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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?

Video trouble?

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?

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.
Video trouble?

Discuss: Do you have any ideas for how you could get the watermelon to burst using rubber bands?

Video trouble?

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.
# 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.

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

Featured Reviews

“I really liked that it included all types of learning....video, worksheet, hands-on experiment, etc.”
· Becky · Homeschooler
“They loved it all, especially the hoppers, and I loved that there was very little prep required. With all that we have to do as teachers, I really love lessons that are rich with information as yours are, but that require very little work on my part. Science often gets left out because of all the reading/math requirements in the early grades, so this was awesome!!!”
· Mandi · Teacher
“My students loved their hoppers. Most of them were able to hop above their heads! ”
· Sarah · Teacher
“Students were actively engaged in the learning! They loved seeing the Slo-Mo guys. Tug of war was a perfect example since we have a fourth grade tug of war at the end of the school year.”
· Carla · Teacher
“Students' discussion was epic! About 1/2 of them finally moved from the perspective of strength to the perspective of push/pull on their own after a few slides from the presentation!”
· Marie · Teacher
“The videos! My kids loved watching each real life video to help them understand forces. ”
· King · Teacher
“the kids were very excited. We also used our curriculum to extend the activity. Perfect for 2nd grade as it is one of our standards! They really enjoyed making the Hopper Poppers”
· Laurie · Teacher
“I love how the narrator speaks, his timing, and how he uses few words, but they powerful and are loaded with inquiry.”
· Vikki · Teacher
“The best part was how excited the kids were to be doing science! They cheered during the video tug-of-war and were involved in great discussions about how the class could win against the elephant.”
· Autumn · Teacher
“The students were engaged and they wanted to keep trying to make their Hopper better:)”
· Callie · Teacher
“The students really had great ideas on how to make the hopper go higher by modifying their release or experimenting on the carpet vs. desks tops. ”
· Jim · Teacher
“I have to comment on not only is the writing good, but the narration! My third grade son has problems paying attention to video's that rattle off 100 facts in lightning speed narration, of some young person with an irritating voice, who doesn't pause. The pausing is so perfect that even I am learning from these videos- and I'm old! Please continue how well you write these and using the narrator you are using. They are best I've seen. And please write more! My third grader is almost through with what you have. I homeschool and these are so wonderful for me!!!”
· Shelly · Homeschooler
“We haven't done the activity yet, but my kids were SO engaged in the video and discussions. WOW! They talked non-stop about pushes and pulls the rest of the day. THANK YOU!”
· Jennifer · Teacher
“The discussions we had about how to beat an elephant. I loved being able to pause and modify the lesson or ask leading questions. THANK YOU PLEASE NEVER STOP MAKING THESE!!!”
· Phillip · Teacher
“This lesson kept the 7 year old and the 4 year old entranced! They have been talking nonstop with people about what they learned...”
· Rebecca · Homeschooler
“My 6 year old had ideas right away about how to increase the force to make the hopper jump higher--he could explain the forces exerted. I was impressed. ”
· Debbie · Homeschooler
“I have been a primary science teacher for 20+ years. My second grade students loved this lesson. The lessons are well done, easy to use, simple materials and most of all they encourage the students to "do" science.”
· Della · Teacher
“One 3rd grade girl who left the class stating " Wow!, I just love science!"”
· Greg · Teacher
“The kids loved the elephant question and we tried real-life tug-of-war together. I was the elephant who won at first and then put on rollerskates. The idea of rollerskates actually even came organically before the video or I mentioned it. They were very excited and engaged. ”
· Mark · Teacher
“The Hopper Popper engineering challenge was a big hit with my class. I was able to incorporate the engineering design process really well with this activity. The videos of the tug of war with the elephant and the exploding watermelon were perfect videos to engage the students in the study of force. They flipped out over them!”
· Holly · Teacher
“My students love it! It was the most engaging lesson we have had all year...in any subject! Thanks so much for the thorough lesson. This is seriously a teacher's dream come true for science instruction!”
· Lindsey · Teacher
“My son loved learning about friction and thought it was fun how an elephant was used to make such a great point.”
· Susan · Homeschooler
“The kids all enjoyed it. One set of kids watched first few videos twice and I was pleased they retained the concepts highlighted. Second showing reinforced ideas. And they did extension tug-of-war w/ and w/o socks. :) The watermelon demo was excellent (though I wish they featured safety goggles!). One thing I work on with my kids is judgement-- when to follow procedures exactly and when it's not important. The measurements were a god exercise in following directions and fine motor control, but not crucial to the hopper experiment. They did some investigating with different elastics and different sizes of cardboard. (And along those lines, we are going to try to explode a cucumber with elastics, but have not yet done that-- need a new box of elastics). Just a few things to offer as extensions to the lesson.”
· Jessica · Homeschooler
“The students loved the video, especially the part featuring the exploding watermelon! They also loved, loved, loved creating and testing their hopper! ”
· Melissa · Teacher
“The best part was the discussion that happened after each prompt and the critical thinking and problem solving required to solve each problem.”
· Kelsie · Teacher
“loved the incorporation of science and math. this is a perfect example of applied math and science. Love this STEM based lesson. ”
· Cross · Homeschooler
“My students loved the videos. We had GREAT discussions and tried several experiments of our own. We played tug of war trying several strategies to make it easier or harder. We tried to explode a grapefruit, apple and watermelon. We were the talk of the school!”
· Andrea · Teacher
“It was ready to go. My kids thought the videos were engaging and I loved that it had a printable reinforcement to go with it.”
· MIchelle · Homeschooler
“My kids LOVED making hopper poppers and watching the videos. I added an engineering element and talked about the design process and had them heavily discuss the revisions they made to make them go higher. THANK YOU!! We are starting mystery #2 today and can't wait!!!”
· Diana · Teacher

Lesson details

Grade 3

Forces, Motion, & Magnets

Forces

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

Assessments

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 .

Standards

Jump to

Exploration

20 mins

Hands-On Activity

45 mins

Lesson details

Grade 3

Forces, Motion, & Magnets

Forces

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Forces Lesson 1: How could you win a tug-of-war against an elephant?

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