How and Where Things Move

Students will understand that objects move in many ways and it takes a force (push or pull) to move them.

Grades K, 1, 2
Classroom setting; small group work
30-40 minutes
Materials Needed:
Toy cars, balls, cylinders, cubes, slinky, yo-yo, tops, any object
Pictures of moving objects

• Students will work in groups of 3. Each group is given a variety of objects.
• Give students time to "play" with the objects and talk about them. Then tell the students to make the objects move and to observe how they move-what direction, what makes it move, and what makes it change direction.
• Students are to experiment with the different objects and how they move.
• As they are discovering, ask leading questions such as:
• What direction does the object move?
• What makes it move?
• Can it change direction when it is moving? If so, how does that happen?
• Can the object move in more than one way?
• Have students categorize the different kinds of movement and put the objects into groups with like movement, such as straight, up/down, forward/backward, circles.
• Introduce vocabulary words position (the place where something is located), motion (a change in the object's position), force (a push or pull that makes an object move), push (moves the object away from you), and pull(moves an object toward you.)
• Show pictures of objects moving. Ask students to identify the direction of the movement.
• Extension activity: Using masking tape, have groups make a straight path on the floor and a curvy path. They should roll the ball on the two paths and answer the following questions-
• How many times did you push the ball in the straight path?
• How many times did you push the ball in the curvy path?
• Did the ball go the same speed in both paths? Why or why not?

• Remind students to respect the objects and to use them safely.
• Remind students of expectations of working cooperatively in a group.
• Students often relate that objects only go forward and backward or upand down. Challenge them to move the objects in different ways or think of toys they have and how they move.

• Observe students working in groups and check for understanding
• On a worksheet showing different objects in motion, students determine the direction of movement.
• On a worksheet showing different objects being pushed or pulled, students determine which force is being used to move the object.

SCIENCE
2.II.D.1 The student will observe and describe how objects move in various ways(straight line, curve, circle, back and forth).
2.II.D.2 The student will observe that push and pull forces can make objects move.