Forces: Pushes and Pulls in Motion

Forces | Mini Lesson

Grade 1 Science Forces Mini Lesson Advanced Professional 5 Views

Professional Lesson Plan

Forces: Pushes and Pulls in Motion

Forces | Mini Lesson

GradeGrade 1

SubjectScience

TopicForces

Duration60 Minutes

Lesson TypeMini Lesson

DifficultyAdvanced

Lesson Overview

Students explore how pushes and pulls are forces that can change the motion of objects. Through simple hands-on investigations, they observe, describe, and compare how different forces move objects in everyday situations.

Learning Objectives

Identify a push and a pull as forces.
Describe how a force can start, stop, or change the motion of an object.
Use simple observations to compare how different pushes and pulls affect movement.

Materials Needed

Toy cars or small rolling objects
Balls
Strings or ribbons
Paper cups
Blocks or books
Masking tape
Picture cards showing pushing and pulling actions
Chart paper and marker

Vocabulary

Term	Definition
force	a push or a pull
push	to move something away from you
pull	to move something toward you
motion	the way something moves

Lesson Sequence

Introduction10 minutes

Teacher Actions

Show a toy car and ask, 'How can we make it move?' Model a push and a pull. Explain that pushes and pulls are forces.

Student Actions

Share ideas, watch the demonstrations, and use gesture to show pushing and pulling.

Direct Instruction10 minutes

Teacher Actions

Use picture cards to name push and pull actions. Introduce the word force and connect it to everyday examples such as opening a door or moving a chair.

Student Actions

Repeat vocabulary, point to pictures, and give examples from home or school.

Guided Practice15 minutes

Teacher Actions

Set up a simple floor track with masking tape. Demonstrate pushing a toy car gently and then firmly. Ask students to predict what will happen when the force changes.

Student Actions

Observe, predict, and describe what they notice using words like farther, faster, and slower.

Hands-On Exploration15 minutes

Teacher Actions

Rotate students through quick stations: push a ball, pull a cup with string, and move a block across the table. Prompt students to notice how the object moves.

Student Actions

Practice pushing and pulling objects and talk about how each force changes motion.

Wrap-Up Discussion10 minutes

Teacher Actions

Gather students and chart examples of pushes and pulls. Ask: 'What is a force? How did pushing and pulling change the objects?'

Student Actions

Share observations, use vocabulary, and complete sentence frames such as 'I pushed the ___. It moved ___.'

Support

Use real objects instead of pictures when possible.
Provide sentence frames and gestures for push, pull, and force.
Pair students strategically for partner talk and hands-on practice.
Reduce the number of stations for students who need fewer choices.

Challenge

Ask students to compare a gentle push and a strong push.
Invite students to explain which force would work better for different objects and why.
Have students give examples of pushes and pulls in the classroom or playground.

Checks for Understanding

Listen for correct use of push, pull, and force during discussion.
Ask students to show a push or pull with their hands before they speak.
Use quick oral questions: 'What happened when you pushed harder?'
Check student predictions against what they observed during the exploration.

Closure

Review the big idea: forces are pushes and pulls that can move objects, stop objects, or change how they move. Have students act out one push and one pull before leaving.