Ashley Bowers

Science Mini-Unit 2
nd
Grade Changes in Motion
A. General Information
Grade Level and Topic: Grade 2: Changes in Motion

Relevant Content Standard: Forces change the motion of an object.
Motion can increase, change direction or stop depending on the force applied.
The change in motion of an object is related to the size of the force.
Some forces act without touching, such as using a magnet to move an object or
objects falling to the ground.

Relevant Ohio Science Inquiry Content Statement:
Observe and ask questions about the natural environment
Plan and conduct simple investigations
Employ simple equipment and tools to gather data and extend the senses
Use appropriate mathematics with data to construct reasonable explanations
Communicate about observations, investigations and explanations
Review and ask questions about the observations and explanations of others.
B. Objectives
Students will be able to, based on observations and investigations, explain, in their own
words, the ways in which force can change the motion of an object.
Students will be able to describe the concepts of force and motion in their own words.

Students will be able to produce an example of force and motion relevant to their daily lives.
C. Rationale
This topic was selected because it aligns with the Grade 2 standards for Physical Science.
This topic is developmentally appropriate for 2
nd
grade students to think about because they
encounter forces and motion in their everyday lives from running on the playground and sliding
down the slide, to rolling or throwing a ball with their friends, just to name a few examples.
To begin this unit, the teacher will tell the students that they will be able to do science
outside. This will act as a hook to get children excited about the learning that is to take place. On the
playground, stations will be set up at the slide, the swings, throwing a ball, and a climbing station.
These different stations represent different forces pushes and pulls as well as illustrating the
concepts of friction, gravity, speed, and movement. After this initial hook activity, students will be
asked to discuss what they experienced on the playground. They will have the opportunity to think-
pair-share with their partner about what they experienced, using the guided question How did we
use force to play when we were on the playground? After this discussion, the teacher would present
the book Move It! by Adrienne Mason to provide a connection between the students experiences
and literature. This book discusses forces, motion, and movement in ways that are meaningful to
children. After the book, allow children to share ideas about forces, movement, and motion once
again in think-pair-share. Tell students that we will be thinking about these ideas throughout our
science unit.
The planned experiences for this unit will help to solidify the students understanding of
movement, motion, force, and energy. The unit has been designed to give terminology to activities
and processes that students encounter on a daily basis. The unit also allows students to think more
deeply about the concepts through inquiry experiences, to construct their own personal connections
to the material, and to produce questions for further investigation.
D. Learning Experiences
To hook students, read Move It! by Adrienne Mason. This is a book that tells all about
force, motion, and the ways in which different things move. After the playground experiences and
reading the book (Day 1), Day 2 starts with a KWL chart. Have students brainstorm about what
they know about motion, or what they think it is based on their playground experiences, what they
learned from the book, or other background knowledge about the topic. The book gives a lot of
good examples, but also have the students try to think about examples from their lives.
As inquiry progresses, add more into the what we want to know section of the KWL
chart. This chart may need to be extended as experiences occur lots of paper/space needed!
Various inquiry opportunities will allow children to explore various related concepts, such as gravity
(dropping two objects from the same height at the same time), friction (sandpaper vs. cardboard
ramps and rolling objects), magnets (some materials can be moved without touching), and wind (use
of fans/windpower to move objects). This section is more guided inquiry, where children have a set
number of materials to work with, are guided with questions, and each group must investigate each
topic friction, magnets, gravity, and wind. Children will then choose a group inquiry project from
one of these sub-areas using a question that they develop on their own and test their inquiry
question. Final inquiry projects can take place either in the classroom, or on the playground which
offers a more meaningful and natural learning experience.
Throughout the inquiry experiences, create a shared alphaboxes document with terminology used by
the children. Review each day after each inquiry experience.
At the end of the unit, return to the KWL chart to fill in what the children have learned. Allow for
extended thinking by allowing for discussion of what we still want to know ideas.
Day 1: Playground experience, share ideas about experience, read Move It, again share ideas about
force and motion
Day 2: Review prior days experiences, begin filling out the KWL chart (K and W sections), begin
using alphaboxes for overheard terminology when students are discussing concepts, review with
students. Foundational knowledge about what force and motion are in general should be stressed at
this point.
Day 3-6: Students will participate in guided inquiry stations in the classroom gravity, friction, wind,
and magnets. Students will rotate through these stations. The questions in these stations will be set
by the teacher, and it will be the job of the children to answer the questions using the materials given
(and, for children who are able or who have time to develop their own questions or further the
teachers posed question). Teacher will walk around and observe each groups progress as they are
working, will ask probing questions about the content, will record students progress on rubrics, and
will record overheard terminology in alphaboxes. Alphaboxes reviewed at the end of students work
time. Students progress will also be informally assessed by teacher using checklist and anecdotal
notes. Additionally, during questioning, teacher will ask How does this relate back to what we did
on the playground? and Can you think of a similar experience in your daily life? These are
questions for the children to be thinking about throughout the unit. The stations will be as follows:

Station 1: Gravity
In this station, students have 4 objects at their disposal a small rubber ball, a cotton ball, a
crumpled piece of paper, and a set of dice. They will then be asked to predict what will happen when
these items are thrown up into the air. They will record their predictions, and then test them out.
Questions might be comparisons about which object fell the fastest, how the weight of the object
impacts the force the student throws it with, etc. (Note: It is important to model how to have this
experience safely controlled throwing, not dangerous throwing)

