1
Pushes and pulls
Workbook 2: Topic 2.1, pp. 19–21
GoalSay that a force is a push or a pull, and sort everyday actions into pushes and pulls.
New words
force · a push or a pullpush · a force that moves something away from youpull · a force that moves something towards you
Explanation
A force is a push or a pull. You cannot see a force, but you can see what it does. When you push, the thing moves away from you. You push a door open and you push a swing. When you pull, the thing moves towards you. You pull a drawer open and you pull a wagon along. There are forces all around us. Every time something starts to move, speeds up, slows down or stops, there is a force.
Worked examples
Aisha pushes a shopping trolley. The trolley moves away from her.
Omar pulls a box towards himself across the floor.
Kicking a ball, pressing a doorbell and pedalling a bicycle are pushes. Opening a drawer and tugging a rope are pulls.
Class activity
Push and pull hunt (with an adult): walk around your home or classroom. Find five things that you can move by pushing and five things that you can move by pulling, such as a door, a chair, a drawer and a curtain. Draw them in two columns and check each one by trying it. Be gentle, and do not move heavy furniture.
Practice
1
What is a force?
A push or a pull.
2
Is kicking a ball a push or a pull?
A push, because the ball moves away from you.
3
Which one do you pull to make it come towards you?
B, the rope.
4
You move a book across a table away from you. Is it a push or a pull?
A push.