Students push a ball across different surfaces to discover how force, friction, and gravity decide whether something speeds up, slows down, or stays put.
Students will be able to…
A ball rolls forever on smooth ice but stops fast on carpet. What force is secretly pushing back — and what makes anything move at all?
Project this and let students change the push strength and the surface. Have them record how far the ball travels and figure out what is slowing it down.
Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.
Slide a book across a desk, then across the carpet. Why the difference?
Students test push strength and surfaces in the model.
Name the forces at work.
Where do we use — and fight — friction every day?
Three quick checks on forces and friction.
Aligned to Next Generation Science Standards and Common Core literacy. State-standard crosswalks available on request.
Provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object.
Make observations and measurements of an object’s motion to provide evidence that a pattern can predict future motion.
Support an argument that the gravitational force exerted by Earth on objects is directed down.
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information.
Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.
Give groups a ramp and test how far a toy car rolls across different surfaces (tile, carpet, sandpaper, foil). A printable fair-test recording sheet is in the Science library.
Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.
A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.
A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.