Motion is Everywhere: A Force and Motion Lesson for Kindergarten Students
All children have experienced some type of movement. Movement may have included rolling, sliding, jumping, bouncing, running, and so on. These life experiences will help children gain a deeper understanding of how and why objects move.
Lesson Objectives:
- The student will understand that objects have to be put in motion.
- The student will identify ways in which objects move (eg. roll, slide, etc.).
- The student will understand the impact that force has on an object.
- The student will identify numbers 0-10.
- The student will determine which number is more and less.
Materials:
- Two Small Balls (Different Colors)
- 10 Large Index Cards (Each labeled with a number. Put 1 on the first card, 2 on the next and so on until you get to 10.
- Internet Access
Lesson Procedure
Show the students the video entitled “ I Can Do Anything”. It can be found at www.nickjr.com/kids-videos/fresh-beat-anything-song.html. Give the students an opportunity to share some of the things they saw happen in the video. You should be ready to formulate questions based upon the student’s responses that will lead into a discussion about force and motion.
For example, a student might mention that he/she saw the car moving. You should then be ready to ask why the car moved. This discussion should lead into the fact that the car had a rolling motion and also that the person inside had to use his hands and feet to make the car move.
Once the students understand that a force has to act on an object to make it move, then they’re ready to put this knowledge into action! Divide the class into two teams. One team sits on the left and the other on the right. Sit them one behind the other. Now, make a number line on the floor starting 1 right between where the kids sit and 10 being furthest away from the kids.
Team 1 Team 2
1
2
3
and so on until you get to 10
Now, the first child on team 1 rolls the ball and then the first child on team 2 rolls the ball. The children determine who used more force. This is done by looking to see which numbers the balls stop on. For example, if one stops on 5 and the other on 7 then the students compare the numbers. Five is less than seven, so this child used less force. Seven is more than five so this child used more force (a bigger push) which made the ball travel further. This is done until every child has a turn.
Assessment: Draw a picture in your journal to show what you have learned about force and motion. This assessment can be differentiated by allowing some students to write a sentence to tell about the picture. Some students who need additional support can work with a buddy. In addition, some students can also verbalize what they have learned to the teacher.
Concluding Statement: It is important that children understand how and why things move. Once children develop this concept and can apply it in different instances then the children can begin to ponder questions or situations about force in relation to heavy and light objects.
This post is part of the series: Lessons on Kindergarten Science
This series of lesson plans teach your kindergarten class important science concepts.
