CKSci Unit 1: Pushes and Pulls
Focus:
In this unit, students investigate what causes changes in motion by exploring pushes and pulls. Students will then use prior knowledge and information gained from their observations during various tests to design a miniature golf course. Students explore concepts that include the following:
- Pushes and pulls can have different strengths and directions.
- Pushing and pulling on an object can change the speed or direction of its motion and can start or stop it.
Students will explore these concepts with both visible and invisible pushes and pulls, and contact and noncontact forces. They will recognize that motion is affected by the strength and direction of pushes and pulls, the characteristics of objects, and the surface on which objects are moved. Students will learn how motion changes and will develop an understanding that pushes and pulls of different types are the cause of all changes in movement.
Engineers and engineering designers use knowledge of forces and motion as they develop solutions to problems and make things that are useful to people. This series of lessons incorporates learning goals that support the principles and practices of engineering design, such as defining problems and evaluating and optimizing possible solutions.
Number of Lessons: 3 (Each lesson is divided into three to five lesson segments.)
Instruction Time:
- Each Lesson may be divided into Lesson Segments.
- Each Lesson Segment is designed to be completed in one 30–45-minute class period.
- Some single-day activities and performance tasks might require setting aside a longer block of time.
- This Unit should be completed between 16–24 classroom days.
- A Pacing Guide Template is provided within the Teacher Guide so teachers can map out customized instructional days for this unit.
- A complete list of Materials needed to complete the unit is provided in Online Resources.
Additional Search Terms:
cause • effect • touch • distance • speed • gravity • compare • test • improve • problem • solution • magnet • metal • opposite • record • prediction • nonfiction • informational text
