Push, Pull, Move

Curriculum Alignment

Province: Saskatchewan, Canada
Grade Level: Year 5 (Ages 10–11)
Curriculum Area: Science
Strand: Physical Science – Forces and Simple Machines
Saskatchewan Curriculum Outcome:

• MC5.1 – Differentiate between the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces (e.g., gravitational, magnetic, and mechanical) on the movement of objects.

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Lesson Overview

In this 80-minute lesson, students will explore the differences between balanced and unbalanced forces through hands-on experiments, physical activities, and group discussions. By investigating familiar forces such as gravity, magnetism, and mechanical pushes and pulls, learners will develop an intuitive understanding of how these forces affect motion.

The lesson is designed to be both accessible and engaging, allowing students to explore difficult scientific concepts in a tactile and playful way, incorporating movement, cooperative learning, and direct investigation.

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Learning Goals

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Define and give examples of balanced and unbalanced forces.
• Describe how gravitational, magnetic, and mechanical forces can affect the motion of objects.
• Investigate and predict motion scenarios using simple experiments.
• Explain situations in which forces cancel each other out or cause motion.

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Materials Required

Per group of 4 students:

• Set of neodymium or bar magnets
• Small plastic tubs
• Variety of objects with different weights (rubber balls, marbles, blocks)
• Pulley system (or a makeshift one using string and a spool)
• Spring scales (force meters)
• Ramps (made of cardboard or small wooden planks)
• Toy cars
• Masking tape
• Stopwatches
• Whiteboard markers
• Chart paper

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Lesson Duration

Total Time: 80 minutes
Class Size: 17 students (Recommended grouping: 4 groups of 4 students + 1 group of 1 teacher support group)

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Lesson Breakdown

🧠 Introduction (15 minutes)

ENGAGE – The Human Tug-of-War

• Begin with a simple classroom tug-of-war using a skipping rope between two evenly matched student teams.
• First, let them pull with equal force and observe what happens (balanced force – no movement).
• Then redistribute teams unevenly and observe how the side with more force causes movement (unbalanced force).
• Engage students in a quick Think-Pair-Share:
  “What did you notice? Why did movement happen or not happen?”

On the board, record their responses in two columns: Balanced vs Unbalanced.

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🔍 Focus Activity (15 minutes)

EXPLORE – Moving Through Forces Centers

Students rotate through 3 stations (5 minutes per station):

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💡 Station 1: Ramp Race

• Let students roll two toy cars down identical ramps but add an object to weigh down one car.
• Prompt: "Do both cars reach the bottom at the same time? Why or why not?"
• Discuss gravitational force and how mass affects motion under the same force.

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🧲 Station 2: Magnet Mayhem

• Use magnets to attract and repel various objects at different distances.
• Prompt: "Can a magnet move something without touching it? What does that tell us about how magnetic force works?"
• Have students test pulling a paperclip across a table with the magnet beneath it.
• Discuss invisible force and rare balanced situations where magnets oppose equally.

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🧺 Station 3: Bucket Tug

• Use spring scales to pull small plastic tubs with different amounts of weight added inside.
• Students pull the string and record how much force is needed to just move the tub.
• Discuss mechanical (pulling) force and relate it to everyday movement like dragging a box.

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🗣️ Class Discussion (10 minutes)

EXPLAIN – What Did We Learn?

• Bring students back together for a whiteboard session.
• Create an anchor chart as a class:
  • Title: “Balanced vs Unbalanced Forces”
  • Two columns with examples/diagrams provided by students.
• Teacher guides students to formal definitions:
  • Balanced Force: Equal forces acting on an object in opposite directions; no change in motion.
  • Unbalanced Force: Forces that are not equal and opposite; they cause a change in motion (speed or direction).

Use anchor phrases:

• "If nothing is moving or changing, it’s balanced."
• "If something starts to speed up, slow down or change direction, it’s unbalanced!"

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🏗️ Application Activity (20 minutes)

ELABORATE – Invent a Force Test

Challenge students to work in groups and create their OWN simple "Force Tester" using the materials provided.

Teacher Challenge Prompt:

“Invent a test for balanced or unbalanced forces using any three items from your station kits. You must be able to explain to the class how it works and what force is at play.”

Examples:

• A magnet vs a string pull
• Two weighted tubs in a pulley system
• Two students with spring scales connected by elastic

After 10 minutes of building and testing, each group presents their creation for 1 minute using the sentence stems:

• “Our force is _____.”
• “It is [balanced/unbalanced] because…”

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✍️ Reflection & Assessment (15 minutes)

EVALUATE – Individual Demonstration

Hand students a simple motion scenario worksheet with short illustrative questions such as:

1. Two people are pushing a box from opposite sides with the same force. What happens?
2. A rolling car hits a wall and stops. What kind of force caused this?
3. You let go of a balloon filled with air, and it shoots across the room. Explain why it moves.
4. A magnet pulls a paperclip to the fridge. What type of force is that?

Students must circle whether the force is balanced or unbalanced and provide a brief explanation.

Teacher uses these exit slips as formative assessment to gauge understanding and target gaps for follow-up lessons.

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Extension (Optional)

💡 Assign a mini home-experiment challenge:

"Find two examples of balanced and unbalanced forces in your everyday life (e.g., swinging on a playground, opening the fridge). Record what happened and identify the type of force involved."

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Differentiation

• Support: Teacher joins the group of 1 for closer instruction with simplified questioning.
• Challenge: Provide advanced vocabulary (e.g., net force) or pose additional measuring tasks with forces shown numerically using the spring scales.
• Kinesthetic Learners: Emphasis on physical activity, building, and movement-based understanding.
• Visual Learners: Use of diagrams, anchor charts, colour-coded stations.

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Teacher Tips

• Practice “Force Freeze”: randomly call “Freeze!” during ramp races or magnetic pulls and ask “Balanced or Unbalanced?”
• Allows for spontaneous retrieval of learning as a game.

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Success Criteria

Students will be successful if they:

• Can identify and name at least two forces (gravitational, magnetic, mechanical).
• Can differentiate with examples between balanced and unbalanced forces.
• Can design or explain a test that demonstrates the effect of a force.

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Evaluation

• Informal observation of group participation during stations.
• Class discussion contributions.
• Completed worksheet serves as a formative assessment.
• Group presentation assessed informally for communication, collaboration, and concept clarity.

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Summary

This lesson makes abstract physical science concepts concrete through interaction, play, and collaborative exploration. By keeping it tactile and rooted in students’ everyday experiences, we ensure that ideas about force and motion will stick—and move learning forward.