The texts in this set are geared to build on the knowledge and experience that Kindergarteners already have, and to support them in using their knowledge in a wider range of tasks.  These texts prompt students to describe, discuss and reflect on how pushes and pulls create and control motion.  This is important in that students can begin to recognize and apply science concepts to that of their own experiences, and in that, students are gaining a clear understanding of cause and effect relationships.

·      An object moves in the direction of the push or pull.

·      Pushes and pulls can speed up, slow down, or change the direction of an object.

·      The size, weight, and shape of an object affect its motion. 

Sheep in a Jeep, p. 13

Newton and Me, p. 7, 13, 17, 19, 20, 27

Move It! Motion, Force and You, p. 4, 6, 10, 12, 16, 18, 24, 28

 

Pull/Pulled/Pulling moves something towards you, closer to you.

Roller Coaster, p. 14

Newton and Me, p. 15, 17, 25, 27

Move It! Motion, Force and You, p. 4, 6, 10, 16, 20, 28

 

Students entering Kindergarten will have had opportunities in making motion, pushes and pulls, and in observing motion, but more than likely, without having named it.  The terms “push and pull” are included and therefore applicable, to the standard, K-PS2-1, Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions.  By including these terms, students will be able to make sense of, to clarify their understanding of, and to recognize and name “pushes and “pulls” in their experiences and observations, within the content of motion. 

 

Harris and Hirsh-Pasek (2011) stated that, “When words are presented frequently in contexts meaningful to children, and with clear information about their meaning, children really learn…” (p. 60).  These terms are repeated throughout the texts, on numerous occasions, thus offering multiple contexts for the terms to be understood.  To support students in developing their understanding of the terms, “pushes and “pulls,” I will offer students opportunities to connect their prior knowledge and experiences, making the term relevant to them, in referencing their own experiences with motion, with pushes and pulls, in play, such as pushing a toy train along a track, throwing a baseball, pulling a wagon, zipping up a coat, etc.  As a class, we can go outside, in order to test how “pushes and pulls” work using swings, ropes, or other sports equipment, like soccer balls, jump ropes, and badminton birdies, all to allow students to experience the motion of “pushing” and “pulling” for their understanding (Lemaster & Willett, 2019).  

Newton and Me, p. 27

Move It! Motion, Force and You, p. 4, 6, 12, 18, 20, 28, 29

Motion is when something is moving.

Newton and Me, p. 27

Move It! Motion, Force and You, p. 28

 

The introduction of the terms, “force and motion”, will provide students will greater depth in the understandings of other terms – “pushes and pulls”.  The familiarity of the scenarios presented in the texts, Newton and Me, and Move It!  Motion, Force and You, while defining the terms will support students in understanding the meanings of the words.  During reading, I will ask students to use what they know to predict the outcomes of events in the texts.  This will encourage children to use these words in multiple contexts, and to begin to express themselves more actively in discussions (Neuman & Wright, 2013).  Language grows through use, in sharing conversations, in hearing and then using new words (Hadley et al., 2020).  The terms “force and motion” are present across multiple texts in the set.

Newton and Me, p. 8 *Example of term is provided. 

Move It! Motion, Force and You, p. 20

 

Friction is a force that makes things slow down, then stop.  Friction is created when two surfaces such as your bike tire and the road rub together.

Newton and Me, p. 22 *Example of term is provided.

Move It! Motion, Force and You, p. 24

Neuman and Wright (2013) discussed the importance of including some “challenge” words in a text set.  These words introduce students to concepts early on, and over time, subsequent learning will further deepen their understandings (Neuman & Wright, 2013).  The terms, “gravity and friction”, deepen students understanding of the other terms, “forces, motion, pushes and pulls”. These terms are used frequently throughout the texts and provide content for the terms, gravity and friction.  In this way, students should be able to grasp the basic concepts of the terms, gravity and friction.  Both of these terms are important and relevant to the overall concept of the text set, in that both are forces that affect the motion of objects.

 

Through play, a young child’s interest is stimulated, and thus, can prompt for more complex, abstract learning to occur (Lemaster & Willett, 2019).  In the texts, these terms are explained in a relevant, age-appropriate manner.  Because these forces are invisible, for some students, concrete understanding may be difficult.  The examples from the texts are of experiences many Kindergarteners will have had – throwing a ball, riding a bike, etc.  To support students in understanding the concepts, prior to the reading of the texts, our class could play outdoors with P.E. equipment – scooters and balls, etc.  After reading, I would reference those activities, prompting students to think about what happens when the ball is thrown up in the air, what happens when we jump, what happens when we put our foot on ground while riding scooters, etc.  What forces can make those things happen?  Experiencing motion, through inquiry exploration, prior to learning the vocabulary, will provide students with a strong foundation of understanding as the terms are introduced through texts (Lemaster & Willett, 2019).

Genre: Predictable Book; Rhyming Book

Sheep in a Jeep, with its rhyming and predictable text, is a humorous tale of a group of sheep that go riding in a jeep.  Along the way, the sheep run into trouble and have to push or pull their way out of it!  

 

This engaging, predictable text, Sheep in a Jeep, is an important introductory text to Force and Motion, in that it presents pushes and pulls in a familiar context – down a hill, up a hill.  Kindergarten students will be able to call on their prior knowledge, tap into their acquired knowledge of their experiences, from sledding, going down a slide, riding bikes, or playing with toy cards.  What happens when you go down a hill?  What happens when going up a hill?  I chose this text, as the first in the set, in that it doesn’t rely heavily on scientific terms, but that the terms are presented, using an understandable and relevant scenario, going up and down a hill.  To make sense of the concepts, students will be prompted to connect their own experiences to describe what happens.  In doing so, the content will be more attainable in that students have background knowledge, and therefore, are primed to learn the meaning of the words, “push and pull”.  Students will be able to identify the “push and the pull”, in the scenario presented, and make distinctions between the two, as to where an object moves when pushed or pulled.  To me, this text provides the basis, representing pushes and pulls, for the other concepts, for the other terms, to then be developed.  

