Objects that Bounce

Materials

• A selection of balls (e.g., tennis ball, baseball, basketball, soccer ball, ping pong ball, rubber ball)
• Other spherical objects (e.g., a Styrofoam ball, a ball of plasticine, a ball of aluminum foil, an orange)
• A selection of materials (such as carpet, tile, wood) and objects (such as a pillow, a thick hardcover book)
• Other objects that bounce (e.g., a shuttlecock, an irregularly-shaped ball)
• A bin or large basket to hold the objects

Preparation

• Pre-cut a variety of balls in half; for some balls, like a bowling ball, videos are available to see what the interiors of balls look like
• Look at these pictures of Objects that Bounce for ideas or for supporting classroom discussion

What to Do

Students develop and apply the skills of Comparing & Contrasting, Observing, and Predicting as they investigate the properties of familiar objects and materials.

Students:

• observe and compare and contrast the properties of the objects in the bin (e.g., shape, size, hardness, flexibility, elasticity).
• predict whether a given object will bounce and explain their predictions.
• test the objects in a fair way and classify the objects according to their ability to bounce or not bounce.
  • Educators make sure students are testing the objects using a fair test.
• check their predictions against the results of their inquiry and discuss any discrepancies.
  • Educators provide a simple explanation for why objects bounce.

Assessment

Observe and document, using anecdotal comments, photos and/or video recordings, students’ ability to:

• Observe – students use appropriate senses to make observations of the objects in the bin
• Compare and Contrast – students describe similarities and differences in the objects in the bin based on their observations of the objects’ properties such as shape, size, firmness, flexibility, etc.
• Predict – students use their observations and prior knowledge to:
  • predict whether a given object will bounce or not, and explain their predictions
  • check their predictions against the results of their inquiry and reflect on any discrepancies

Co-constructed Learning

Cross-curricular Connections

Literacy

• Explain, in discussions with peers and/or educators, how their skills in listening, speaking, writing, viewing, and representing help them make sense of what they read and/or hear (e.g., what does it mean when someone says an email bounced back?)

Mathematical Thinking

• Organize objects into categories by sorting and classifying objects using two attributes simultaneously (e.g., sort objects by shape and “bounce-ability” at the same time)
• Collect and organize primary data (e.g., how a ball bounces on different materials and objects) and display the data in charts, tables, and graphs
• Compare, describe, and order objects, using attributes measured in standard units (e.g., the height a ball bounces, the number of times a ball bounces)

Physical Education

• The ability to bounce a ball is a movement skill in physical education. For example:
  • bounce a ball using dominant and non-dominant hands
  • bounce and cradle the ball while pivoting during a rhythmic gymnastics routine

Extending the Learning

If your students are interested in learning more, the following may provoke their curiosity:

• How does the surface that you bounce an object on affect how high it bounces? Conduct a fair test using the same ball and a variety of different surfaces (e.g., wood, carpet, grass, cement, dirt) to see how this affects the height of the object’s bounce.
• What is inside balls that bounce well? Ask students to predict what they think they will find inside a variety of balls. Have some balls pre-split for students to examine. How are the insides of balls that bounce the same and/or different from each other and from balls that do not bounce well (e.g., a bowling ball, a golf ball)?

• Once students have made some discoveries about objects that bounce, challenge them to explain the following phrases that use the word ‘bounce’:
  • someone’s ability to “bounce back” from difficulties or challenges
  • to have an email bounce
  • bounce ideas off each other
  • bouncing off the walls
  • “That’s the way the ball bounces.”
  • to bounce for something
• Have a couple of students jump up and down. Other students can estimate how high they are able to jump. Then ask students to think about things they could use to bounce higher (e.g., using a pogo stick, a bouncy house/castle, a trampoline). Students may wish to do some research into these devices to investigate how they work and how they compare to balls that bounce.

Supporting Media

Objects that Bounce (Pictures)
10 images of some spherical objects such as golf balls and tennis balls that are made of different materials and used for specific purposes