Lesson Plan

Understand what happens when you push or pull something

EYFS-03-01

Intent

Lesson Outcomes

  • Describe what happens when pushes and pulls oppose each other
  • Suggest examples of pushes and pulls
  • Identify if an action is a push or a pull

Working Towards ELG

  • PD: Use a range of small tools, including scissors, paint brushes and cutlery
  • PD: Demonstrate strength, balance and coordination when playing
  • PD: Negotiate space and obstacles safely, with consideration for themselves and others

Resources

  • Scissors
  • Glue
  • Camera
  • Handout

Rocket words

  • push
  • pull
  • press
  • suck
  • swing

Implementation

Starter

Explain what push and pull mean. Encourage the children to think of examples of pushes and pulls.

Main Teaching

In this activity, the children will learn about Newton's second law of motion. They will learn that the force required to move the toy car is proportional to the weight of the toy car. Engineers use this relationship to determine how much force they need to move an airplane. Have some examples of pushes and pulls needed on toys to show the children real examples.

Key Questions:

Do the children know the difference between the terms push and pull? 
Can the children provide examples of objects that are pulled? 
Can the children provide examples of objects that are pushed?
What word describes a caravan being towed? 
What word is used to describe someone moving a shopping trolley forward?
What word means to move something away from you?
What word means to move something towards you?

Mission Assignment

Sort Pushes and Pulls  

  1. The children can cut out the pictures from the handout and sort them into a pile that represents push and a pile that represents pull.
  2. There are six images for each pile.
  3. The answers are shown at the end of the mission assignment video.
  4. The children should then look around the room for objects that they push and/or pull.

This can be done either in a large group or individually. Can any of these push/pull activities be tried in your classroom or outside? Think about how we can be safe when showing our push and pull knowledge. Discuss how we can be safe as we move around our classroom or garden. How can we care for one another as we move? As the children explore their environment, challenge them to think if their action is a push or a pull - take some photos as they explore to show in the plenary later.

Use the extra handout to further challenge the children; can they draw or write about the items they explored when pushing and pulling?

Impact & Assessment Opportunities

Plenary

Discuss the pushes and pulls the children had sorted. Which pushes and pulls did we recreate in the classroom? If you were able to, show the push/pull motions you were able to do in your classroom - can any of the children guess what they were?

 

Teacher Mastery: Engineers use their understanding of Newton's laws of motion when designing objects that move. Newton's second law states that the force required to move an object is proportional to the mass of that object. Engineers apply this relationship when designing airplanes; the heavier the airplane, the more force it requires to move. Creating a larger force requires more fuel, which is more expensive and harmful to the environment.