Students predict how the objects will move down the ramp. Later on they can generate headings for a chart or poster that will record and their findings. Force and Motion Context Students explore a variety of ways that objects move and the factors affecting that movement, such as shape, surface, and mass. They manipulate a variety of objects to explore forces and motion in terms of pushing, pulling, throwing, dropping, and rolling. Through investigation, students begin to develop an understanding of force and motion as they apply to toys,playground equipment, transportation, and other applications in the world around them.
Activities Explore different ways to push or pull a wooden block.
Set out a variety of objects such as a wooden block, elastic bands, string, straws, paper tubes, spools, paper, paper-clips. Set up a variety of ramps to investigate how mass affects motion. The student then observes how far each container actually travels. The parent helps the student discover that the heavier container will travel farther. At a discovery station, students work in partners if possible or alone if not, to discover if different surfaces affect the way objects move.