Grade by Grade
D. Structures and Mechanisms · Simple Machines and Movement

How Things Move

D2.1 A1.5About 30 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can describe different ways an object can move: in a straight line, in a curve, in a zigzag, round and round, back and forth, and up and down.
  • I can use words like fast, slow, speed up and slow down to describe movement.
  • I can watch something move and record how it moves in a chart.

Words to know

movement
When something changes where it is or turns. A rolling ball is moving.
straight line
Moving in one direction without turning, like a toboggan going straight down a hill.
zigzag
Moving one way, then a sharp turn the other way, again and again, like the letter Z.
spin (round and round)
Turning around a middle point, like a wheel or a spinning top.
back and forth
Moving one way and then back the same way, again and again, like a swing.
speed
How fast or slow something moves.

Let's start with a game

Stand up! Can you walk in a straight line across the room? Now walk in a zigzag, like a skier going down a hill. Now spin around slowly, once. Then rock back and forth from one foot to the other.

You just moved in four different ways! Objects can move in different ways too. Today we will learn the words scientists use to describe movement.

Ways things move

When something moves, it changes where it is, or it turns.

Here are some ways an object can move:

  • In a straight line: a bowling ball rolling down the lane, a toboggan going straight down a hill.
  • In a curve: a ball you throw high goes up and comes down in a curved path, like a rainbow shape.
  • In a zigzag: a skier turning left, right, left down a hill.
  • Round and round (spinning): a wheel, a spinning top, a ceiling fan, a merry-go-round.
  • Back and forth: a swing, a rocking chair, a car's windshield wipers.
  • Up and down: a yo-yo, a bouncing ball, a jumping kid on a trampoline.
A skier going down a snowy hill between evergreen trees, leaving wavy zigzag tracks in the snow.
Look at the tracks in the snow: the skier turned left, right, left. That is a zigzag path! AI-generated image
straightcurvedzigzaground androundback andforth
Five ways to move: in a straight line, in a curve, in a zigzag, round and round, and back and forth.
🎳⚾⛷️🎡🏓🪀
Bowling ball (straight line), thrown ball (curve), skier (zigzag), Ferris wheel (round and round), ping-pong ball (back and forth across the table), yo-yo (up and down)

Fast or slow?

We can also describe how fast something moves. This is called its speed.

  • A hockey puck after a slapshot moves fast.
  • A snail moves slowly.
  • A toboggan speeds up as it goes down the hill, and slows down at the bottom.
  • When it bumps into a snowbank, it stops.

So to describe movement, we can tell which way it moves (the path) and how fast it moves.

ObjectHow it moves (path)How fast?
ceiling fanround and roundfast or slow (it has speed settings)
swingback and forthslows down if no one pushes
snailstraight or curvedvery slow
tobogganstraight down the hillspeeds up going down
Describing movement: the path and the speed
Worked example

Let's describe a movement together

Watch a swing at the park. How does it move?

  1. Look at the path. The swing goes forward, then comes back, then forward again.
  2. That is back and forth movement.
  3. Look at the speed. It moves fastest at the bottom and slows down at the top of each swing.
  4. If no one pushes, each swing gets a little smaller until it stops.

The swing moves back and forth. It goes fastest at the bottom, and it slowly stops if no one pushes it.

Worked example

Let's sort some moving things

Sort these: a spinning top, a skier on a slalom course, a rocking chair, a car's wheel, a ball rolling down a hallway.

  1. Ask for each one: "Does it turn around a middle point? Does it go one way and come back? Does it change direction sharply?"
  2. Round and round: the spinning top and the car's wheel turn around their middle.
  3. Back and forth: the rocking chair rocks forward and back.
  4. Zigzag: the slalom skier turns left, right, left around the flags.
  5. Straight line: the ball rolling down the hallway (if nothing bumps it).

Round and round: top, wheel. Back and forth: rocking chair. Zigzag: skier. Straight line: ball.

One object, more than one movement

Some things move in two ways at once! A bicycle wheel spins round and round, while the whole bike moves forward in a straight line. That is okay. Describe both!

Riddle time

What goes round and round all day long but never gets dizzy?

A wheel!

Hands-on activity

Movement detective at home

You need: paper, a pencil, and things that move, like a ball, a toy car, a spinning top or coin, a door, a yo-yo or a swing.

  1. Make a chart with three columns: Object, How it moves, Fast or slow?
  2. Make each object move (or watch it move). Spin a coin on the table. Roll a ball. Open and close a door.
  3. Watch carefully. Write or draw how it moves: straight line, curve, zigzag, round and round, back and forth, or up and down.
  4. Show your chart to a grown-up and explain one movement using your new words.

What to look for: a coin spins round and round and then slows down; a door swings back and forth (it turns on its hinges); a ball rolls in a straight line. Safety: roll balls on the floor, away from stairs and breakable things.

Your turn

1

How does a merry-go-round move?

2

How does a playground swing move?

3

A ball is thrown high to a friend. What shape is its path?

4

How does a skier turning left, right, left, right move down the hill?

5

A toboggan goes down a hill. Does it speed up or slow down as it goes down?

6

Name something that moves up and down.

7

How does a bike wheel move while you ride in a straight line?

More practice: warm-up

1

Does a spinning top move round and round, or in a zigzag?

2

Is a snail fast or slow?

3

How do the windshield wipers on a car move?

4

A bowling ball rolls straight down the lane. What kind of path is that?

5

Is a hockey puck after a hard slapshot fast or slow?

More practice: on your own

1

A soccer player dribbles the ball around three cones, left, right, left. How does the player move? Why?

2

How does a rocking chair move? What makes it stop?

3

A ceiling fan is turned from high to low. What changes: its path or its speed?

4

You drop a ball and it bounces three times. How does it move?

5

Name one thing in your kitchen that spins round and round.

Challenge

1

A child slides down a curvy slide. Describe the path and the speed.

2

Name one object that moves in two ways at the same time. Describe both ways.

3

Mia says, "A swing and a merry-go-round move the same way." Is she right? Explain.

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

How does a spinning top move?

2.

Which one moves back and forth?

3.

A skier goes left, right, left, right down the hill. This path is a...

4.

What does speed tell us?

5.

A ball thrown high to a friend moves in a...

6.

A toboggan goes down a long hill. What happens to its speed?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Objects can move in different ways: in a straight line, in a curve, in a zigzag, round and round (rotating or spinning), back and forth, and up and down. We can also describe speed (Ontario expectation D2.1). Recording observations in a chart and explaining them uses Strand A communication skills (A1.5).

How to help: Play "How does it move?" during the day: the washing machine drum, a dog's wagging tail, a hockey puck, a snowflake falling. Ask for two things: the path (which way) and the speed (fast, slow, speeding up, slowing down).

Common difficulties:

  • Mixing up "round and round" and "back and forth". Round and round keeps turning the same way (a wheel). Back and forth goes and then comes back (a swing).
  • Only saying "it moves". Prompt with "Show me with your finger how it moved." Then help find the word.
  • Thinking an object can only move one way. A bike wheel spins while the bike goes straight. Both are correct.