Exploring Push Forces

Lesson Overview

Unit: Push and Pull Forces
Lesson Number: 2 out of 5
Age Group: Year 1 (age 5-6)
Time Allocation: 60 minutes
Curriculum Link: Year 1 Science - National Curriculum in England: Forces and Motion – "Describe how things move on different surfaces and notice how pushes or pulls can make things move, stop, start, speed up or slow down."

This dynamic lesson introduces students to the concept of push forces through hands-on experimentation and observation. They'll explore how various objects respond to pushes and relate their findings to real-world scenarios.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students will:

• Understand the concept of push forces and how they influence motion.
• Observe and describe how objects move when pushed using specific vocabulary (e.g., fast, slow, straight, curved).
• Recognise examples of push forces in everyday life.
• Discuss the effect of applying different amounts of force on objects.

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Success Criteria (Student-Friendly)

• "I can explain what a push force is."
• "I can observe and describe how objects move when I push them."
• "I can give examples of push forces in real life, like pushing a swing or shopping trolley."

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Lesson Structure

1. Starter Activity: Let’s Move! (10 minutes)

Purpose: Activate prior knowledge and grab attention.

1. Warm-up Question (2 minutes):
   Begin with a question:
   "Who can think of something we push every day?"
   (Ideas may include doors, swings, prams, or toys.)

2. Interactive Role-Play (5 minutes): Whole-group activity:

   • Ask the students to stand up in a circle.
   • Call out objects one by one (e.g., "a door," "a bike pedal," "a ball"). When they hear the object, they must demonstrate pushing that object.
   • Encourage them to use words like “harder,” “faster,” or “gently” to describe their actions while pretending.

3. Link to today’s objective:
   “Did you notice how many things we move using a push? Today, we’ll be exploring push forces in more detail using real objects!”

Resources needed: None – just their creative minds!

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2. Main Activity: Push and Observe (35 minutes)

Purpose: To actively explore how push forces cause movement using real objects and record observations in a simple investigation.

Step 1: Setting the Scene (5 minutes)

1. Group students into small teams (4-5 students per group).
2. Provide each team with a tray of objects:
   • A toy car
   • A rubber ball
   • A cotton ball
   • A small block of wood
   • A pencil
3. Explain the task:
   • “You’re going to push these objects and see how they move. Some will move quickly, some will go straight, and others might roll or slide in a funny way! Then, you’ll talk about what happens as a group.”

Resources needed: Trays with provided objects, clean floor space.

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Step 2: Hands-On Exploration (15 minutes)

1. Teams move to their allocated space in the classroom.
2. Team Tasks:
   • Push each object gently and describe how it moves (e.g., "The ball rolls faster than the block." / "The pencil slides in a straight line.")
   • Experiment with using more or less force to see its effect on motion.
   • Take turns in the group to ensure every child participates.

Teacher’s Role: Move between groups, prompting discussion:

• “What happened when you pushed harder?”
• “Did the cotton ball move differently from the car? Why do you think that is?”

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Step 3: Group Discussion (10 minutes)

1. Bring the class back together and discuss their findings as a whole group.
   • “Which object was the hardest to push? Why?”
   • “What did you notice when you pushed the object very gently versus when you used a lot of force?”
2. Draw simple comparisons on the board:
   • Light objects like the cotton ball need a small push.
   • Heavy objects like the block need a bigger push.
3. Relate the experiment to real-life examples:
   • Pushing a shopping trolley vs. pushing a heavy box.

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3. Plenary: Push Force Detectives (10 minutes)

Purpose: To consolidate learning and promote real-life connections.

1. Interactive Board Game (5 minutes):
   On the whiteboard, draw pictures or place printed pictures of everyday items (e.g., swing, pram, ball, door, broom).

   • Ask students to raise their hands and say whether each object involves a push, explaining why.

2. Exit Pass - Push Challenge:
   Before leaving, each student must tell the teacher one example of a push force they’ve seen or used that day (e.g., “I pushed my chair in at lunch”).

Resources needed: Visual cards or printed images (optional).

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Differentiation

• For students needing additional support:

  • Assign a teacher or teaching assistant to guide observation and discussion in smaller groups.
  • Provide sentence stems for describing the movement of objects, e.g., “When I push the ______, it moves ______.”

• For higher-ability students:

  • Encourage them to measure or compare distances travelled by objects when pushed using different levels of force.

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Key Vocabulary

1. Push
2. Force
3. Motion
4. Speed
5. Gentle / Hard

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Health & Safety Considerations

• Ensure the floor area is clear and trip hazards have been removed for the hands-on activity.
• Check that all objects used in the experiment are safe (e.g., no small choking hazards).

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Assessment Opportunities

• Observation during group activities: Are students engaged and able to describe object movement?
• Group discussion: Listen for correct use of terms such as "push," "force," and "motion."
• Plenary: Assess student understanding based on their examples of push forces.

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Homework Extension (Optional)

“Find three objects at home that you use a push force to move. Draw a simple picture of each one and show it to your class next lesson!”

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This creative, engaging, and hands-on session ensures Year 1 students interact with the concept of push forces, linking their classroom exploration to their everyday lives. Inspire them to keep asking, "How does this move?"