Lesson Idea | Don’t Slip

This lesson explores friction, the force that resists motion between two surfaces, through a hands-on investigation using wood blocks and sandpaper. Designed for elementary and middle school students, it helps learners understand how surface type affects the force of friction. Students use spring scales or rubber bands to measure and record data, create graphs, and model how friction works at a microscopic level. The two-session activity combines experimentation, discussion, and reflection, supporting scientific inquiry and data analysis skills in an engaging, real-world context.

Next Generation Science Standards

• PS2.A: Forces and Motion
○ Each force acts on one particular object and has both strength and a direction.
An object at rest typically has multiple forces acting on it, but they add to give zero net force on the object. Forces that do not sum to zero can cause changes in the object’s speed or direction of motion. (Boundary: Qualitative and conceptual, but not quantitative addition of forces are used at this level.) (3-PS2-1)
○ The patterns of an object’s motion in various situations can be observed and measured; when that past motion exhibits a regular pattern, future motion can be predicted from it. (Boundary: Technical terms, such as magnitured, velocity, momentum, and vector quantity, are not introduced at this level, but the concept that some quantities need both size and direction to be described is developed.)
(3-PS2-2)
• PS2.B: Types of Interactions
○ Objects in contact exert forces on each other. (3-PS2-1).
• ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions
○ Research on a problem should be carried out before beginning to design a solution.
Testing a solution involves investigating how well it performs under a range of likely conditions. (3-5-ETS1-2)
○ At whatever stage, communicating with peers about proposed solutions is an important part of the design process, and shared ideas can lead to improved designs. (3-5-ETS1-2)
• ETS1.C: Optimizing the Design Solution
○ Different solutions need to be tested in order to determine which of them solves the problem, given the criteria and constraints. (3-5-ETS1-3)(secondary to 3-PS4-3)

For further information, please visit Young Scientist Lab website.