SC.3.1.1.a: Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects…

Build It, Launch It Grades K–5 · partly supports this outcome

Egg drops, paper planes and balloon rockets, done properly at home. Three engineering challenges where kids build, test, fix and explain the pushes and pulls behind what happened.

• How does a rocket push itself into space? 45 min

  Kids build a balloon rocket that zooms along a string between two chairs, then run a fair test on how much air goes in the balloon. They finish able to explain action and reaction: the balloon pushes air back, and the air pushes the balloon forward.

Pushes, Pulls and Magnets Grade 3 · partly supports this outcome

Why a rolling ball always stops, whether a magnet can pull through a table, and how far a paper clip will jump. Three lessons on the pushes and pulls that start, stop and steer things.

• Why does a ball stop rolling? 45–60 min

  Teams roll the same ball down the same ramp onto a hard floor, a carpet and a towel, and measure how far it goes each time. They find out that a rolling ball doesn't just run out of go: something rubs against it and slows it down.

Forces at Work: Gravity, Resistance, Levers and Pulleys Grades 4–5 · partly supports this outcome

Do heavy things really fall faster? Why are fast swimmers shaped like torpedoes? How can a small push lift a big load? Three hands-on lessons on gravity, air and water resistance, friction, levers and pulleys, measured in newtons with homemade and simple tools.

• Do heavy things really fall faster? 60–70 min

  Teams drop a light and a heavy container side by side and find that they land together, then add parachutes of three sizes and time the fall. They calibrate a rubber-band force meter in newtons and explain what gravity and air each do.

• How can a small push lift a big load? 60–70 min

  Teams balance coins on a ruler lever and find the rule for balancing, then lift a 300 g load with a fixed pulley and a moving pulley, measuring the pull and the length of string each time. They find that machines can make a force smaller, but only by making the distance longer.

Printable practice for SC.3.1.1.a

• Build It, Launch It workbook included with the unit

  3 practice pages, 3 readings, 1 word wall, 1 English-support page, 1 unit review, 1 unit test, with answer keys.

• Pushes, Pulls and Magnets workbook included with the unit

  1 word wall, 1 English-support page, 1 practice page, 1 reading, 1 unit review, 1 unit test, with answer keys.

• Forces at Work: Gravity, Resistance, Levers and Pulleys workbook included with the unit

  2 practice pages, 1 word wall, 1 English-support page, 1 reading, 1 unit review, 1 unit test, with answer keys.

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