This 4th grade check has three parts on two pages, with the answer key on page 3. Part 1 is five multiple-choice questions with three options each, from what kinetic energy is to what happens to a bowling ball's kinetic energy when it rolls faster. In Part 2 students mark six examples K or P, such as a moving bike, a battery in a drawer and a rock at the edge of a cliff. Part 3 asks them to explain the energy changes as a ball rolls down a hill. It matches NGSS 4-PS3-1.
4-PS3-1
“Use evidence to construct an explanation relating the speed of an object to the energy of that object.”
Question 5 links a faster bowling ball to more kinetic energy, and part 3 asks students to explain the ball's changing energy as it speeds up down the hill.
Five questions on what kinetic and potential energy are, where a roller coaster car has the most potential energy, what happens when a stretched rubber band is let go and what happens to the kinetic energy of a faster bowling ball.
Six examples in boxes, each with a short line for K or P, from a moving bike and a falling apple to a stretched spring and a spinning top.
A photo of a ball on a grassy slope beside four lines. Students say what energy the ball has at the top and how it changes on the way down.
The correct letter for each question, K or P for all six examples and a model explanation of the ball rolling down the hill.
After the unit
Use it as a short end-of-unit check. Part 1 takes about five minutes and part 2 only a couple more.
Mark part 2 first
Two or more errors in the K or P boxes usually mean the stored energy idea needs reteaching. A battery, a spring and a cliff rock are the common misses.
Scoring part 3
Look for both energy names and the word changes. A good answer says potential at the top becomes kinetic as the ball speeds up.
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