How Things Move: a full term of science

Ten ready-to-teach lessons for Foundation Physical sciences. Print this pack and the term is prepared: every lesson comes with a step-by-step plan, the questions to ask, student worksheets, cut-out cards, an assessment kit and every answer.

Start here: five minutes to Monday

1. Skim the term at a glance on the next page.
2. Print the lesson you need. Each lesson is three A4 sheets: plan, worksheet, cards or tickets.
3. Gather the few everyday items under “You need” on the plan. Nothing needs a science cupboard.
4. Open the free interactive unit on your board or projector. Every plan tells you which picture to show and when.
5. Teach straight from the plan. Timings, talk prompts, misconceptions and answers are all on the one page.

No science background needed

This pack is written for the busy generalist teacher. Each plan explains the science idea in plain words, lists the ideas young children bring, and gives model answers, so you can walk in and teach it even if science was never your subject.

Two ways to run each lesson

Every lesson works as one 45-minute block, or as two short sessions. The split point is marked in every plan. Ten lessons fill a weekly science slot for a whole term, or up to twenty shorter sessions if your timetable runs small blocks.

The term at a glance

One lesson a week for a term. Each lesson stands on the ones before it, so run them in order where you can.

How the sequence builds

Lesson 1 names the force that makes things move: a push or a pull. Lesson 2 looks at which way things go. Lessons 3 to 7 work through the factors in the curriculum: shape, how hard the push is, the slope, the surface, and how heavy the thing is. Lesson 8 shows a push can start, stop or turn a thing, Lesson 9 spots forces in playground games, and Lesson 10 is the making task and final check.

Curriculum links (Australian Curriculum V9)

The whole term teaches the Science Understanding descriptor AC9SFU02 quoted on the cover. The lessons also work these Science Inquiry and Human Endeavour descriptors:

Assessment in this pack

• Every plan ends with “Answers and look-fors”: what meeting the idea sounds like in a Foundation voice.
• The assessment sheet near the front has a class observation checklist and a three-level rubric.
• Lesson 10 is the summative pair: a marble run plus the “Show what we know” check sheet.

Materials for the whole term

One gathering session covers all ten lessons. Everything on this page is an everyday item; nothing needs a science cupboard.

The one-trip list

• From the classroom: a ball or two, a toy car, a small box, tape, books to prop a ramp, cones or cups.
• From home donations: a marble, a smooth tray or board, an old towel for a bumpy floor, a water bottle.
• Save for Lesson 10: cardboard tubes, offcuts of guttering, and boxes to build a marble run on.

Safety in one look

• Roll balls along the floor, never throw them; keep runs clear of feet.
• Marbles are for the run only, never in mouths; count them out and back in.
• Tape ramps down so they do not slip.
• Give rolling games space, and take turns.
• Follow the usual playground rules on the Lesson 9 hunt.

Assessment without extra work

The term assesses itself. Every lesson plan ends with answers and look-fors, and Lesson 10 is the summative pair: the marble run plus the check sheet. This sheet is the place to jot down what you notice along the way.

The three levels

Class observation checklist

A tick a lesson is plenty; the Lesson 10 check sheet fills the gaps.

Word wall cards

Cut out the cards and build the wall as the words arrive. Lesson 1 starts the wall with push, pull and force; add the movement words as the lessons land.

Dear families

This term in science, our class explores how things move. We push and pull toys, roll balls and slide boxes, and we look closely at what makes something move fast or slow, far or not far.

Every lesson points to one big idea: a push or a pull makes things move, and the size, shape, weight and the surface all change how they go. Your child will practise noticing pushes and pulls, and saying what changed how a thing moved, all term.

Try this at home

• Roll a ball and a tin can across the floor. Which one rolls, which one wobbles?
• Push a toy softly, then hard. Which push sends it further?
• Make a ramp with a book and a tray, and roll something down.
• On a walk, spot pushes and pulls: a pram, a door, a swing.

What to ask your scientist

• Did you push it or pull it?
• What made it go further or faster?
• Could you make it stop or turn?

