Balance & Motion
Investigation 1
Part 1
Trick Crayfish
Students balance a tagboard crayfish on their fingertips. After finding the balance point, students are challenged to balance the crayfish on its edge, tail, and “nose” using clothespins as counterweights.
3. Lesson set up and Management
Properties of Substances: Use properties to sort natural and manufactured materials and objects, for example: size, weight, shape, color, texture, and hardness. (PR01 1.1.1)
Objects can be balanced in many ways.
Counterweights can help balance an object.
The way an object balances can be changed by counterweighting.
3. Lesson set up and Management
Materials:
Per student:
1 Tagboard Crayfish
2 Clothespins
Student Management:
Allow students to observe and try others’ investigations.
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Allow time for students to explore on their own. Don’t show them how to balance the crayfish.
Caution students to handle tagboard crayfish carefully – no folding.
Holding crayfish is different than balancing.
Remind students that standing the crayfish on their desk is not finding a balance point.
Challenge students to discover different ways to get the crayfish to balance.
Writing Support:
Have students draw in their science notebooks all the ways they were able to get the crayfish to balance using the clothespins.
Reading Support:
None for this lesson.