Get a free trial until June 30, 2026!
New members get full access to our science units, hands-on activities, mini-lessons, & more!

New members get a full, free trial through June 2026!
Back > Share
Why do builders need so many big machines?
Force Olympics Unit | Lesson 2 of 6
Back > Share

Why do builders need so many big machines?

Force Olympics Unit | Lesson 2 of 6
Lesson narration:
English Spanish
Scroll for prep
Video trouble?
Video trouble?
Video trouble?
Video trouble?
Video trouble?

Optional Activity: Forces at Work

Watch these big machines work. Think about what each machine does. Discuss with your class.

What does the dump truck do?

What does the truck-crane do?

What does the bulldozer do?

Slide Image

push


1 of 3

to move an object away from you
Video trouble?

pull


2 of 3

to move an object toward you
Video trouble?

machine


3 of 3

a tool that uses pushes and pulls to do something
Video trouble?
🎉 That’s it for this lesson! How did it go?
Sign up now for more great lessons!
Sign up

Featured Reviews

“It was good to have time to reinforce vocabulary. Students were really excited to identify and model their work words.”
· Keri · Teacher
“The kids loved the videos of the construction machines at the end. Engaging and elicited a lot of good conversations!”
· Amber · Teacher
“The kids loved the activity; I loved the writing component as well.”
· Tana · Teacher
“Easy to do and the kids loved seeing the big machines in action.”
· Susan · Teacher
“I love that the lessons were interactive and got us moving. They taught the whole family a lot about machines. It worked well for both my son and daughters that ranged from 2 years to 8 years old.”
· Michele · Homeschooler
“The moving like the machines helped the students stay engaged. ”
· · Teacher
“I love that I can continue the same topic of study over several weeks and that the lessons build on each other. They are engaging and fun for the kids. My kindergarteners look forward to Mondays because we get to do Mystery Science!”
· Marsha · Teacher
“My son especially enjoyed watching the videos of tractors/trucks in action to go along with reading the story. I liked the worksheet attached to the lesson that gives the children a chance to draw their own picture and continue to think about the lesson!”
· Jennifer · Homeschooler
“The kids really loved seeing the different machines and acting out each machine. It was a cool way to learn about pushes and pulls. ”
· Leah · Teacher
“I loved the movement portion! Plus the extra videos showing the way the different machines worked really engaged my students”
· Amanda · Teacher
“My students enjoyed trying to read along. ”
· Stacey · Teacher
“The book was on the students' level and engaging!”
· Laura · Teacher
“Loved it...I work with ESE students so the print being visible and easy to track is so helpful!!”
· Lisa · Teacher
Lesson narration:
English Spanish

Grade K

Pushes & Pulls

Pushes, Pulls, & “Work Words”

K-PS2-1

Activity Prep

Print Prep

Switch to non-narrated version

In this Read-Along lesson, Vivian watches a house being built and wonders why the builders need so many big machines. The lesson includes a short exercise where students act out the “work words” of their favorite machine. You can extend the lesson with the optional activity, Forces at Work, where students watch videos of construction equipment and practice using work words to describe what the machines are doing.
Preview optional activity
Prep Instructions

This activity does not require supplies.

As an optional activity, we include videos of three construction machines, like the ones Vivian saw in the story. The videos include songs about the construction machines and what they do.

We suggest you preview the videos. When you show them to your students, you may want students to act out what the machines do. After watching the videos, ask your students to describe what each machine does and identify the "work words" involved.

Grade K

Pushes & Pulls

Pushes, Pulls, & “Work Words”

K-PS2-1

Slow internet or video problems?
Credits
 
Pushes Read-Along Lesson 2: Why do builders need so many big machines?

How did the lesson go?
Terrible OK Good Great Terrific!

How can we improve it?

If you'd like our team to reply to you, please Contact Support instead.

Thanks for your feedback! If you have a question or need help, please contact us. Please consider sharing your review:

Sorry the lesson didn’t go well. We read every single review in an effort to improve our Mysteries.

Thanks for letting us know. We’ll wait to ask you for feedback until after you've actually taught it.

Thanks for the feedback! We read every single review in an effort to improve our Mysteries.

Is the video not playing properly?

Please follow these steps:

  1. Very rarely a video will fail to completely load in your browser. Try to reload this page to see if that fixes the problem.
  2. If reloading does not help, try our other video player .
  3. If the video still fails to play, open this video in a new tab and please let us know you’re having trouble. We want to fix this issue for you.

Close

How can we help you?

💡For purchasing info, see our Pricing Page

This episode is locked

This lesson is not included in your limited access.

View pricing

This episode is locked

Your membership is expired. The archive of past Mini Lessons is not included in your limited access.

View pricing