Unit Plan 8 (Grade K Science): Engineering Motion Tools

Focus: Design, build, and test simple motion tools (push, pull, roll) and use data to decide whether a design solution changes an object’s speed or direction as intended.

Grade Level: K

Subject Area: Science (Physical Science • Engineering Design)

Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 35–50 minutes per session

I. Introduction

Students become kid engineers who design motion tools that can push, pull, or roll an object in a helpful way (for example: moving a “delivery block” to a target, guiding a toy car around a curve, or pushing a ball through a goal). They sketch ideas, build prototypes, and run simple tests to collect data about what happened. By the end of the week, students compare designs and explain whether their tool worked as intended—and how they improved it.

Essential Questions

• How can we design a tool that changes an object’s speed or direction?
• What does it mean for a design to “work as intended,” and how do we know using data?
• How can we compare two designs fairly and decide which one works better?
• How do engineers improve designs after testing?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Describe a simple motion problem (move an object farther, turn it, stop it, or keep it rolling straight) and name what success looks like (criteria).
2. Create a simple sketch/model of a motion tool and explain how its shape helps it work (K-2-ETS1-2).
3. Test a motion tool and record simple data (distance, direction, “hit/miss,” or a class rating scale) (K-PS2-2).
4. Compare results from two tools designed for the same problem and identify strengths/weaknesses using evidence (K-2-ETS1-3).
5. Improve a design based on test results and explain what changed and why.

Standards Alignment — Grade K (NGSS-Aligned)

• K-PS2-2 — Analyze data to determine if a design solution works as intended to change the speed or direction of an object with a push or a pull.
• K-2-ETS1-2 — Develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model to illustrate how the shape of an object helps it function as needed to solve a given problem.
• K-2-ETS1-3 — Analyze data from tests of two objects designed to solve the same problem to compare the strengths and weaknesses of how each performs.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can tell what my motion tool is supposed to do (criteria).
• I can draw and build a tool that pushes, pulls, or rolls an object.
• I can test my tool and record what happened using data.
• I can compare two tools and say which worked better and why.
• I can change my design to make it work better.