Pushes and Pulls: a full term of science

Ten ready-to-teach lessons for Year 1 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

Lessons 1 and 2 name the two forces, a push and a pull, and hunt for them all around us. Lessons 3 to 5 build the two words the descriptor asks for: strength (strong or gentle), direction (which way), and then both at once. Lessons 6 and 7 show what forces do: they change how things move, and they change the shape of things. Lesson 8 makes and tests predictions, Lesson 9 finds forces at play, and Lesson 10 is the making task and final check.

Curriculum links (Australian Curriculum V9)

The whole term teaches the Science Understanding descriptor AC9S1U03 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 Year 1 voice.
• The assessment sheet near the front has a class observation checklist and a three-level rubric.
• Lesson 10 is the summative pair: a push-and-pull poster 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 or something from the toy box; nothing needs a science cupboard.

The one-trip list

• From the classroom: scissors, glue, big paper, tape, a clipboard or two, this pack printed.
• From the toy box: a soft ball, a toy car, a spring toy, some blocks, a length of string.
• From home or the craft box: playdough, a sponge, a rubber band, old magazines to cut.

Safety in one look

• Roll and push gently indoors; never throw a ball at a person.
• Keep fingers clear of anything that snaps back, like a spring or a rubber band.
• Use the ramp and blocks on the floor, not up high where they could fall.
• Follow the usual playground rules for the Lesson 9 hunt.
• Keep playdough and small parts away from mouths, and wash hands after.

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 push-and-pull poster 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 and pull; add the strength, direction and shape words as the lessons land.

Dear families

This term in science, our class becomes a group of force finders. We learn that a push and a pull are forces, and that forces make things move, stop and change shape.

Every lesson points to one big idea: we can describe a force two ways, how strong it is and which way it goes, and we can predict what it will do. A gentle push and a hard push send a ball different distances; a pull brings a wagon toward us. Your child will practise spotting and describing forces all term.

Try this at home

• Opening a door or a drawer: is that a push or a pull?
• Roll a ball softly, then harder, and watch how far it goes each time.
• Squash and stretch some playdough and name what your hands did.
• On a swing, talk about the push that starts it and the pull of the rope.

What to ask your scientist

• Is that a push or a pull? Which way does it go?
• Was that a strong force or a gentle one? How could you tell?
• What do you think will happen if you push harder?

A small safety note: we push and roll gently, we never throw at people, and we keep fingers clear of anything that snaps back.

Warm regards,

The Year 1 team

Printed from the free seegongsik Pushes and Pulls teaching pack · seegongsik.com/au/y1/physical/AC9S1U03/pack

Push or pull?

Children learn that a push and a pull are the two forces we will study, and start to tell them apart: a push moves a thing away, a pull brings it closer. This lesson opens the term: before we talk about how hard or which way, the class needs the two words push and pull in their hands and mouths.

We are learning to

• say that a push moves a thing away from us,
• say that a pull brings a thing toward us,
• tell a push from a pull and give a reason.

Success criteria

• I can tell a push from a pull.
• I can show a push and a pull with my hands.

You need

• the action cards (third sheet), one set per table, cut out ahead or by fast finishers,
• a class drawer, door or box to push and pull in front of the class,
• the worksheet (next sheet), one per child.

Lesson flow (about 45 minutes)

Running two short sessions instead? End Session A after Sort the action cards. Start Session B by miming a push and a pull, then go on to Draw and write.

Watch for these ideas

• “A pull only happens with a rope.” Opening a drawer toward you is a pull, with no rope in sight.
• “Hard moves are pushes, soft moves are pulls.” How hard is a different idea; a pull can be strong or gentle too. We meet strength in Lesson 3.
• “If it does not move, it is not a force.” Pushing on a wall is still a push, even when the wall stays put.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: sort just four clear cards, two pushes and two pulls, before adding the rest.
• Bigger: find one push and one pull in the room and show each with your hands.

Answers and look-fors

• Push: close a drawer, kick a ball, press a doorbell, push a swing, stamp on a can. Pull: open a drawer, pull up your socks, reel a kite in, tug a wagon, drag a heavy bag.
• Tricky: a zip and a door can each be a push or a pull, depending on which way you move it (a zip up or down, a door from one side or the other).
• Look for a reason, not just a sort: “kicking is a push because the ball goes away from my foot” meets the goal.

Push and pull

A push moves a thing away. A pull brings a thing closer. Draw one of each. Then finish the sentence.

Push or pull?

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

Teacher note: the zip and the door are the tricky pair. Each can be a push or a pull; what decides is which way you move it.

Pushes and pulls all around

Children learn that pushes and pulls are not just a science-lesson word: they are everywhere. Every day we push and pull doors, taps, chairs, zips and bags without a second thought. This lesson takes the two words from Lesson 1 out on a hunt, around the room and the playground, so the class starts to see forces as part of ordinary life.

We are learning to

• see that pushes and pulls are all around us,
• find a push and a pull in the room and the playground,
• say whether a thing moved away (a push) or came closer (a pull).

Success criteria

• I can find a push and a pull around me.
• I can say how I know which one it is.

