37. Push and Pull - Delta Education

activity 

37 

Push and Pull * 

BROWARD COUNTY ELEMENTARY SCIENCE BENCHMARK PLAN 

Grade K—Quarter 4 

Activity 37 

SC.C.1.1.1 

The student understands that different things move at different speeds. 

© Delta Education. Photocopying and distribution prohibited. 

SC.C.1.1.2 

The student knows that there is a relationship between force and motion. 

SC.C.2.1.1 

The student knows that one way to change how something is moving is to give it a push or a 

pull. 

SC.H.1.1.1 

The student knows that in order to learn, it is important to observe the same things often 

and compare them. 

SC.H.1.1.2 

The student knows that when tests are repeated under the same conditions, similar results 

are usually obtained. 

SC.H.1.1.4 

The student knows that people use scientific processes including hypotheses, making 

inferences, and recording and communicating data when exploring the natural world. 

*indicates Scientific Method Experiment 

ACTIVITY ASSESSMENT OPPORTUNITIES 

FOR PERSONAL USE 

The following suggestions are intended to help identify major concepts covered in the activity 

that may need extra reinforcement. The goal is to provide opportunities to assess student 

progress without creating the need for a separate, formal assessment session (or activity) for 

each of the 40 hands-on activities at your grade. 

1. Ask students to complete the following sentences by choosing the correct word. “To pull a 

very heavy tree branch, you must use (more/less) force than if you are pulling a lighter 

branch. To push a lighter child’s chair across a carpet you must use (more/less) force than 

if you are pushing a heavier adult’s chair.” Ask, Are these sentences questions or 

conclusions? (They are conclusions.) 

2. Use the Activity Sheet(s) to assess student understanding of the major concepts in the 

activity. 

broward county hands-on science Quarter 4 371

In addition to the above assessment suggestions, the questions in bold and tasks that 

students perform throughout the activity provide opportunities to identify areas that may 

require additional review before proceeding further with the activity. 

372 


activity 37 Push and Pull 

© Delta Education. Photocopying and distribution prohibited.

activity 

37 

Push and Pull 

OBJECTIVES 

Students investigate the relationship 

between the weight of an object and how 

much force it takes to move it. 

1 roll tape, masking 

*provided by the teacher 

DSR How do we learn? 


The students 

observe that the motion of an object can be 

changed by applying force—a push or a 

pull 

predict that it takes more force to move a 

heavy object than to move a light object 

compare the amount of force needed to 

move objects of different weights 

conclude that the heavier the object, the 

more force it takes to move it 

SCHEDULE 

About 50 minutes 

VOCABULARY 

experiment 

force 


MATERIALS 

For each student 

1 Activity Sheet 37, Parts A and B 

For the class 

6 boxes, closeable, all the same 

size* 

objects to place in 4 of the boxes, 

so that 2 are moderately heavy 

and 2 are very heavy* 

PREPARATION 

1 

2 

3 

4 

Make a copy of Activity Sheet 37, Parts A 

and B, for each student. 

You will need six boxes, all the same size, 

that can be closed to hide their contents. 

The boxes should be large enough that 

students will need to use some effort to 

move the heaviest ones. Check with 

grocery stores or supermarkets for boxes. 

You might want to call ahead and ask 

them to save some for you. Alternatively, 

boxes that hold reams of paper can be 

used. 

Find objects (or materials) to fill four of 

the boxes. Two of the four should be very 

heavy and require a strong push (or even 

two students) to move them. You might try 

filling these with books. The other two 

should be not as heavy and require 

noticeably less force to move—but more 

force than the empty boxes. 