Station 2: Friction
In this station, you will find a ramp with sandpaper, and a ramp that is smooth. Compare the
distance (in inches) that the hot wheels car moves on the sandpaper ramp versus the distance (in
inches) that the hot wheels car moves on the smooth ramp. How does the sandpaper effect the
speed of the car?
Station 3: Wind
Find a way to make the hot wheels car move with wind power. You may not touch the car in
any way, and you must only use wind power to move the car. You are allowed three trials. Record
how far your car went (in inches) for each trial. Make sure to note your observations, and what you
tried in each trial. Does the speed of the car change based upon how much force (in windpower)
you use? Does the car move farther when the air is focused on it? Does it move faster?
Station 4: Magnets
Find a way to make the hot wheels care move only by using magnets. You may not touch the
car in any way, and you must only use magnet power to move the car. You are allowed three trials.
Record how far your car went (in inches) for each trial. Make sure to note your observations, and
what you tried in each trial. Does the size of the magnet impact the distance the car moves? The
speed at which the car moves? What happens when the magnet gets too close to the car.
At the end of each of these stations, students will collect their data and observations in their
notebook, which will then be turned in to the teacher for review after each day. Update the W
section of the KWL chart as children come up with questions through their experiences.
Day 7: Students will come together as a class to share what they experienced in each station.
Students will then be asked to create their own inquiry project involving gravity, friction, wind, or
magnets with their group. Additionally, students may choose to incorporate the playground into
their inquiry project. Give students time to develop their questions, discuss how they might collect
data, etc, and allow them time during this day to brainstorm and develop their project. If students
get stuck, refer to the W section of the KWL chart for ideas. Provide support as needed to groups
or individuals who seem stuck.
Day 8-10: Students perform their inquiry projects, collect data, and discuss/share their findings.
Allow the class to ask questions of each group, and to share connections they might have thought of
through their classmates presentation. Once all groups have presented their findings, sum up the
unit by reviewing the alphaboxes and filling in the L section of the KWL chart. As an exit ticket, and
thinking about the learning objectives for this unit, students will be asked to produce definitions of
force and motion, as well as give a real-life example of force or motion in their everyday lives.
Materials Needed:
playground equipment
Move It by Adrienne Mason
Materials for guided inquiry stations: magnets of various sizes, fans, sandpaper, wax paper,
hot wheels toys, playground balls, set of dice, regular paper, paper towel tubes
Materials for student guided inquiry (can choose from what we have or suggest other
materials as long as its nothing too outrageous!)
Chart paper or board space for KWL chart and alphaboxes
Paper and clipboard for teacher notetaking
E. Assessment
Pre-assessment: Initial KWL chart K section
Informal formative assessment: Adding to the W section of the KWL chart throughout
experiences, reviewing alphaboxes of terminology with the class after every inquiry opportunity, data
collection using checklist
Informal summative assessment: The L section of the KWL chart, and the additional questions.
Formal summative assessment: Each groups final inquiry question, project, and results. In
addition, each individual will provide a connection between what they learned in the unit and real-
world, everyday experience (ex: I slide down the slide quickly because the surface is smooth and
there is less friction). Additionally, students will provide an exit ticket with definitions of what force
and motion means to them, as well as a real-life example of one (or both) topics.
F. Miscellaneous
Potential Misconceptions: (as taken from the standards)
The only natural motion is for an object to be at rest.
If an object is at rest, no forces are acting on the object.
Only animate objects can exert a force. Thus, if an object is at rest on a table, no forces are
acting on it.
Force is a property of an object.
An object has force and when it runs out of force, it stops moving.
A force is needed to keep an object moving with a constant speed.
Gravity only acts on things when they are falling.
Only animate things (people, animals) exert forces; passive ones (tables, floors) do not
exert forces.
These misconceptions are common ones that might come up within this unit. It is important to
address these issues to prevent student confusion. However, these are not necessarily ideas that
students need to master, as gravity and magnetic forces are covered in later grades. It is just
important to lay the foundation for this learning to occur.
Cross-curricular Connections: Writing (recording observations, assessments), reading (Move It),
social (group inquiry, think-pair-share, class discussion), math (data from inquiry projects).
Differentiation Plan: Inquiry leads itself nicely to differentiation, and it is built in to the entire unit.
Students are working as a team, and each team members opinions and ideas are valued and valid.
Groups that need extended experiences can easily brainstorm new questions about experiences, or
even work on planning new inquiry experiences around a topic. Groups that need support will have
teacher support, peer support, and ample time to experience and explore all topics. Children can also
refer to the terminology collected in the alphaboxes to facilitate a discussion about concepts that
they might find difficult. Learning in this unit is visual, auditory, and kinesthetic to support all
learning styles. Ideas about concepts are formed and reviewed many times throughout the unit, as
children build their knowledge about the topic.
Safety: Before beginning the unit, safe practices will be reviewed. Safety is paramount when engaged
in science experiences. Each station will be modeled first by the teacher, so that children understand
a safe way to interact with the materials. If acting unsafely with any materials, children will first be
warned. If unsafe behavior continues, children will be asked to remove themselves from that station
until they can act in a safe way. In addition to being monitored by the teacher, students will be asked
to monitor their peers safety, as well as their own individual safety when engaging with the
materials.