Investigating Pushes and Pulls

Active investigations let students feel and see how pushes and pulls change motion in real time. Hands-on stations and challenges build intuition about force strength and direction that stays with learners longer than abstract explanations.

• 3rd Year
• Exploring Our World: Scientific Inquiry and Discovery
• 4 activities
• 25 min–45 min

Learning Objectives

1. Analyze how the strength of a push or pull affects an object's speed and direction of motion.
2. Compare the effects of applying different forces to the same object.
3. Predict how an object's motion will change when a force is applied in a new direction.
4. Explain how pushes and pulls cause changes in an object's motion, including starting, stopping, and changing direction.

Stations Rotation

⏱ 45 min·Small Groups

Stations Rotation: Push Strength Stations

Prepare stations with toy cars and ramps at three inclines. Students push cars with light, medium, and strong forces, measure distances traveled with rulers, and record in notebooks. Groups rotate stations, then share data to identify patterns in motion changes.

Prepare & details

Analyze how the strength of a push or pull affects an object's motion.

Facilitation Tip: During Push Strength Stations, circulate with a stopwatch to help students time pushes and record data on a shared class chart.

Setup: Tables/desks arranged in 4-6 distinct stations around room

Materials: Station instruction cards, Different materials per station, Rotation timer

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Inquiry Circle

⏱ 30 min·Pairs

Pairs Challenge: Direction Changes

Pairs use string-attached blocks on tables. One student pulls in straight, angled, or circular paths while the other times speed changes with stopwatches. They predict and test how direction shifts affect path, drawing results on worksheets.

Prepare & details

Compare the effects of different forces on the same object.

Facilitation Tip: For Direction Changes, provide one piece of string per pair and ask students to take turns pulling in different directions before predicting outcomes.

Setup: Groups at tables with access to source materials

Materials: Source material collection, Inquiry cycle worksheet, Question generation protocol, Findings presentation template

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Inquiry Circle

⏱ 35 min·Whole Class

Whole Class: Prediction Relay

Line up students with balls. Teacher calls force types (push up, pull back); students predict and demonstrate on a marked floor grid. Class votes on predictions before tests, discussing matches or surprises as a group.

Prepare & details

Predict how an object's motion will change if a force is applied in a new direction.

Facilitation Tip: In the Prediction Relay, model how to record predictions and outcomes on a whiteboard before teams share their reasoning out loud.

Setup: Groups at tables with access to source materials

Materials: Source material collection, Inquiry cycle worksheet, Question generation protocol, Findings presentation template

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Inquiry Circle

⏱ 25 min·Individual

Individual: Ramp Designer

Each student builds a ramp from books and cardboard, tests marble pushes/pulls with string, and adjusts angles to change speed or direction. They journal predictions, observations, and one key learning.

Prepare & details

Analyze how the strength of a push or pull affects an object's motion.

Facilitation Tip: When running Ramp Designer, demonstrate how to measure distance with a ruler and encourage students to test multiple angles before drawing conclusions.

Setup: Groups at tables with access to source materials

Materials: Source material collection, Inquiry cycle worksheet, Question generation protocol, Findings presentation template

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Teaching This Topic

Teach this topic by letting students experience unbalanced forces firsthand before naming them. Avoid premature vocabulary overload; instead, have students describe what they see in their own words. Research shows concrete experiences build stronger mental models than definitions alone. Use questioning to guide observations: 'What made the ball go farther this time?' rather than 'What did you learn about force?'

What to Expect

Students will confidently describe how stronger forces create bigger motion changes and how force direction alters movement. They should articulate how friction and mass influence motion during experiments and discussions.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During Push Strength Stations, watch for students who assume balls stop moving because they 'run out of energy.' Redirect by asking, 'What do you feel when you slide your hand under the rolling ball? What happens when you roll the ball on the carpet versus the table?'

What to Teach Instead

During Push Strength Stations, have students rub their hands together after stopping the ball to feel heat from friction. Ask them to compare how many pushes it takes to stop the ball on rough versus smooth surfaces.

Common Misconception

During Direction Changes, listen for students who say 'pulling doesn't really move things.' Redirect by asking, 'What happens when you pull the string attached to the toy? How is this different from pushing it with your hand?'

What to Teach Instead

During Direction Changes, challenge pairs to use identical forces with pushes and pulls, then measure which method moves the toy the farthest in three trials.

Common Misconception

During Ramp Designer, notice students who think heavier marbles will always roll faster down the ramp. Redirect by asking, 'If you roll a big marble and a small marble with the same push, which one reaches the bottom first? Why do you think that is?'

What to Teach Instead

During Ramp Designer, provide marbles of different weights but similar size. Have students mark start and finish lines, then time each trial to compare acceleration rates.

Assessment Ideas

Exit Ticket

After Push Strength Stations, give each student a small toy car and a ramp. Ask them to write: 1. How they used a push to make the car move. 2. How they used a pull to stop the car. 3. What would happen if they pushed the car harder.

Discussion Prompt

After Direction Changes, present students with a scenario: 'Imagine you are trying to move a heavy box across the floor. What are different ways you could use pushes and pulls to move it? How would the strength of your push or pull affect how quickly the box moves?' Facilitate a brief class discussion.

Quick Check

During Prediction Relay, show students a video clip of someone kicking a soccer ball. Ask them to identify: 1. The force applied (push or pull). 2. How the force changed the ball's motion (started it, changed direction, etc.). 3. What would happen if the ball was kicked with more force.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge: Ask students to design a ramp that makes a marble travel the farthest possible distance using only one push at a set strength.
• Scaffolding: Provide pre-labeled push and pull arrows with arrows of different thicknesses to represent force strength during Direction Changes.
• Deeper exploration: Have students create a simple bar graph showing how push strength relates to distance traveled across five trials.

Key Vocabulary

Force	A push or a pull that can make an object move, stop moving, speed up, slow down, or change direction.
Push	A force that moves an object away from the source of the force.
Pull	A force that moves an object toward the source of the force.
Motion	The process of moving or changing position.
Direction	The path along which someone or something moves or develops.