Page 30 - FOUNDATIONS FOR LIFE; EXPLORING GOD’S UNIVERSE

Science Y6 – Forces and Motion – week 3

FORCES AND MOTION

Truth to Teach (Source)

 Objects cannot move by themselves; they need a push or a pull.

 Unbalanced forces can make things speed up, slow down or change direction.

 To compare the speed of toy vehicles travelling in flat surfaces and down ramps.

 To learn more about conducting fair tests.

Way to Work (Means)

Equipment: Toy cars, wooden ramp, metre ruler, blocks of wood, toy bricks

1. Review the previous lessons.

2. Ask the children to define a ‘force’. (A force is a push or a pull which is needed to start, stop or change the
direction of a moving object.) Ensure that the children know the definitions of gravity and friction. (Friction -
when two rough or uneven surfaces rub together an invisible force called friction holds them back and makes
moving difficult. Gravity – an invisible force which pulls things towards the earth; objects are given weight due to
this force.)

3. Discuss what happens in a tug of war. If the teams stay still, it is because the forces pulling on both sides are
equal. Forces can be unbalanced, e.g. a see-saw. Forces can also act in particular directions, e.g. wind, air.

4. Explain the practical work which the children are just about to embark upon by showing that objects need a push
or a pull to start. Talk about fair tests.

a) Unbalanced forces can speed things up, eg a car going down a ramp due to gravity. The tread on wheels
can slow a vehicle (friction) but if there is a ramp, gravity is greater in forcing it down.

b) Unbalanced forces can slow things down, eg a shoe sliding across a floor.

c) Unbalanced forces can cause a change in direction for an object, eg a ball being hit by a bat.

5. Let the children work in groups to complete the worksheet.

6. Gather after a set time to draw conclusions from the experiments. Think of examples in daily life where we see
the effects of unbalanced forces.

Learning for Life (Fulfilment)

The children will have seen the effects of unbalanced forces and should be more aware of them in daily life.

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