A small safety note: we roll balls along the floor rather than throw them, and marbles stay in the marble run and never near mouths.

Warm regards,

The Foundation team

Printed from the free seegongsik How Things Move teaching pack · seegongsik.com/au/foundation/physical/AC9SFU02/pack

Push and pull

Children see that a still thing only moves when it is pushed or pulled, and learn that a push and a pull are both forces. This lesson lays the ground for the term: everything after it is about what changes how a pushed or pulled thing moves.

We are learning to

• see that a push or a pull makes a still thing move,
• use the words push, pull and force,
• tell a push from a pull.

Success criteria

• I can make a thing move with a push and with a pull.
• I can say if I pushed it or pulled it.

You need

• a toy car, a ball and a small box that children can push and pull,
• a clear space on a table or the floor,
• the sorting cards (third sheet), one set per table, cut out ahead or by fast finishers,
• the worksheet (next sheet), one per child.

Lesson flow (about 45 minutes)

Running two short sessions instead? End Session A after Sort the cards. Start Session B by re-sorting two cards from memory, then go on to Draw and write.

Watch for these ideas

• “It moved by itself.” Nothing still moves on its own. Ask what pushed or pulled it: a hand, the wind, a slope.
• Push and pull swapped. Keep tying them to direction: a push goes away, a pull comes toward you.
• “A force is a scary word.” A force is just a push or a pull; we use it all day.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: sort just four clear cards, two pushes and two pulls, before adding the rest.
• Bigger: find a push and a pull in the room and show the class.

Answers and look-fors

• Push: kicking a ball, pushing a pram, pressing a doorbell, closing a drawer. Pull: tug of war, walking a dog on a lead, doing up a zip, opening a drawer.
• Tricky: a swing and a door can be both a push and a pull. Accept either, as long as the child says which way it makes the thing go.
• Look for the word matched to the action: “I pushed the car, so it went away” meets the goal.

A push and a pull

Think about your day. Draw a time you pushed something and a time you pulled something.

Push or pull?

Cut out the cards. Sort them into two piles: a push and a pull. Two cards are tricky on purpose.

Teacher note: the swing and the door are the tricky pair. Each can be a push or a pull, so let children argue both, as long as they say which way it makes the thing move.

Which way it goes

Children learn that the direction a thing moves tells us if it was a push or a pull. A push sends a thing away from you; a pull brings it toward you. This builds straight on Lesson 1: now the words push and pull are tied to a direction children can see and predict.

We are learning to

• predict which way a push or a pull sends a thing,
• use the words away and toward,
• match the direction a thing moves to a push or a pull.

Success criteria

• I can say which way a push sends a thing.
• I can say which way a pull brings a thing.

You need

• a toy that slides on a table, with a length of string tied on for pulling,
• a clear space on a table, and a way to mark the start spot,
• the direction cards (third sheet), one set per table, cut out ahead or by fast finishers,
• the worksheet (next sheet), one per child.

Lesson flow (about 45 minutes)

Running two short sessions instead? End Session A after Guess the direction. Start Session B by predicting one push and one pull from memory, then go on to Draw and write.

Watch for these ideas

• A push and a pull sent the same way. Show them side by side: away is one way, toward is the other.
• Away and toward swapped. Point as you say them: away goes from you, toward comes back to you.
• “The toy chose to go that way.” The toy does not choose. The push or the pull sends it.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: stand behind the child and move the toy with them, saying away or toward as it goes.
• Bigger: find a push that sends a thing away and a pull that brings a thing toward, out in the room.

Answers and look-fors

• A push sends the thing away from you. A pull brings the thing toward you.
• On the worksheet, the arrow for a push points away and the arrow for a pull points toward.
• Look for the direction matched to the force: “I pushed it, so it went away” meets the goal.

Which way does it go?

Draw an arrow for the way each one moves. Then write the word: away or toward.

Away or toward?

Cut out the cards. On each scene card, add an arrow for the way it moves. Use the word cards to say away or toward.

Teacher note: the toy card should get an arrow pointing away, and the string card an arrow pointing toward. Let children hold up the away and toward word cards as they push and pull.

