K-PS2-1
The standard
Plan and conduct an investigation to compare the effects of different strengths or different directions of pushes and pulls on the motion of an object.
Next Generation Science Standards
What this standard means
Students need to test how a push or pull changes how an object moves. They should compare one thing at a time, either stronger and weaker pushes, or pushes and pulls from different directions. They should help plan a fair test, try it, watch closely, and talk about what happened.
Mastery looks like a child saying, “The harder push made the car go farther,” or “When I pushed from the side, it turned.” Students often mix strength and direction in one test, use vague words like “better,” or forget to compare results from two trials.
Ways to teach it
- Have students roll toy cars from the same start line, using a gentle push and a stronger push, then mark where each car stops.
- Ask, “What changed when you pushed the ball from the front, back, or side?” and have students draw one result.
- Show two short trials, then ask students to point to which push was stronger and explain how they know.
- Connect to the playground by discussing how pushing a swing gently or harder changes how it moves.
Plan a lesson for K-PS2-1
Generate a complete lesson plan aligned to this standard, with objectives, activities, and materials. Free, no account needed.
Related standards
- K-PS2-2
Analyze data to determine if a design solution works as intended to change the speed or direction of an object with a push or a pull.
- 3-PS2-1
Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object.
- MS-PS2-2
Plan an investigation to provide evidence that the change in an object's motion depends on the sum of the forces on the object and the mass of the object.
- MS-PS2-5
Conduct an investigation and evaluate the experimental design to provide evidence that fields exist between objects exerting forces on each other even though th...