Share with Your Students
Forces and Motion
Name
Date
1. Make copies of Student Resource 1.1, Vocabulary, and
distribute to students. Discuss the definitions with students as the terms come up throughout the section.
STUDENT RESOURCE 1.1
INFORMATION SHEET
Vocabulary
handle. The force makes the
objects move.
gravity the force that pulls
objects toward each other
The strength of gravity
depends on the mass of the
objects. Earth has a lot of mass,
so Earth’s gravity pulls objects
toward it. For example, when
you drop your pencil, gravity
makes the pencil fall to the
ground.
mass the amount of matter in
an object
Objects are made up of
matter. Some objects contain
a lot of matter. You contain
2. Ask: What is a force? (a push or a pull) Lead students
to see that force can cause objects to move. Then ask:
Does it take more force to move a book or a desk?
(a desk) Point out that it takes more force to move
heavy objects than light ones. Explain as needed that
heavier objects have more mass than lighter objects.
more matter than an apple.
An apple contains more
matter than a paper clip.
Objects with more mass are
heavier than objects with
less mass.
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All Rights Reserved.
force a push or a pull
When you push open a
door, you use force on the door.
When you pull on a drawer
handle, you use force on the
3. Ask: How do you know an object is moving?
(It changes its position over time.) Discuss with students
how they can describe an object’s motion by comparing
its position to other objects around it over time. As you
walk across the classroom, ask: How is my position
changing? (Students may say, for example, that you
were near the door and now you are near the window.)
10 • FORCES, MOTION, AND MACHINES • SECTION 1 FORCES AND MOTION
Student Resource 1.1 (p. 10)
Staying Still
Name
Date
Staying Still
STUDENT RESOURCE 1.2
ACTIVITY SHEET
30 minutes
Part A
1 Prediction: What will happen to the penny?
Predictions will vary.
.
2 Circle the picture that shows what happened
to the penny.
Teacher
Demonstration
Objectives
• Students observe that objects with more mass resist a change in
motion more than objects with less mass.
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All Rights Reserved.
• Students recognize that gravity is a force that makes objects fall to
Earth.
Part B
3 Prediction: What will happen to the tissue?
Predictions will vary.
Materials
For the teacher
Student Resource
• 1.2 Staying Still
6
Inquiry Focus
• Predict
.
4 Circle the picture that shows what happened
to the tissue.
1 pc. *facial tissue
1
1
1
FORCES, MOTION, AND MACHINES • SECTION 1 FORCES AND MOTION • 11
Student Resource 1.2 (p. 11)
4 • EXPERIENCE SCIENCE
*books, text, heavy,
about the same size
index card
*penny
plastic cup
*Not provided in kit
Staying Still (continued)
Teaching Tip
Step 2: Place books where they
overhang the edge of a desk or
table slightly so that the bottom book can be easily grasped.
Choose books that have smooth
surfaces so friction between the
books is minimized.
1. Do the stacked books demonstration.
Make a stack of six books. Have students predict what
will happen to the top books if the bottom book is
pulled out quickly. Pull the bottom book out quickly.
Point out that the books on top do not move sideways
because your sideways force does not act directly on
these books. However, the books do fall onto the table
because the force of gravity acts on them. Explain that
gravity is a force of attraction between objects.
2. Distribute the Student Resource.
Make copies of Student Resource 1.2, Staying Still, and
distribute to students.
3. Do the card and penny demonstration.
Place the index card on the plastic cup. Place a penny on
top of the card. Have students predict what will happen
to the penny when you flick the card to the side, out
from under the penny. Quickly flick the card to the side
with your finger. Have students answer the questions in
part A on the Resource page.
A The card and penny setup
4.Do the card and tissue demonstration.
Have students predict what will happen when you put a
light object on the card and then flick the card. Replace
the penny with a small piece of tissue. Again, flick the
card to the side. Have students answer the questions in
part B on the Resource page.
5. Discuss the Resource page.
When students have completed the Resource page,
discuss the answers as a class. Ask: Why didn’t the
penny move to the side when the card was
flicked? (The sideways force acted on the card, not the
penny.) Remind students that the heavier the object,
the more resistant it is to a change in motion. The
penny resisted the sideways motion more than the
tissue did because it is heavier.
A The card and tissue setup
Assessment
Ask: If the card-flicking activity were done
with a dime and a quarter, which coin would be
less likely to move sideways? (the quarter) Why? (It is
heavier and has more mass.)
SECTION 1 FORCES AND MOTION • 5
Stay Egg-stra Still
Name
Date
10 minutes
STUDENT RESOURCE 1.3
ACTIVITY SHEET
Stay Egg-stra Still
BEFORE THE EXPERIMENT:
Where is it?
Draw the objects before the
experiment.
Objectives
• Students observe that objects with more mass resist a change in
motion more than objects with less mass.
The egg is
on top of the cardboard tube
.
The jar is
on the table
Teacher
Demonstration
.
• Students recognize that gravity is a force that makes objects fall to Earth.
.
Materials
For the teacher
The pie tin is
on top of the jar and under the
cardboard tube and egg
In the drawing above, circle any object that you
think will not move sideways when the broom
handle hits the pie tin. Answers will vary.
AFTER THE EXPERIMENT:
Where is it?
Draw the objects after the
experiment.
The egg is
in the jar
.
The pie tin is
to the side on the table
.
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All Rights Reserved.
The cardboard tube is
between the egg and the pie tin .
1
aluminum pie tin
1
1
*broom
1
1
*cardboard tube (from
bathroom tissue)
•
Student Resource
• 1.3 Stay Egg-stra Still
*hard-boiled egg
plastic jar, wide-mouth
*water
*Not provided in kit
Inquiry Focus
• Predict
The cardboard tube is
to the side on the table
.
12 • FORCES, MOTION, AND MACHINES • SECTION 1 FORCES AND MOTION
Student Resource 1.3 (p. 12)
1. Distribute the Resource page.
Make copies of Student Resource 1.3, Stay Egg-stra Still,
and distribute to students.
2. Set up the materials.
Set up the materials as shown in the picture. The egg
must be centered over the jar of water. The pie tin
should hang slightly over the edge of the table.
Egg
Cardboard
tube
3. Students make predictions.
Tell students that you are going to hit the pie tin
sideways with the broom. Ask them to predict which
object(s) will not move sideways when this happens.
Pie tin
Jar
4.Perform the activity.
Hold the broom against the table with your hip. Pull
back on the stick. Release to hit the pie tin hard with the
broomstick. You may want to practice this before class.
5. Help students draw conclusions.
After students have completed their Resource pages,
ask: Why do the pie tin and the cardboard tube
move sideways and the egg does not? (The egg has
more mass.) Remind students that the more mass an
object has, the more it resists a change in motion.
Assessment
A The setup
6 • EXPERIENCE SCIENCE
Ask: What force made the egg fall into the
water? (gravity)