These guided notes follow a kindergarten class as it tests a toy car on the carpet. Students use a seven-word bank (CAR, PUSH, GENTLE, SHORT, STRONG, FAR, FORWARD) to fill blanks across five sections. A gentle push sends the car a short distance, and a strong push sends it far. Two draw-or-write boxes record what each push did. The sheet runs four pages, matches NGSS K-PS2-1, and comes with an answer key.
K-PS2-1
“Plan and conduct an investigation to compare the effects of different strengths or different directions of pushes and pulls on the motion of an object.”
Testing a Gentle Push and Testing a Strong Push compare strengths, and Changing Directions compares directions, all with the same toy car.
Two blanks set up the test. The class is testing how a car moves on the carpet, and students will give it a push with their hands.
Students fill in gentle and short, then draw or write what happened when they barely pushed the car.
The blanks are strong and far. A second drawing box shows the car zooming away.
Students write that the car can go sideways or forward, and that it goes the exact way they push it.
Two summary lines. A gentle push makes the car go a short way, and a strong push makes it go far.
Carpet test
Run the investigation for real with one toy car and a tape start line. Students fill each blank right after they see the result.
Mark the stops
Put a sticky note where the car stops after each push. The gap between the two notes makes short and far easy to see.
Big word bank
Write the seven words on the board in large letters. Point to each one as the class reaches its blank.
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