
group

Tape

1-foot (30.5 cm) sheets of heavy duty sand paper, 3 per student group

3-foot (1 m) sheets of wax paper, 1 per student group

3-foot (1 m) sheets of bubble wrap, 1 per student group

Pencils and erasers

Science journals or writing paper

Stop watch (or watch with second hand), 1 per student group

Meter stick, 1 per student group

Group 2-3

A variety of round objects such as bottle caps, CDs, empty tape dispenser,
buttons ETC.

Latex balloons, 9 inch (2)

Jumbo straws, approximately 1/2 inch diameter and 9 inches long (2). Note
that these are also referred to as "milkshake straws" or "smoothie straws." They are
available from Amazon.com.

Wooden pencil, 7 3/8 inch long (2)

Sheets of paper, 8.5 x 11 inch (10)Jumbo paper clips, 1 3/4 inch long (6)

Scotch tape (1 roll)

Scissors (allowed as a tool only, not a construction material)

Group 4-5

Pictures of catapults

Computer with Internet access (optional)

Cardboard shoe box (1 for each catapult)

Rubber bands (4 for each catapult)

Popsicle sticks (2 for each catapult)

Masking tape (one 6-inch piece for each catapult)

Plastic spoon (1 for each catapult)

Rulers (1 per student group)

Scissors (1 per student group)

Marshmallows (2 per group)

Masking tape (for launching competition)

Object of your choice to serve as a target

Procedure
1. Talk about the concept of motion. How do objects move? A good way to introduce
this topic is to review Forces and Motion. After watching the program, discuss the
different types of forces at work in the world. How do they help or hinder motion?
Ask students to describe examples of gravity, acceleration, force and friction. Tell
students that they will be conducting an experiment with motion and forces.
2. Tell students they are going to work in their age groups to create machines out of
everyday objects to demonstrate force, gravity, friction, and speed. Kindergarten
and first graders will be making a ramp and working with cars. Second and third
graders will be working to make an air powered car. Fourth and fifth graders will be
working with force by making a catapult.
3. Review vocabulary needed through discussion and demonstration.
Acceleration
Definition: The change in speed over time.
Context: Acceleration can be positive or negative depending on whether the object
is speeding up or slowing down.

Force
Definition: A push or a pull exerted on an object
Context: The ball was hit with enough force to send it into the bleachers.
Inertia
Definition: The tendency of an object to resist any change in its motion
Context: It's not moving and, because of inertia, it will take an outside force to make
it move.
Propel
Definition: To push or drive forward or onward by, or as if by, means of a force that
imparts motion Context: If their vehicle weighs less than the other team's, the Jet
Jocks' engine won't need to exert as much force to propel their buggy up the incline.
Reference point
Definition: A fixed point of comparison
Context: Each vehicle will attempt the climb by itself, so the starting line serves as a
reference point, or fixed point of comparison.
Friction
Definition: A force that resists motion between two bodies in contact
Context: Rougher surfaces create more friction than smooth ones when an object
comes in contact with them.
Gravity
Definition: The natural force that attracts any two objects with mass toward each
other
Context: Earth's gravity pulls on anything that is not held up by some other force.
Speed
Definition: The rate of motion
Context: The speed of the ball is determined by measuring how far it travels in a
certain amount of time.
Velocity
Definition: The speed of an object moving in a specific direction
Context: The car's velocity was 55 miles per hour, eastbound.
4. Have students play charades using vocabulary words as the answers to the
actions. Assist younger students to read the charade cards and ideas of how to act
them out if needed.

