Unit Plan 6 (Grade 4 Science): Collisions & Energy Changes
Grade 4 collisions unit where students ask questions, predict outcomes, and observe how changing speed or mass transfers and changes energy when objects collide.
Focus: Explore how energy changes and moves when objects collide, using questions, predictions, and evidence from hands-on investigations.
Grade Level: 4
Subject Area: Science (Physical Science — Energy & Motion)
Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 45–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
In this unit, students investigate what happens to energy when objects collide. Using balls, carts, marbles, and simple ramps, they observe how changes in speed and mass affect the results of collisions. Students ask and refine questions, make predictions, and gather evidence (changes in speed, direction, sound, and object shape) to reason about how energy is transferred and sometimes changes form during collisions.
Essential Questions
- What happens to energy when objects collide?
- How do changes in speed or mass affect what we see in a collision?
- How can we ask questions and predict outcomes about collisions before we test them?
- In what ways can energy be transferred or changed (e.g., motion, sound, heat) when objects bump into each other?
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:
- Describe collisions as events where energy moves between objects, often changing speed or direction.
- Ask investigable questions and make predictions about how changing one factor (speed or mass) might change a collision’s outcome.
- Conduct simple collision investigations using balls, marbles, or carts and record what happens before and after impact.
- Identify evidence of energy changes in collisions (e.g., objects slow down or speed up, change direction, make sound, or deform slightly).
- Use data tables, diagrams, and short written explanations to communicate what they learned about energy changes in collisions.
Standards Alignment — 4th Grade (NGSS-Aligned)
- 4-PS3-3 — Ask questions and predict outcomes about changes in energy that occur when objects collide.
Success Criteria — Student Language
- I can ask questions and make predictions about what will happen when two objects collide.
- I can describe at least one way energy changes in a collision (for example, one object slows down while another speeds up, or sound is produced).
- I can use evidence from my investigations (observations, simple measurements) to explain what happened before and after a collision.
- I can show my thinking using a data table, diagram, or short explanation that clearly connects energy and collisions.