Grade 6 Force and Friction Investigation Activity

How to Play

• Prepare materials in advance: one small block or toy car, string, a rubber band, a ruler, several large books, and two or three surfaces to test per group (a desk, a mat, sandpaper, or the floor all work). Demonstrate the pulling technique once for the whole class before groups begin, so everyone measures consistently. Groups of three or four work well — one student can pull, one can watch the rubber band, one can measure, and one can record results. Circulate during both investigations to check that groups are pulling at a steady, slow speed, since a jerky pull gives an unreliable reading.

Variations

• Fair Test Challenge: after both investigations, ask groups to list everything they kept the same between tests (same block, same rubber band, same pulling speed) and everything that changed (ramp height, or surface). Discuss as a class why keeping some things the same makes the test fair.

Teacher Tips

Test the investigation yourself before class with your own ramp and surfaces, so you know roughly what students should observe — this makes it much easier to help a group whose results do not match the expected pattern.

Learning Objectives

• Students will be able to use a simple tool to compare the size of a force.
• Students will be able to describe how effort force changes as a ramp becomes steeper.
• Students will be able to compare the friction of different surfaces based on measured results.
• Students will be able to record observations in a table and draw a conclusion from their data.
• Students will be able to explain which simple machine their investigation used.

Differentiation

SUPPORT: Assign clear group roles (puller, watcher, measurer, recorder) so each student has one manageable job, provide a partly filled example row in the results table as a model, and allow spoken rather than written conclusions for students who need it.
ON-LEVEL: Complete both investigations and result tables independently within groups, writing a full conclusion in "What I Found Out."
CHALLENGE: Complete the "Think Like a Scientist" prediction and test it with a heavier object if time and materials allow, then compare the result to their prediction.

Assessment

Completed recording sheet, teacher observation of group work during both investigations, and the written conclusion in "What I Found Out."

What's Included

• 2-page student recording sheet with materials list, step-by-step instructions, and result tables
• Editable DOCX version
• Print-ready PDF version
• Teacher notes with expected results, discussion prompts, and safety notes (in place of a fixed-answer key, since measurements will vary)

Additional Files

• Grade 6 Force and Friction Investigation Activity.docx (DOCX)
• Answer Key.pdf (PDF)

Teacher Reviews