5. Move children to age appropriate group areas for experiments.

Procedures for Kindergarten and first graders
1.
Demonstrate making a ramp by placing one or more books under one end of
the plywood. Show students how to gently push the toy car down the ramp and then
measure the speed and distance it traveled with a meter stick and stopwatch. Talk
about ways to make the car travel faster or go farther. Discuss the forces at work on
the car. What makes it move toward the bottom of the ramp? What keeps it from
moving faster? Discuss the effects of gravity and friction on the toy car.
2.
Let each student set up their own ramps with books, blocks, or other stacking
materials, the plywood, and choose a toy car. Assist when needed. Allow the
students a few minutes to experiment with their ramps, rolling their cars down
different height ramps to see what height allows the car to go the fastest and
farthest. What does increasing or decreasing the angle of the ramp do for the
motion of the car?
3.
After this initial exploration, ask to build their fastest ramp for a race. Have
them record a drawing of their ramp in their science journals or on a piece of paper,
and, next to the illustration, Assist them to write the amount of stacking materials
they used to create the ramp and the height of the ramp. Tell them to gently push
the car down the ramp three times and assist with recording the distance and speed
at which it traveled each time. Whose car is the fastest and traveled the furthest?
4.
Give each student a 6 pennies, washer, or other uniform metal objects. Have
them all feel one and talk about the weight of it. Then, have them tape three
pennies or washers onto the top of their toy car. Ask them to guess whether they
think this added weight would make the car move faster or slower. Tell students to
again roll the car down the ramp three times, recording the speed and distance for
each separately. Did the car move faster or slower with the added weight? Did
another students car win this time? Did their car go faster, further or both? Why
do you think this is? Talk about weight and how it affects speed.
5.
Have students tape the remaining three metal objects to the top of the car.
What will happen this time? Ask them to record their hypotheses before conducting
three more trials, remembering to record the speed and distance from each trial and
then find the average. What happened this time? Was the hypothesis correct? What
forces are at work making the car move differently with the added weight? Ask
them to explain the effect a greater mass had on the movement of the car and have
an open discussion about gravity and friction.
6.
Have each student choose from sand paper, wax paper, and bubble wrap. Tell
the students that they will now be experimenting with friction. Have them remove
the metal objects taped to the car and tape their choice of paper to their ramp. Ask
them to refer back to their earlier recordings of the speed and distance their cars
traveled down the ramp without the added weight. Do you think the car will move
faster or slower on the surface you chose? Will it travel as far as or farther than on
the plywood? After recording their hypotheses, have students conduct three trials

on the paper ramp, recording the speed and distance their cars traveled each time.
Then have them find the average speed and distance. Was the hypothesis correct?
Did the surface make a difference in the way the car traveled? Was more or less
friction at work?
7.
Based on their observations and the observations of other students have
students choose to make their ramp the fastest they can and weight their car to
make it the fastest with any supplies available. Have students race to see who will
win.
8.
Have students demonstrate what they have learned to other groups and
explain what they learned about speed, gravity and friction.
Procedures for Second and Third Graders
1.
Review the meaning of force, demonstrate by blow up a balloon, but don't tie
it. Ask the students to predict what will happen to the balloon when you let it go. Let
it go and watch what happens!
2.

Give student an handout and talk about Newtons 3rd Law

3.

Have students answer some questions about forces:

What happened to the size of the balloon when it was released?

Where did the balloon go when it was released?
What caused the balloon to move when it was released?
Did all of the air come out of the balloon?
What pushed the air out of the balloon?
4.
Show students a demo balloon racer. Explain to the students that they will
designing and making their own balloon racer.
5.
Give students instructions of how to build balloon racer and show them the
supplies they have to choose from. Encourage students to be creative.
6.

Allow students to build their racer.

7.
Have them record a drawing of their racer in their science journals or on a
piece of paper.
8.
Have students test out their balloon racers, measuring the distance the racer
traveled and amount of time traveled. Have students run three tests and find
average of time and distance.
9.
Have students compare distance and time. Whose car is the fastest and
traveled the furthest? Why did this racer go faster or further?
10.
Guide students through the redesign process to improve their racers. If their
racers are not running well, ask them what they think the problem is. Then, ask
them what they can do about it. Typical problems include having wheels too tight to

the sides of the cars (friction), wheels or axles mounted crooked (racer curves off
course), and axles not mounted in center of wheel or wheels not round (like clown
car wheels).
11.

Set up a race course.

