Unit Plan 4 (PreK Science): Strength of Pushes

Focus: Compare gentle vs. strong pushes to observe changes in distance, speed, and motion.

Grade Level: PreK

Subject Area: Science (Physical Science • Inquiry/Skills)

Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 30–40 minutes per session

I. Introduction

Children explore how the strength of a push can change how an object moves. Through play-based investigations with ramps, toy cars, balls, and classroom-safe materials, students practice making careful observations and comparing results. Across the week, they learn to use simple measurement tools (tape lines, counting blocks, picture “distance strips”) and develop early science language like gentle, strong, faster, slower, farther, and closer.

Essential Questions

• How does a gentle push make something move?
• How does a strong push make something move?
• What changes when we push the same object in different ways?
• How can we show what we notice using pictures, marks, or simple measurements?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Describe and demonstrate a gentle push and a strong push using safe classroom materials.
2. Observe how push strength changes an object’s speed and/or distance.
3. Compare two trials (gentle vs. strong) using simple evidence (e.g., “It went farther,” “It was faster”).
4. Record results using drawings, stickers, tally marks, or picture-based data strips.
5. Share a simple claim: “A strong push made it go ___ (farther/faster) than a gentle push.”

Standards Alignment — PreK (NGSS-based custom)

• PK-PS2-2 — Notice that stronger pushes or pulls change motion.
  • Example: Push a toy car softly vs. hard and compare how far it travels.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can show a gentle push and a strong push safely.
• I can tell what changed: faster/slower or farther/closer.
• I can draw or mark what happened in our test.
• I can say, “A strong push made it go ___.”