Roll or slide

Children find that shape changes how a thing moves. Round things roll and go far; flat things do not roll, they slide and stop. Give a ball and a box the same push and the round one travels further. This builds on the push and pull from earlier: the same push, a different shape, a different journey.

We are learning to

• test which shapes roll and which slide,
• say that shape changes how a thing moves,
• tell a roller from a slider.

Success criteria

• I can say which shape rolls further.
• I can predict roll or slide before I push it.

You need

• a ball and a box of a similar size that children can push,
• a clear stretch of floor to push things along,
• the shape cards (third sheet), one set per table, cut out ahead or by fast finishers,
• the worksheet (next sheet), one per child.

Lesson flow (about 45 minutes)

Running two short sessions instead? End Session A after Predict: roll or slide. Start Session B by predicting two objects from memory, then go on to How far did it go?

Watch for these ideas

• “A bigger push always wins.” Push matters, but shape matters too. Give the round and flat things the same push and let the shape do the talking.
• “Everything round rolls the same.” A wobbly shape rolls less than a smooth ball. Let children feel the difference.
• “A box can roll.” A flat side slides; it does not roll. Push a box and watch it stop.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: sort just a ball and a box first, then add the rest one at a time.
• Bigger: turn a tin on its side, then on its end. Ask why the same tin can roll or slide.

Answers and look-fors

• Rolls: a ball, a marble, a tin on its side. Slides: a box, a book, a block.
• Tricky: a tin rolls on its side but slides on its end. Accept either, as long as the child says how it is sitting.
• Look for shape named as the reason: “the ball is round, so it rolls further” meets the goal.

Rolls or slides

Sort each thing into the right column. First guess, then push it and check. Circle the one that went furthest.

Roll or slide?

Cut out the cards. Sort them into two piles: Rolls and Slides. One tin is tricky: it can do both.

Teacher note: the tin is the tricky pair. On its side it rolls; stood on its end it slides. Let children turn it both ways and say what changed.

Big push, small push

Children change how hard they push and watch the result: a soft push moves a ball a little, a hard push sends it far and fast. The bigger the push, the further and faster a thing goes. This builds on the earlier lessons by adding size to the idea of a push.

We are learning to

• change the size of a push and see what happens,
• say that a bigger push sends a thing further,
• use the words soft, hard, far and further.

Success criteria

• I can give a soft push and a hard push.
• I can say which push sends the ball further.

You need

• a ball each, or one per pair,
• a clear floor with a start line marked in tape,
• markers to show where each ball stops,
• the worksheet (next sheet), one per child.

Lesson flow (about 45 minutes)

Running two short sessions instead? End Session A after Mark where it stops. Start Session B by rolling one soft and one hard push again, then go on to Soft, medium, hard.

Watch for these ideas

• “A bigger ball goes further.” Keep the same ball each time, so only the push changes.
• A hard push turned into a throw. Roll the ball along the floor, do not throw it.
• “The ball speeds up on its own.” It only goes fast because the push was hard; nothing still moves by itself.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: try just a soft push and a hard push before adding a medium one.
• Bigger: guess how many steps a hard push will go, then roll and count.

Answers and look-fors

• The hard push goes furthest and the soft push goes the least; the medium push sits between them.
• A bigger push sends the ball further and faster.
• Look for the child linking a bigger push to a longer, faster roll: “I pushed hard, so it went the furthest” meets the goal.

How far did it roll?

Roll the same ball three ways. Count how far each one goes in steps, then put them in order.

Order the pushes

Cut out the cards. Put them in order from the push that goes the least to the one that goes the furthest.

Teacher note: roll the ball along the floor, do not throw it. The hard push should land the furthest marker and the soft push the nearest.

Down the ramp

Children roll a ball down a low, gentle ramp and then a tall, steep ramp. A low ramp lets the ball roll slowly and not far; a steep ramp gives it more speed, so it rolls faster and further. Changing the ramp changes the movement.

We are learning to

• change how steep a ramp is and see the result,
• say that a steeper ramp gives the ball more speed.

