Exit Full Screen
Exit Full Screen
Exit Full Screen
Exit Full Screen
Exit Full Screen
Exit Full Screen
Exit Full Screen
Exit Full Screen
Exit Full Screen
Exit Full Screen
Exit Full Screen
Exit Full Screen
Exit Full Screen
Exit Full Screen
Exit Full Screen
Exit Full Screen
Exit Full Screen
Exit Full Screen
Exit Full Screen
Exit Full Screen
Exit Full Screen
Exit Full Screen
In this lesson, students investigate how pushes can change the speed and direction of falling objects. In the activity, Boulder Bounce, students play a game where they design a solution that protects a model town called Tiny Town from a bouncing-ball “boulder.”
Preview activity| Tiny Town Houses printout | 1 per pair |
|
Hardcover Books
Each pair of students needs a stack that’s about 3 inches high.
|
Details
2 books per pair
|
|
Corrugated Cardboard
Each pair needs four pieces measuring 8½ x 11 (or you can use a clipboard and 2 pieces of corrugated cardboard).
|
Details
4 pieces per pair
|
|
Dixie Cups (3 oz)
|
2 cups per pair |
|
Large Binder Clips (2")
If you are using clipboards and 2 pieces of cardboard, you do not need this supply.
|
Details
1 clip per pair
|
|
Masking Tape
|
1 foot per pair |
|
Push Pins
|
5 pins per pair |
|
Ping Pong Balls
Bouncy balls also work.
|
Details
1 ball per pair
|
We suggest students work in pairs. Homeschool students can work on their own.
We suggest one game station for every pair of students, but you can set up as many stations as you think might be practical for your classroom.
Make a “cardboard hill” by stacking 4 pieces of cardboard and clipping them together using a large binder clip. (If you are using a clipboard, stack two pieces of cardboard and insert under the clip of the clipboard.)
Make a 3-inch stack of books on a desk or table. Make a hill by setting the clipped end of your cardboard on the edge of the books.
Tape the bottom of the cardboard to the table with masking tape to keep the assembly from slipping.
Tape one cup to the top right corner of the cardboard. Be sure the lip of the cup sits ON TOP of the cardboard’s edge, and not below it.
Tape the other cup to the bottom left corner of the cardboard, so that it hangs off the edge of the clipboard and onto the table. Be sure the lip of the cup sits BELOW the edge of the cardboard, and not on top of it.
Cut out the Tiny Town houses, fold, and place them next to the cup at the bottom of the ramp. Stick the pushpins into the top left corner of the assembly, and the game station is ready to go.
Student slideshow: English | Spanish
Teacher printout: English & Spanish
For a limited time, view archived reading extensions here.
Avalanches can be very dangerous, but sometimes it is necessary to create controlled avalanches to protect towns and people. Here are several videos demonstrating different ways people create avalanches:
Avalanche control experts drop explosives from a helicopter to create an avalanche. Trained climbers knock down loose rocks before they become dangerous for cars driving below.
Create an Avalanche: Instructions to make a simple and safe avalanche from the US Forest Service.
Force Experiments: Simple and fun projects from We Are Teachers, teaching all about pushes and pulls.
Thanks for your feedback! If you have a question or need help, please contact us. Please consider sharing your review:
Sorry the lesson didn’t go well. We read every single review in an effort to improve our Mysteries.
Thanks for letting us know. We’ll wait to ask you for feedback until after you've actually taught it.
Thanks for the feedback! We read every single review in an effort to improve our Mysteries.
Please follow these steps:
Locked
6:10
Why is the sky blue?
Locked
4:41
Why do we call them doughnuts?
Locked
5:16
Could a turtle live outside its shell?
Your membership is expired. The archive of past Mini Lessons is not included in your limited access.
View pricing