·      In Sheep in a Jeep, the sheep make the jeep “go”; they make the jeep move.  How would you describe the movement of the jeep, when the sheep make it ‘go,’ when they make it move?  What are things you can push?  

·      In Sheep in a Jeep, the sheep, with help of the pigs, get the jeep out of the gooey mud.  How would you describe the movement of the jeep, when the pigs are getting the jeep out of the gooey mud?  What are things you can pull? 

Genre: Narrative Informational Text

Newton and Me, tells the story of a boy and his dog, Newton, discovering the world of force and motion, learning about Newton’s Laws of Motions, in playing together, riding a bike, and pulling a wagon.  This text, through its rhymes, supports students in learning the laws of force and motion.

 

This text is wonderful in making the language and its meanings attainable and engaging for children, in providing examples of motion and forces using relevant, everyday experiences of children.  This is the story of a boy and his dog, discovering that Newton’s Laws of Motions exist all around us. The vocabulary, in Newton and Me, is presented in rich and supportive contexts.  This text dives deeper into forces and motions than that of Sheep in a Jeep.  In that sense, students can take what they’ve learned from Sheep in a Jeep, and apply it to understand this text, Newton and Me, and in doing so, deepen their understanding.  Not only does this text dive deeper into pushes and pulls, in helps students to recognize how speed and direction are influenced by force.  Furthermore, this text sets students up for looking more closely at other forces, gravity and friction. 

 

·      What does something in motion look like?

·      What are things, all around you, that are in motion? 

Genre: Expository Non-Fiction; Informational Text

This informational text is filled with facts, simple explanations, colorful pictures, and an abundance of hands-on activities.  The pictures and descriptions are presented in an engaging, relevant, and age-appropriate manner, in order to make the content and concepts understandable, and meaningful, to young children.

 

To me, this informational text is the most ‘scientific’ of all the texts in the set.  I found that this text provided excellent, understandable examples in describing more abstract concepts, such as, gravity and friction.  As this text further discusses pushes and pulls, I as the teacher, can relinquish a certain amount of control to support children’s increasing independence of the topic, really allowing them to drive the conversation, the explanations, prompting students to use what they already know in order to build even more background knowledge, even more understanding of the concepts at hand (Neuman & Wright, 2013).  In reading the third text of the set, I would imagine there would be more discussion regarding the topic, as students make more connections between the multiple texts and their own experiences.  The text builds on the information presented in Sheep in a Jeep and Newton and Me.  Move It!  Motion, Forces and You introduces students to additional forces, gravity and friction, and discusses how attributes of object affect its motion.

 

·      What does it mean to push an object?  Where does it go?  What if I push harder?

·      What does it mean to pull an object?  Where does it go?  What if I pull harder?

·      What are some different types of motion?

·      What things will move slowly?  Why?  What things will move quickly?  Why?

Roller Coaster, by Marla Frazee, is a thrilling, minute-by-minute recreation of a roller coaster ride!  The coaster takes students along for the ride, climbing and turning, and dropping and diving, all because of force, motion and gravity.  Students can apply what they know, what they’ve learned about force and motion, to understand how the roller coaster works, and how it moves.    

 

I choose this text, Roller Coaster, because the story is a true representation of motion and force at work.  This text is not inundated with science vocabulary.  To me, this presents opportunities for students to engage in a thrilling storybook, all the while making sense of what is happening by putting to work their background knowledge, their understandings of motion and force.  This storybook, I saved for last!  Here, students will be prompted to connect what they know to the roller coaster.  What makes it go up the track?  What makes it go down?  When students can make sense of the vocabulary, in that they can apply, they are demonstrating understanding of the terms.  This would be the purpose of this text, Roller Coaster - to apply one’s new learning to what students have already learned or experienced about motion and force.  

 

·      Think about the roller coaster.  Think about how the coaster moves.  Think about the sheep and the jeep.  Think about the boy and his dog, Newton, and what they discovered.  How is the roller coaster able to move?  How does it get up to the top of the track?  How is it able to get down the steep drop?

·      How can we make something move?

Hadley, E.B., Newman, K.M., & Mock, J. (2020).  Setting the stage for TALK: Strategies for encouraging language-building conversations.  The Reading Teacher, 74(1) doi: 10.1002/trtr1900. 

 

Harris, J., Golinkoff, R., & Hirsh-Pasek, K. (2011).  Lessons from the crib to the classroom: How children really learn vocabulary.  In S.B. Neuman and D.K. Dickinson (Eds.), Handbook of early literacy research, volume 3.  New York: Guilford Press.

 

Lemaster, J., & Willett, V.  (2019).  Pushes, Pulls, and Playgrounds.  Science & Children, 56(7) 50-56. 

 

Mason, A. (2005).  Move It!  Motion, Forces and You.  Toronto: Kids Can Press.  

 

Mayer, L. (2010).  Newton and Me (S. Rogers, Illus.).  Sylvan Dell Publishing.

 

Neuman, S.B., & Wright, T.S. (2013).  Supporting content-rich vocabulary through book reading.  All About Words.  Teachers College Press, NY, NY.  pp. 62-82  

 

Shaw, N., & Staab, J. (2006). Sheep in a jeep. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.