Force & Motion!

Right before break, we spent several weeks as scientists exploring the concepts of force and motion. We conducted many investigations and became familiar with the scientific method of asking questions, making predictions, recording our observations, and drawing conclusions about our observations. The major learning outcomes of this unit included understanding that pushes and pulls make objects move, and friction and gravity both impact the motion of an object. We also examined how bigger or smaller forces impact an object's motion. To conclude this fun unit, families were invited to participate in our "Box Car Derby" by making a shoe box car as a family. My hope was that students would share their learning from this unit as they built their car. I was impressed with the creative and amazing cars that were entered into our race! All cars had some element of weight (so the students obviously learned that a heavier "force" would move an object farther). We had so much fun cheering each other on and watching the cars race. It didn't even matter to the kids who the "winner" was! Please enjoy these pictures from the race and thank you to everyone for supporting your child's learning and this fun project at home!