5.3: Investigate and understand the relationship between force and the…

Build It, Launch It Grades K–5

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.

Pushes, Pulls and Magnets Grade 3

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.

• Can a magnet work through a table? 45–60 min

  Teams test whether a magnet can pull a paper clip through paper, foil, plastic, cloth and wood, then count how many cards it can pull through before it lets go. They find out that most materials don't block a magnet at all: distance is what weakens the pull.

• How far will a paper clip jump? 45–60 min

  Teams slide a magnet slowly toward a paper clip along a ruler and measure the gap at the moment the clip jumps. They repeat it, use the pattern to predict what two and three magnets will do, and then design a magnet gadget that works without touching.

Forces and Motion: Crash, Push and Stop Grade 8

Why you lurch forward when the bus brakes, how fast a toy car really goes, why heavier carts hit harder, and how to build a crumple zone that saves an egg. Four lessons on inertia, speed, mass and stopping safely.

• Why do you lurch forward when a bus stops? 50–60 min

  Students flick a card out from under a coin, then crash toy cars carrying loose clay passengers into a barrier and measure how far the passenger flies. They use their data to explain inertia and to design a better seatbelt.

• How fast is a toy car really going? 50–60 min

  Teams time a toy car over measured distances from two ramp heights, calculate its speed and draw distance-time graphs. They use the slope of their graphs to argue which run was faster, and convert a toy car's speed to a real car's.

• Why does a heavier cart hit harder? 50–60 min

  Teams load a toy car with coins, roll it down the same ramp into a paper cup and measure how far the cup slides. They graph mass against slide distance and explain, with momentum, why a loaded truck is harder to stop than a small car.

• Can you design a crumple zone? Two periods of 45–60 min (or one 75–90 min block)

  Teams design, build and test a crumple zone that lets a raw egg in a zip bag survive a cart crash into a wall, working to a budget and a size limit. They measure how far each design crushed and use class data to explain why a longer stop means a smaller force.

Printable practice for 5.3

• Forces and Motion: Crash, Push and Stop workbook included with the unit

  3 practice pages, 3 readings, 2 English-support pages, 1 word wall, 1 unit review, 1 unit test, with answer keys.

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