Core Skills Analysis
Science
Atticus tested objects by blowing through a straw to find out which ones moved. This hands-on investigation helped Atticus explore how a puff of air could affect different objects and compare the results. By recording whether each object could be blown over, Atticus practiced making observations and sorting evidence into two groups. The activity introduced early ideas about forces and how objects respond to them.
Math
Atticus organized the test results in a T-table labeled “yes” and “no.” The table helped Atticus classify each object according to whether a straw-blown puff could knock it over. This was an early form of data collection and comparison: each object belonged in one of two categories based on the test result. Atticus practiced using a simple table to make observations easier to review.
Language Arts
Atticus documented the objects and their results, connecting a hands-on test with written communication. Recording the findings in labeled “yes” and “no” columns helped Atticus use words to explain and organize what happened. The activity also supported vocabulary for describing objects and actions, such as blowing, moving, and tipping. Atticus practiced communicating observations in a concise, structured format.
Tips
Tips Turn the investigation into a playful prediction-and-test lesson: invite Atticus to predict whether familiar objects will move, then compare each prediction with the result in the T-table. Explore how changing one feature—such as the distance from the straw or the strength of the puff—affects what happens, while changing only one thing at a time. Sort tested objects by another visible feature, such as material or size, and discuss whether those groups show a pattern. Finish by having Atticus explain the results aloud or draw a simple picture of the test and its outcome.
Book Recommendations
- Forces Make Things Move by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley: An accessible introduction to pushes, pulls, and the forces that make objects move.
- What Is a Scientist? by Barbara Lehn: Shows young readers how scientists investigate questions through observation and experiments.
- How to Think Like a Scientist: Answering Questions by the Scientific Method by Stephen P. Kramer: Introduces the process of asking questions, making predictions, testing ideas, and recording findings.
Try This Next
- Prediction worksheet: draw or list an object, mark “yes” or “no,” then record the test result.
- Make a results chart with columns for object, prediction, and outcome.
- Drawing prompt: illustrate air from the straw pushing an object and label what happened.
- Quick quiz: What did Atticus use to test the objects, and how did the T-table organize the results?