K-PS2-2
The standard
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.
Next Generation Science Standards
What this standard means
Students need to test a simple design that uses a push or pull to make an object move faster, slower, farther, shorter, or turn. They should collect simple data, such as counting blocks traveled, marking where a ball stops, or noting whether it hit a target.
Mastery looks like trying a design, recording what happened, and saying if it worked for the goal. Students often get stuck saying “it worked” based on liking the design, not the data. They also may need support keeping the push the same each trial.
Ways to teach it
- Hands-on activity: Build a block ramp for a marble and test which height makes it reach a tape line without passing it.
- Prompt: Which design worked best to make the ball turn toward the cup, and what data shows that?
- Quick assessment: Show two trial charts and ask students to circle the design that met the goal and explain why.
- Real-world connection: Compare classroom tests to bowling, where players push the ball to change speed and direction toward pins.
Plan a lesson for K-PS2-2
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Related standards
- K-PS2-1
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.
- 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-ETS1-3
Analyze data from tests to determine similarities and differences among several design solutions to identify the best characteristics of each that can be combin...
- HS-PS2-3
Apply scientific and engineering ideas to design, evaluate, and refine a device that minimizes the force on a macroscopic object during a collision.