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How could you win a tug-of-war against an elephant?
Invisible Forces Unit | Lesson 1 of 5
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How could you win a tug-of-war against an elephant?

Invisible Forces Unit | Lesson 1 of 5
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Discuss: Can you think of any way for your team to win? Is there something you could do to make it harder for the elephant to pull?

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Practice: Think about each action below. For each one, ask yourself: Is it a push or a pull? (Answers on next slide.)

squeeze
pinch
tug
smack
drag
lift


Can you come up with any other verbs where there's either a pull or a push?

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squeeze = push
pinch = push
tug = pull
smack = push
drag = pull
lift = It depends how you lift. You could push up on a thing to lift it, or you could pull on it too.
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Discuss: Do you have any ideas for how you could get the watermelon to burst using rubber bands?

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TEACHERS — NEED A NATURAL STOPPING POINT?

The next slide features the Activity Video where students will learn how to make "Hopper Poppers." Constructing the hopper takes students about 20-25 minutes. Practicing using their hopper and then completing the "High Hop Score Card" takes an additional 20 minutes.

If your time is limited, there is a natural stopping point in the Activity video at 2:16 (where the video auto-pauses). Have students write their names on materials, then collect them and resume the activity next science class.

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# Extensions
Below are ideas for extending this topic beyond the activity & Exploration which you just completed.
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# Extra Activity: Tug-of-War

Tug-of-war is a great way to give students a feel for forces. You’ll need a sturdy rope, a room with a slick floor, and masking tape. Use masking tape to mark the center of the rope and make a line on the floor.

Discuss with the students how to make two, evenly matched tug-of-war teams. Have the teams play tug-of-war, starting with the center of the rope directly above the line.

Then have a rematch with one simple change: The winning team must take their shoes off and play in their stocking feet. (They’ll feel like an elephant on roller skates.)

If students mention friction here, let them know you’ll be exploring that topic fully in a future Mystery.

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Image & Video Credits

Mystery Science respects the intellectual property rights of the owners of visual assets. We make every effort to use images and videos under appropriate licenses from the owner or by reaching out to the owner to get explicit permission. If you are the owner of a visual and believe we are using it without permission, please contact us—we will reply promptly and make things right.

Lesson Image
elephant by S. Shankar , used under CC BY
Exploration
watermelon by Mike Mozart , used under CC BY
Dwayne Johnson by Jerry Avenaim , used under CC BY-SA
1 elephant vs 18 men by Cameron Owen
tug of war European championship by Tug of War Association
roller skating elephant by Carol Buckley
push by Mark Doliner , used under CC BY
dough stretching by Joe Hall , used under CC BY
dog tug o' war by kellinahandbasket , used under CC BY
pile of watermelons by Mike Mozart , used under CC BY
half watermelon by The Chic Life
slow motion watermelon video by The Slow Mo Guys , used under CC BY
Credits

Grade 3

Forces, Motion, & Magnets

Forces

3-PS2-2

Activity Prep

Print Prep

In this Mystery, students will see that by learning to think about pushes and pulls — forces — they can accomplish extraordinary things!

Preview activity

To make and test a Hopper, each student needs:

  • Enough “light chipboard” to cut a 3” x 6” rectangle — available at craft or office supply stores or on Amazon.(This chipboard is about as thick as the cardboard used to for cereal boxes, so you also have the option of raiding the recycling bin for supplies.)
  • A ruler
  • A pen
  • Scissors
  • 2 or 3 #16 rubber bands — available at craft or office supply stores or on Amazon.(These rubber bands are 1/16” wide and about 2” long, measured from one end of the loop to the other.)
  • Copy of Make a Hopper, How to Hop, and the High Hop Scorecard

Each group also needs:

  • A hole punch to share

We recommend students wear safety glasses, available for a good price here.

For open-ended exploration, the class will also need:

  • Extra chipboard for students who want to make additional hoppers
  • Rubber bands of different sizes and thicknesses

To help guide students during open-ended exploration, the teacher needs a printout of Teacher Tips .

Exploration

20 mins

Hands-On Activity

45 mins

Grade 3

Forces, Motion, & Magnets

Forces

3-PS2-2

Extend this lesson

Assessments

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