PS.5.2.1: Carry out investigations to explain how factors such as gravity…

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.

• Can you drop an egg without breaking it? 60 min

  Kids design an egg protector on a materials budget, test it from a low height first and work up, and fix what fails. They finish able to explain why a soft, slow stop saves the egg.

• What makes a paper plane fly farthest? 45 min

  Kids fold two different paper planes and run a fair test, changing one thing at a time: first the design, then the throw. They measure three throws each and explain the flight using lift, drag, thrust and gravity.

• 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.

Forces at Work: Gravity, Resistance, Levers and Pulleys Grades 4–5

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.

• What pushes back on a moving thing? 55–65 min

  Teams time clay shapes sinking through water to see which shape the water holds back least, then drag a block over four surfaces with a force meter. They find that water resistance and friction both push against motion, and that friction is a help as well as a nuisance.

Printable practice for PS.5.2.1

These pages practise a closely related idea; the match to PS.5.2.1 is partial.

• Forces at Work: Gravity, Resistance, Levers and Pulleys 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.

• The Solar System: Gravity, Orbits and Scale 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.

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