You need

• the worksheet (next sheet), one per child,
• a clipboard or a hard book each, so children can write while they walk,
• a planned walk around the room and out to the playground.

Lesson flow (about 45 minutes)

Running two short sessions instead? End Session A after the hunt. Start Session B by sharing two finds from memory, then go on to Draw and write.

Watch for these ideas

• “Forces only happen in sport or PE.” We use pushes and pulls all day, opening doors and turning taps, not just when we run and kick.
• “Machines and doors have no forces.” A door swings because you push or pull it; the force is yours.
• “Standing still means no force is used.” Holding a door open is still a push, even when nothing moves.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: find just one push and one pull, and name each with a partner.
• Bigger: find one thing that can be both a push and a pull, and show both.

Answers and look-fors

• Pushes: close a door, press a switch, push a chair in. Pulls: open a drawer, pull a chair out, tug a bag, turn a tap (this one varies with your grip).
• Many finds can be either, decided by which way the child moved the thing. Both answers are right if the reason fits.
• Look for a reason, not just a label: “the drawer is a pull because it came toward me” meets the goal.

My force hunt

Walk around and hunt for pushes and pulls. Draw or write three of each in the boxes. Then finish the sentence.

Push or pull?

Cut out the cards. For each thing, act out how you use it and say whether it is a push or a pull.

Teacher note: several of these can be a push or a pull. What decides is which way you move the thing. A door pushed open one side is pulled open from the other; a tap turns either way.

Strong and gentle

Children learn that a force has strength: some pushes are gentle and some are strong, and how hard you push changes what happens. A strong push sends a thing further than a gentle one. This is the first of the two describing words the term is building toward: strength. Roll a ball softly, then hard, and the difference is plain to see.

We are learning to

• push a thing gently and then strongly,
• see that a strong push sends a thing further,
• use the words strong and gentle for a force.

Success criteria

• I can push hard and gently.
• I can say the strong push goes further.

You need

• a soft ball or a beanbag per pair, nothing hard or heavy,
• floor space or a hall with room to roll,
• a start line marked with tape,
• the worksheet (next sheet), one per child.

Lesson flow (about 45 minutes)

Running two short sessions instead? End Session A after Roll and mark. Start Session B with one gentle and one strong roll to remind the class, then go on to Draw and write.

Watch for these ideas

• “A heavier thing means a stronger push.” Weight and strength are different ideas; you can give a light ball a strong push or a gentle one.
• “A gentle push makes no movement.” A gentle push still moves a thing; it just does not send it far.
• “Pushing harder changes which way it goes.” Strength changes how far, not which way. Direction is Lesson 4.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: give one gentle roll and one strong roll, and say which went further.
• Bigger: guess how far a middle-strength push will go, then test it.

Answers and look-fors

• A gentle push sends the ball a short distance; a strong push sends it a long distance.
• The harder you push, the further the ball goes. Strength changes how far, not which way.
• Look for the words, not just the roll: “my strong push went further because it had more strength” meets the goal.

Strong and gentle

A strong push sends a thing further than a gentle one. Draw how far each push sent the ball. Then finish the sentence.

Gentle to strong

Cut out the cards. Lay them in a line from the gentlest push to the strongest.

Teacher note: the order from gentlest to strongest is a tiny tap, a soft nudge, a push, a hard shove, a big kick, a huge heave. The stronger the push, the further a thing would go.

Which way?

Children learn that a force has direction: a thing goes the way you push or pull it. Push a toy car forward and it rolls forward; push it left and it goes left; pull it with a string and it comes toward you. This is the second describing word the term is building: direction. With strength from Lesson 3, the class now has both halves of a force.

We are learning to

• see that a thing goes the way you push or pull it,
• push a thing forward, back, left and right,
• use direction words for a force.

Success criteria

• I can push a thing where I want it to go.
• I can say which way it went.

You need

• a toy car per pair,
• a length of string to tie on for pulling,
• a smooth floor or a tray to drive on,
• the worksheet (next sheet), one per child.

Lesson flow (about 45 minutes)

Running two short sessions instead? End Session A after Drive the car. Start Session B by pushing the car to a partner, then go on to Draw and write.

Watch for these ideas

• “Things only go forwards.” A thing goes whichever way you push it, including back, left and right.
• “A push always goes straight ahead no matter what.” The trip follows your push; aim it sideways and the thing goes sideways.
• “Direction is the same as strength.” Which way is a different idea from how hard. A gentle push and a strong push can both go left.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: push a car left, then right, and name each way.
• Bigger: send the car around a corner using two pushes in two directions.

Answers and look-fors

• A thing goes the same way you push it. A pull brings a thing toward you.
• To make the car go left, you push it to the left; to bring it back, you pull it toward you.
• Look for a matching word: “I pushed it right, so it went right” meets the goal.

Which way?

A thing goes the way you push it. Draw an arrow to show each push. Then finish the sentence.

Which way?

Cut out the cards. Read each one, do the push or pull with your hand, and say which way the thing goes.