12.
Have students test their new designs. Record three trial runs and record
difference and average in distance and time.
13.
Based on their observations and the observations of other students have
students make adjustments to their racer to make it the fastest they can with any
supplies available. Have students race to see who will win.
14.
Have students demonstrate what they have learned to other groups and
explain what they learned about speed, force and friction.
Procedures for Fourth and Fifth Graders
1. Hand out work sheet on Newtons laws. Ask students to read content of
worksheet.
2. Discuss Newton's Laws of Motion and how they can be applied to understanding
forces. Here are some sample questions to get the discussion started:

What is a force?

Does a heavier object easier or harder to move than a lighter object? Why or
why not?

What is gravity?

3. Show students a demonstration of a catapult. Explain How they work, making

sure that students understand catapult designs and uses.
4. Ask students if they believe force, weight or gravity effect how this machine
works.
5. Have students look up various table top catapult designs online.
6. Explain to students they can only use the supplies afforded to them to make a
catapult that it capable of shooting a miniature marshmallow. They can work
independently or in groups to complete a catapult that will compete to see whose
marshmallow can fling the furthest. Have students draw out a design for their
catapult in their science notebook.
7. Have students build their catapult.
8. Once students have completed their catapults, clear an area in the classroom
that can be used for the launching competition. Using masking tape, mark a starting
line. Place the target object about 10 feet in front of the line.

9. Have students test their catapults 3 times by placing their catapults on the
starting line and fire a marshmallow. Have students mark where each marshmallow
lands with a piece of labeled masking tape. Once all the catapults have been tested,
have students measure the distance from the starting line to where their
marshmallow landed and record results for distance. Have students compare each
test and average tests all three test shots.
10. As a class, determine which team was the most successful in accurately hitting
(or coming the closest to hitting) the target with its marshmallow. Talk about the
design of the winning catapults. Why did this design work the best? What were
some of the problems with the machines? How can they make the machines
function better?
11. Have students make adjustments to their machines, independently testing as
they go to find the best combination.
12. Have students again place their catapults on the starting line and fire a second
marshmallowtheir goal, this time, is to achieve the greatest distance. Again, mark
where each marshmallow lands with a piece of labeled masking tape. Once all the
catapults have been fired, have students measure the distance from the starting
line to where their marshmallow landed.
14. Have each student write a paragraph in their notebooks that answers the
following questions.

What was your group attempting to achieve with its catapult design?

How did the catapult set the marshmallow in motion?

Which challenge did your catapult meet best, accuracy or distance?

What could you have done to make the catapult better?

What helped the catapult work as well as it did?

What did this activity teach you about motion and forces?

15. Have students demonstrate what they have learned to other groups and
explain what they learned about force, weight and gravity.

References

ASEE. (2010, April 26). Activity: Balloon-powered Car. Retrieved May 2, 2016, from
http://teachers.egfi-k12.org/activity-ballon-powered-car/
Instructions for Balloon Powered Car
Building a Balloon Rocket Car. (n.d.). Retrieved May 1, 2016, from
http://www.life.illinois.edu/

boast1/sciencelessons/rocketcar.htm
Engaging questions for Balloon Racer Activity.
Burris, T. (n.d.). Rules Of Forces And Motion. Retrieved May 1, 2016, from
http://www.discoveryeducation.com/teachers/free-lesson-plans/rules-of-forces-andmotion.cfm
Base lesson for k-1.
Easy to Make Catapult- Coffee Cup Design. (2012, October 29). Retrieved May 3,
2016, from
http://spaghettiboxkids.com/blog/easy-to-make-catapult-coffee-cup-design/
One example of a table top catapult.
Finio, B. (2015, October 27). Balloon-Powered Car Challenge. Retrieved May 3, 2016
from http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fairprojects/project_ideas/Phys_p099.shtml Balloon Racer Activity for 2-3 graders.
TLC Elementary School. (n.d.). Motion, Forces, Energy And Electricity. Retrieved May
1, 2016
from http://www.discoveryeducation.com/teachers/free-lesson-plans/motion-forcesenergy-andelectricity.cfm
Base curriculum for 4-5 graders.