Success criteria

• I can make a low ramp and a steep ramp.
• I can say which one makes the ball go faster and further.

You need

• a smooth board or tray and some books to prop it into a low and a steep ramp,
• a ball that rolls well,
• markers or tape to record how far the ball rolls,
• the worksheet (next sheet), one per child.

Lesson flow (about 45 minutes)

Safety: tape the ramps down so they do not slip while children roll the ball.

Watch for these ideas

• A longer ramp is the same as a steeper ramp. Keep the board the same length; only change its height with books.
• “The ball needs a push to go down.” Let it go with still hands; the slope moves it on its own.
• Steeper means slower. Roll both ramps side by side so children see the steep one is faster.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: compare just the low ramp and the steepest ramp before adding the middle one.
• Bigger: add a very steep ramp and predict where the ball will stop before rolling.

Answers and look-fors

• Steepest ramp: fastest and furthest. Low ramp: slowest, and it rolls the least far.
• Order by speed and distance: low ramp, then taller ramp, then steepest ramp.
• Look for the child linking steeper to more speed: “The steep ramp made it go faster” meets the goal.

A ramp record

Roll the ball down each ramp. Mark if it was fast or slow, and how far it went.

Order the ramps

Cut out the cards. Put them in order from the slowest ramp to the fastest ramp.

Teacher note: tape the ramp down so it does not slip. The steepest ramp is the fastest and rolls the ball the furthest; the low ramp is the slowest.

Smooth or bumpy

Children roll a ball with the same push on a smooth mat and on a bumpy mat, and see that the stuff a thing moves on changes how far it goes. A smooth floor lets the ball glide a long way; a bumpy floor grabs it and stops it quickly. Same push, different surface, different distance.

We are learning to

• roll a ball on a smooth and a bumpy surface with the same push,
• see that the surface changes the movement,
• say which floor lets the ball go further.

Success criteria

• I can compare a smooth floor and a bumpy floor.
• I can say which one lets the ball go further.

You need

• a smooth mat and a bumpy mat (a towel works well),
• a ball, and the same push each time so the test stays fair,
• the surface cards (third sheet), one set per table, cut out ahead or by fast finishers,
• the worksheet (next sheet), one per child, and markers.

Lesson flow (about 45 minutes)

Running two short sessions instead? End Session A after Mark and compare. Start Session B by predicting one mat from memory, then go on to Draw and write.

Watch for these ideas

• The push changed. Keep the push the same on both mats, or the test is not fair; only the surface should change.
• “It is a different ball.” It is the same ball each time. Only the floor under it is different.
• “Bumpy is bad.” Rough is not bad; it helps us grip and not slip. Both smooth and rough are useful.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: roll on just the two mats and point to the further mark, no measuring.
• Bigger: try a third surface, like carpet, and place it between smooth and bumpy.

Answers and look-fors

• The smooth floor lets the ball go further; the bumpy floor stops it sooner.
• Smooth: a slide, ice, a road. Bumpy: grass, sand, a footpath.
• Look for the surface named as the reason and the push kept fair: “It went further because the floor was smooth” meets the goal.

Smooth or bumpy floor

Roll the ball with the same push on each floor. Mark how far it went. Keep the push the same.

Smooth or bumpy?

Cut out the cards. Sort them into two piles: smooth floors and bumpy floors. Keep the push the same when you test one.

Teacher note: smooth surfaces (a slide, ice, a road) let the ball go further; bumpy surfaces (grass, sand, a footpath) stop it sooner. Remind children to give the same push each time, so only the surface changes.

Heavy or light

Children feel that a heavy thing needs a bigger push to move, and a light thing moves with a small push. How heavy a thing is changes how easily it moves: a big empty box is light, so weight is not the same as size. This builds on the earlier lessons about what changes a push.

We are learning to

• compare moving a heavy thing and a light thing with the same push,
• say that a heavy thing needs a bigger push,
• use the words heavy, light and push.

Success criteria

• I can feel that a heavy thing is harder to move.
• I can say why a heavy thing is harder to move.