Set up two “Move It!” stations in the 

classroom (or hallway or cafeteria—you’ll 

need space and a smooth, flat surface 

over which to slide the boxes). Place three 

boxes at each station: one empty 

(lightweight) box, one heavier box, and 

one very heavy box. Also at each station, 

place two strips of masking tape about 10 

feet apart, and line up the boxes along 

one strip. Students will push (or pull) the 

boxes across the floor to the other strip. 

broward county hands-on science Quarter 4 

373

P 

BACKGROUND INFORMATION 

All around us, objects are in motion. They roll, 

slide, spin, and fall. They move in straight 

lines, back and forth, or around and around in 

circles. They move at different speeds and in 

different directions. 

All objects require a force—a push or a pull— 

to set them in motion. The stronger the force, 

the farther and faster an object will move. 

Likewise, the heavier the object, the more 

force it takes to move it. 

Students will come to the latter conclusion by 

conducting an experiment. An experiment is a 

scientific investigation that helps solve a 

problem. Not all experiments follow the same 

steps, but most can be summarized by asking 

a few simple questions: 

1. What do you want to find out? 

2. What do you think will happen? 

3. What did you observe? 

4. What can you conclude from your 

observations? 

In this activity, students will follow these 

steps as they explore the relationship 

between the weight of an object and the 

amount of force needed to move it. 


374 activity 37 Push and Pull 

Activity Sheet 37, Part A 


1. What is a good title for the experiment? Circle 

your choice. 

Force and Weight 

Kinds of Boxes 

2. Circle the sentences that are true. 

Boxes are moved the same distance. 

Boxes are moved different distances. 

Boxes are the same weight. 

Boxes are different weights. 

3. Which box was hardest to move? Circle your 

answer. 

Light Heavy Very 

Heavy 

Activity Sheet 37, Part B 


4. What can you conclude from the experiment? 

Choose a word inside the box. Write the word in 

the blank. 

You need 

more 

more 

less 

force to move heavier objects. 

5. Look at the pairs of objects. Which object takes 

more force to move? Circle your answer. 


1 

Guiding the Activity 

Ask students to observe while you open the 

classroom door. Ask, What did I have to do 

to open this door? 

Now shut the door. Ask, What did I have to 

do to shut the door? 

Additional Information 

Pull on the doorknob or handle. 

Push on the door. 


2 

Write the words pull and push on the board. 

Tell students that objects can be moved by 

pulling or pushing them. Have students 

pretend to pull and then to push something. 

Then ask them to give you examples of 

objects that are moved by pulling or pushing. 

Write their answers in a chart on the board. 

Write the word force on the board. Tell 

students that a force is simply a push or a 

pull. Explain that some objects take only a 

small amount of force—a gentle push or 

pull—to move. Other objects take a lot of 

force—a hard push or pull—to move. 

Distribute a copy of Activity Sheet 37, Parts 

A and B, to each student. Write the word 

experiment on the board. Explain that an 

experiment is a series of steps that helps you 

find out the answer to a problem. Tell 

students that in this activity, they are going to 

do an experiment that involves pushing or 

pulling three large boxes across the floor. 

One box is light, one is heavier, and one is 

very heavy. They are going to compare how 

much force it takes to move the boxes. 


3 

As a class, choose a title for the experiment 

from the choices given in step 1 on Part A of 

the activity sheet. 

Bring students’ attention to the two “Move 

It!” stations you have set up. Point out the 

light, heavier, and very heavy boxes at each 

station. Ask, What do you think will happen 

when you try to move these boxes? 

Examples of objects that are pulled include 

a wagon and a rope in a game of tug-ofwar. 

Objects that are pushed include a 

grocery cart and a swing. 

A suggested title for the experiment is 

“Force and Weight.” 

Guide students to guess that a heavy 

object takes more force to move than a 

light object does. Emphasize that that their 

guess is based on their own experience 

with moving things. 


4 

5 

6 


Next, state that everything in their 

experiment will stay the same except for the 

thing they want to test. For example, all three 

boxes are the same size. All three boxes will 

be moved over the same smooth, flat surface. 

They are all moved the same distance. They 

are all moved by pushing. Help students read 

the statements in step 2 of their activity 

sheets and circle their choices. Then ask, 

What is the one thing that will change in 

this experiment? 

