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4th grade · Science · Unit 5 of 8

Pushes, Pulls & Forces

Gravity, magnets, friction and changing motion

What your child practices

Forces as pushes and pulls, contact and non-contact forces (gravity, magnetism, static electricity), friction, how bigger forces change motion more, and helmets and seat belts as safety devices.

Arizona Academic Standards learning standard: 4.P2U1.3 · magnets, and forces that act without touching

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. A force is a push or a pull.
  2. Gravity pulls things down. Magnets pull iron and steel.
  3. Friction slows moving things. Sand on ice adds friction.
  4. Forces can start, stop or change the direction of a motion.

Example: A sled slides across snow and slowly stops. Which force stopped it? The sled rubs against the snow. Rubbing between surfaces is friction. Answer: friction

Pushes, Pulls & Forces in Arizona

In the Arizona Academic Standards, this is unit 5 of 8 in 4th grade Science, after Magnet Inventions and before Rock Layers & Erosion.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Arizona Department of Education

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    To reduce damage from flooding along a river, people can…

    🌊
    • cut down trees on the bank
    • build barriers and keep homes away from the riverbank
    • remove all dams
    • pour more water on the banks

  2. Question 2

    A bike helmet helps keep you safe in a crash because it…

    ⛑️
    • takes away gravity
    • cushions and spreads out the force
    • makes the bike faster
    • stops the bike from falling

  3. Question 3

    A ball rolls across the grass and slowly stops. What force slows it down?

    ⚽
    • magnetism
    • friction
    • a push from the Moon
    • static electricity

  4. Question 4

    Which kind of force can change a flat piece of clay into a ball?

    🧱
    • squeezing and pushing
    • a smell
    • a magnet
    • gravity only

  5. Question 5

    Which force can act without touching?

    🧲
    • friction
    • kicking a ball
    • pushing a swing
    • magnetism

  6. Question 6

    Why do we put sand on an icy sidewalk?

    🧂
    • to make it slipperier
    • to add friction so people don't slip
    • to make the ice melt in a second
    • to make it brighter

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