You need

• a full water bottle and an empty one, or a heavy book and a light one,
• a clear space on a table or the floor,
• the heavy and light cards (third sheet), one set per table, cut out ahead or by fast finishers,
• the worksheet (next sheet), one per child.

Lesson flow (about 45 minutes)

Running two short sessions instead? End Session A after Predict and sort. Start Session B by pushing the two bottles once more from memory, then go on to Draw and write.

Watch for these ideas

• “Bigger always means heavier.” A big empty box is light. Weight is how heavy a thing is, not how big it looks.
• “A heavy thing cannot move.” It can, with a bigger push. Show it sliding when you push harder.
• Heavy mixed up with hard to hold. We mean hard to push along, not hard to hold up high.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: sort just two clear cards, one heavy and one light, before adding the rest.
• Bigger: find a heavy thing and a light thing in the room and say which needs a bigger push.

Answers and look-fors

• Heavy: full bottle, brick, book. Light: empty bottle, feather, balloon.
• A heavier thing needs a bigger push. The full bottle is harder to move than the empty one.
• Look for the child linking heavier to a bigger push: “The full bottle is heavy, so it needs a bigger push” meets the goal.

Heavy or light?

Push each thing with the same gentle push. Mark it heavy or light, and easy or hard to push.

Heavy or light?

Cut out the cards. Sort them into two piles: heavy and light. Then order them from easy to hard to move.

Teacher note: slide heavy things along the table or floor. Do not lift heavy things up high, and keep feet clear.

Start, stop, turn

Children learn that a force does not only start a thing moving. A push can also stop a moving thing, or turn it to a new direction. They start, stop and turn a rolling ball with a push, and name each of the three.

We are learning to

• use a push to start, stop and turn a moving ball,
• say a force can change movement three ways,
• name start, stop and turn.

Success criteria

• I can start, stop and turn a ball with a push.
• I can name each one.

You need

• a ball for each pair,
• cones, blocks or cups to aim at, stop and steer around,
• the action cards (third sheet), one set per table, cut out ahead or by fast finishers,
• the worksheet (next sheet), one per child.

Safety: roll the ball along the floor, take turns, and keep the run clear before each roll.

Lesson flow (about 45 minutes)

Running two short sessions instead? End Session A after Stop a roller. Start Session B by starting and stopping a ball once each, then go on to Turn it round a cone.

Watch for these ideas

• “A force only starts things.” A push can also stop a roller or turn it. Point back to the game.
• “A moving ball stops on its own.” Something slows or stops it: a hand, the floor, a wall. Ask what stopped it.
• “You cannot change its direction.” A side push turns the ball a new way. Show it round a cone.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: do just start and stop first, then add turn once those are clear.
• Bigger: steer the ball round two cones in a row, naming each turn.

Answers and look-fors

• Start: a push gets a still ball moving. Stop: a push against the motion. Turn: a side push changes the direction.
• Real-life match: a goalkeeper stops a ball; a bat turns a ball.
• Look for a push named for each of the three: “I pushed the side, so it turned” meets the goal.

Start, stop, turn

A push can do three things to a moving ball. Draw or write a push that does each one.

Start, stop or turn?

Cut out the cards. Sort each one into a pile: start, stop or turn.

Teacher note: roll the ball gently and take turns. Start gets a still ball going, stop is a push against the motion, and turn is a side push that sends it a new way.

Moving games

Take the whole idea outside. Playground games are full of pushes and pulls: a swing, a slide, a seesaw, kicking a ball. Children spot the force in each game and say which way it moves things, joining a term of table-top work to the way they really play.

We are learning to

• spot pushes and pulls in playground games,
• name a push or a pull and what it does,
• say if a force starts, stops or turns a thing, or makes it go faster or further.

Success criteria

• I can find a push and a pull outside.
• I can say what the force does.

You need

• the playground: a swing, a slide and a seesaw,
• the worksheet on a clipboard, one per child,
• the force cards (third sheet) if you sort in class, cut out ahead.
• Safety: follow playground rules, take turns, watch for others.