Divide the class into two groups. Have each 

group line up behind one set of boxes. Then 

give students the following directions for 

doing the experiment: Students will take 

turns pushing or pulling each box from one 

line to the other and back again. Have them 

pay attention to how hard they must push or 

pull each box to get it to move. When they 

have finished, ask them to record their 

observations in step 3 of the Activity Sheet. 

After every student has had a chance to move 

the boxes and record their observations, 

review their results as a class. Ask, Which 

box was easiest to move? Which box was 

hardest to move? 

Now ask students what they can conclude 

from this. In other words, what did their 

experiment show? Have students choose 

their answer in step 4 of the activity sheet. 


Have students complete step 5 of their 

activity sheet by circling the object in each 

pair that they think requires more force to 

move. 

As appropriate, read or review pages 4, 7, 10, 

and 15 of the Delta Science Reader How do 

we learn? 



Help students see that the weight of the 

boxes is the one thing that changes in this 

experiment. In other words, the only 

difference between the boxes is how much 

they weigh. 

Students should observe that they didn’t 

have to push or pull very hard to get the 

light box to move. They pushed/pulled 

harder to get the heavier box to move, and 

had to push/pull very hard to get the very 

heavy box to move. 

The light box was easiest to move; the 

very heavy box was hardest to move. 

From this experiment, students can 

conclude that the heavier the object, the 

more force it takes to move it (see Figure 

37-1). 




Force 

Light 


F 

Force 

Figure 37-1. The heavier the object, the more force it takes to move it. 

R EINFORCEMENT 


Have students draw or cut out pictures of 

objects that take a small amount of force to 

move (marble, shoe, swing, toy car) and 

objects that take a lot of force to move 

(boulder, automobile, couch, tree). 

SCIENCE JOURNALS 

Have students place their completed activity 

sheets in their science journals. 

Force 

Very Heavy 

F 

C LEANUP 

Heavy 

Empty the boxes and either reuse or recycle 

them. Remove the tape from the floor. 


Connections 

Science Extension 

Have students use small toy cars to prove 

that the stronger the force, the farther and 

faster an object will move. Place a masking 

tape “starting line” on the floor. Tell them to 

push their cars several times, each time a bit 

harder than before, and to mark with tape 

how far it travels each time. 

Science and Math 

As a follow-up to the Extension activity, have 

students use a ruler to measure the distances 

and record them in a chart. Help them turn 

their data into a bar graph that shows the 

harder the push, the greater the distance the 

car traveled. 

Science at Home 

Invite students to list ten kinds of work they 

do at home that involve pushing, pulling, 

lifting, or some other force—for example, 

pushing the toaster handle, pulling on jeans, 

lifting a glass of milk, and squeezing the 

toothpaste tube. Then combine their lists. 

Can the class come up with 100 push-pull 

ideas? 

Science and Language Arts 

As an extension to the Science-at-Home 

activity above, ask students to keep a 

journal—in words or pictures—of the tasks 

they used force to do during a one- or twoday 

period. For example: “I pushed a friend 

on a swing.” “I pulled up weeds in the 

garden.” Encourage volunteers to share their 

journal entries with the rest of the class. 



Science and Social Studies 

Show students pictures of the pyramids of 

Egypt. Explain that these enormous 

structures were built thousands of years 

ago, of heavy stone blocks weighing 

several tons each. How did the builders 

move them into place without the help of 

construction equipment? One theory is 

that they used rollers, a primitive type of 

wheel, to move them up earthen ramps. A 

roller works by reducing the amount of 

friction between two surfaces as one 

object moves over the other. Less force is 

needed to move a stone block over the 

rollers than to drag it (or carry it) over the 

ground. 

Provide some wooden dowels for students 

to use as rollers to move the heavy boxes 

over the floor. Have them push the boxes 

with and without the help of the dowels. 

Can they feel the difference in the amount 

of force they need to use?

37. Push and Pull - Delta Education

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