Chapter 1

Mario's Moves

Lesson Overview

Title: Mario's Moves: A Lesson in Pushes and Pulls
Subject: Science
Age Group(s): 4–6 years old
Tags: pushes and pulls, forces and motion, NGSS, kindergarten science, problem-solving, gamification, Super Mario

Description:
This lesson uses gameplay from Super Mario Land 2 to introduce kindergarten students to the concepts of pushes and directional force. Students will observe how a player's "push" on a controller causes a character to move, and analyze how this tool is designed to control motion. The lesson connects digital actions in a video game to the physical science concepts of forces and interactions.

Lesson Plan

📋 Find the full lesson plan on the companion GameClass lesson — link at the bottom of this page!

Lesson Content

I. Key Teaching Points

  • Point 1: A push is a force that makes things move.
  • Point 2: The direction of a push controls the direction an object will move.
  • Point 3: Tools, like game controllers, are designed to help us push and control things in a predictable way.

II. Practical Examples

For Teaching Point 1:
The lesson begins by demonstrating that Mario is standing still on the map. At 0:23, the player applies a "push" to the controller's directional pad, which causes Mario to start moving. This visualizes the concept that a push is needed to change an object's state from not moving to moving.

For Teaching Point 2:
Throughout the clip from 0:23 to 0:29, the player demonstrates precise directional control. First, a "down" push moves Mario down the path. Then, a "left" push moves him to the left, and an "up" push moves him up. This provides a clear, repeated example of how changing the direction of the push directly and immediately changes the direction of Mario's movement.

For Teaching Point 3:
The entire gameplay sequence serves as an example of a design solution (K-PS2-2). The game controller is a tool designed to change Mario's direction with a push. The teacher can pause the video and ask, "If the player wants Mario to go up toward the top of the screen, which way do you think they need to push the button?" After students predict, the teacher can play the video to confirm that the design works as intended — an upward push on the D-pad results in upward movement, proving the tool is effective.

📺 This lesson has a companion GameClass video. Head over to the GameClass lesson to watch the clip and access the beautifully formatted, printer-friendly version of this handbook — available to subscribers!

End of Lesson