Lesson flow (about 45 minutes)

Running two short sessions instead? Hunt in Session A and stop after the worksheet. Start Session B by re-reading two finds, then sort and share.

Watch for these ideas

• “Play is not science.” Every game has a push or a pull in it; that is the science we are hunting.
• Forgetting the slide is a slope, like the ramp lesson. On a slope, gravity pulls you down and you speed up.
• Writing the game name only. Ask for the force too: not just “the swing” but “a push, and it went up.”

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: visit just the swing and the slide, and name one force at each.
• Bigger: find a game where the force makes a thing turn or stop, not just start.

Answers and look-fors

• Swing: a push and a pull. Slide: a slope, so you speed up going down. Seesaw: a push down. Wagon: a pull.
• Look for a force named and what it did: “I pushed the swing, so it went up” meets the goal.

Playground hunt record

Play outside. Each time, write or draw where you played, a push or a pull, and what it did.

Push or pull outside?

Cut out the cards. Sort them into a push pile and a pull pile, and say what the force does.

Teacher note: keep to the playground safety rules while you play and sort. Take turns, and watch for others near the swing and the slide.

Show what we know

The summative lesson, run as a celebration. Children pull the term together by building a simple marble run from ramps and turns, then explain the forces that make the ball roll, turn, speed up and slow down. They sit a short final check on their own, and the term closes with the on-screen quiz played as a class game. Every run on the table tells the story the term has been telling: a push or a pull moves things, and shape, push size, slope, surface and weight change how they move.

We are learning to

• build a run that uses a slope and a turn,
• explain the forces at work as the ball rolls,
• show what we know on our own on the final check.

Success criteria

• I can build a run that makes a ball roll and turn.
• I can name a force.
• I can answer the check.

You need

• cardboard tubes or lengths of guttering, and tape,
• a marble or a small ball, and boxes to build the run on,
• the making-plan worksheet (next sheet), one per child,
• the final check sheet (third sheet), one per child,
• the interactive unit open on the board for the closing quiz.

Safety: marbles are for the run only. Count them out and count them back in, and keep them well away from mouths.

Lesson flow (about 45 minutes)

Running two short sessions instead? End Session A after Build a marble run and keep the runs safe on a shelf. Start Session B with Test and fix, then the final check and the class quiz.

Watch for these ideas

• A flat run with no slope. The ball needs a slope or a push to move. Ask: where can we tip your run so the ball rolls on its own?
• Blaming the ball when it stops. A bumpy or flat part slows the ball; the ball is fine. Point at the part where it slowed and ask what the run is doing there.
• Forgetting the start. A marble needs a push or a slope to begin. Steepen the first part or give it a small starting push.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: build one straight ramp first and make the ball roll, then add a single turn.
• Bigger: add a second turn or a jump, and label each part with the force at work.

Answers and look-fors

• A run that meets the goal uses a slope and a turn, so the ball rolls down and changes direction.
• Final check marking guide: 1 a push or a pull. 2 the ball. 3 further. 4 faster. 5 smooth.
• Look for a force named and a factor explained, such as “it went fast here because it is steep” or “it slowed on the bumpy part”.

My marble run plan

Plan your marble run. Draw the run, then mark the steep start, a turn, and a smooth part. Show where the ball goes fast and where it slows down.

Show what we know

Show what you know about pushes, pulls and how things move. Read each one, then circle your answer. Take your time.

1. What makes a still thing move? Circle one: ( a push or a pull  ·  a wish  ·  nothing )
2. Which one rolls further on the floor? Circle one: ( a ball  ·  a box )
3. You give a ball a bigger push. Does it go further or less far? Circle one: ( further  ·  less far )
4. A steep ramp makes a ball go faster or slower? Circle one: ( faster  ·  slower )
5. Which floor lets a ball go further? Circle one: ( smooth  ·  bumpy )

For the teacher: read the items aloud one at a time. Answers — 1 a push or a pull; 2 the ball; 3 further; 4 faster; 5 smooth. For the drawing, look for a force named, such as a push or the pull of the slope.