Children send objects down a ramp and sort the objects into two sets: things that slide and things that roll. They discover that objects with a flat side often slide, and objects with a round shape often roll.
We will sort things that SLIDE and things that ROLL.
How will this box move down the ramp?
Materials
- Marker
- Paper (2 sheets for container signs)
- 6–10 sorting objects (such as a toilet paper tube, crayon, ping pong ball, whiffle ball, craft stick, pencil, plastic fork, small note pad, and large paper clip)
- Ramp materials (such as a wood plank, cardboard, or foam core sheet for a surface)
- Cardboard boxes or blocks to prop up one end of the ramp
- 2 containers for sorting
Preparation
- Create signs for the sorting containers: “SLIDE” and “ROLL.”
- Test out the materials beforehand to decide how steep you want the ramp to be. It should be fairly steep.
- Set up the ramp to face a wall so that rolling objects don’t roll too far!
Directions: Lesson 4
Guided Small Group
- Have children help you construct the ramp and introduce the two labeled sorting containers. Reinforce the meaning of the words slide and roll by having children chant the word slide as they slide one palm over the other and chant the word roll as they make a rolling motion with their fists.
- Have children choose an object and predict whether it will roll or slide, explaining the reason for their prediction.
- Encourage them to notice the shape of the object.
- Invite children who agree with a classmate’s prediction to explain why they agree. Invite children who have a different prediction to give their rationale.
- Then let them take turns sending the object down the ramp. Did the object slide or roll? Were their predictions correct? Have a child place the object in the correct sorting container.
- When all objects are sorted, have children examine the objects in the ROLL container. What is the same about all the objects that roll? Do the children notice that they are generally round?
- Examine all the objects in the SLIDE container. What is the same about all the objects that slide? Do the children notice that the objects tend to have a side that lies flat on the ramp?
- Children will continue sorting objects that slide and roll in Sorting Objects Outdoors and Sorting Objects Revisited, a Circle Time: Wrap-Up activity.
