1
Which way is it going?
Workbook 2: Topic 2.4, pp. 26–28
GoalSay that a moving object travels in a direction, and that a push or pull can make it turn.
New words
direction · the way something is moving, such as left, right, up or downturn · to change the way you are movingmoving · going from one place to another
Explanation
Everything that moves goes in a direction. A ball can roll to the left, to the right, up or down. A moving object keeps going the same way unless a force acts on it. A push or a pull can make it change direction. When Kenji turns the handlebars of his bicycle, the bicycle turns. When a player hits a rolling ball from the side, the ball goes a new way. So forces can change the speed of a moving object, and they can change its direction too.
Worked examples
A toy car rolls straight across the floor. It bumps into a wall and rolls back the other way. The wall’s push has changed its direction.
Lola turns the handlebars to the left, so her bicycle turns left.
A tennis ball hits a racket and bounces back the way it came. The racket’s push changed its direction.
Class activity
Turn the ball (with an adult): roll a ball along the floor towards a friend. When it is moving, tap it from the side with your hand or foot. Which way does it go now? Try tapping from the other side. Do not tap it hard near furniture.
Practice
1
What is a direction? Give two examples.
The way something moves. For example: left, right, up, down.
2
A rolling ball is pushed from the side. What changes?
Its direction. The ball turns.
3
How does a child make a bicycle turn?
By turning the handlebars.
4
Name two things a force can change about a moving object.
Its speed and its direction.