Teacher note: the thing goes the way the card names. A push forward sends it forward; a pull toward you brings it closer; pull your socks up and they go up.

Strength and direction

Children learn to describe a force with both words at once: how hard it is (strength) and which way it goes (direction). This is the heart of the term. A book pushed on the desk is not just “a push”; it is a gentle push to the left. Lessons 3 and 4 gave each word on its own; today the class puts them together to describe any force fully.

We are learning to

• use a strength word and a direction word together,
• describe a force two ways at once,
• see that one word alone is not enough.

Success criteria

• I can describe a force two ways.
• I can say how hard and which way.

You need

• the force cards (third sheet), one set per table, cut out ahead or by fast finishers,
• a book or a ball to push in front of the class,
• the worksheet (next sheet), one per child.

Lesson flow (about 45 minutes)

Running two short sessions instead? End Session A after Describe the force. Start Session B by describing one force two ways, then go on to Draw and write.

Watch for these ideas

• “One word describes it fully.” Just “strong”, or just “left”, only tells half the force. We need both.
• “Strength and direction are the same thing.” How hard and which way are two separate ideas; you set each one.
• “You cannot change both at once.” You can: a strong push to the left and a gentle push to the right are both easy to give.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: give the direction only, then add a strength word with help.
• Bigger: give both words for a push shown in a picture, and act it out.

Answers and look-fors

• A full description has a strength word (strong or gentle) and a direction word (up, down, left, right, forward or back).
• “A gentle roll to a friend” is gentle plus toward; “a hard kick down the field” is strong plus forward.
• Look for both halves: a child who says only “a push” has not met the goal yet; prompt for how hard and which way.

How hard and which way

Every force has a strength and a direction. Draw each push with an object and an arrow. A longer arrow means a stronger push. Then finish the sentence.

Describe the force

Cut out the cards. For each one, act it out and say two things: how hard, and which way.

Teacher note: each card needs a strength word and a direction word. “Kick a ball hard down the field” is a strong push, forward. “Gently roll a marble to a friend” is a gentle push, toward.

Making things move

Children learn what a force does to a moving thing. A push or a pull can start a still thing, stop a moving thing, speed it up, slow it down, or turn it a new way. Now that the class can describe a force by strength and direction, this lesson looks at the effect: how a force changes how things move.

We are learning to

• see that a force can start and stop a moving thing,
• see that a force can speed up, slow down or turn a thing,
• use a push to change what a ball is doing.

Success criteria

• I can start and stop a rolling ball.
• I can say what my force did to it.

You need

• a ball per group,
• a toy car,
• a book or block to make a small ramp,
• the worksheet (next sheet), one per child.

Lesson flow (about 45 minutes)

Running two short sessions instead? End Session A after Change the ball. Start Session B by starting and stopping a ball, then go on to Draw and write.

Watch for these ideas

• “A moving thing stops all by itself.” Something always stops it: a hand, a wall, or the drag of the floor. That is a force too.
• “Once stopped a thing moves again on its own.” A still thing stays still until a force gives it a push or a pull.
• “You cannot change a moving thing’s path.” A push from the side turns it; the ball takes a new way.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: start a ball with a push, then stop it with a hand.
• Bigger: speed up a rolling car, then slow it down, and name each change.

Answers and look-fors

• A force can start, stop, speed up, slow down or turn a thing.
• To stop a rolling ball, you give it a push the other way, or something in its path stops it.
• Look for the effect word: “my push turned the ball round the cone” meets the goal.

Starting and stopping

A push can start a still ball or stop a rolling one. Draw each one. Then finish the sentence.

What did the force do?

Cut out the cards. For each one, decide what the force did: start, stop, speed up, slow down or turn it.

Teacher note: answers are start (a push sends a still ball rolling; kicking a ball off the tee), stop (a hand catches a rolling ball; a wall stops the marble), speed up (a big push makes the car go faster; rolling downhill it goes faster), slow down (dragging a foot slows the scooter; grass slows the ball) and turn (a nudge sends the ball round a corner; a bat hits the ball sideways).

Changing shape

Lesson 6 showed forces changing how things move. This lesson meets the second effect the descriptor asks for: a push or a pull does not only move a thing, it can change its shape. We squash, stretch, bend and twist, and put a name to what our hands did.

We are learning to

• see that a push or a pull can change the shape of a thing,
• name four shape changes: squash, stretch, bend and twist,
• tell which change is a push and which is a pull.

Success criteria

• I can change a shape with a push or a pull.

You need

• playdough, one ball per pair, kept away from mouths,
• a sponge, a spring toy or a rubber band, nothing sharp,
• the worksheet (next sheet), one per child, and the matching cards (third sheet).

Lesson flow (about 45 minutes)

Running two short sessions instead? End Session A after Change the shape. Start Session B by squashing a ball of dough again, then go on to Draw and write.

Watch for these ideas

• “Forces only move things, they cannot change a shape.” Pressing the dough flat is a force that changes the shape without moving the ball anywhere.
• “Only soft things change shape.” A bent straw and a stretched band change shape too; some spring back and some stay changed.
• “A shape change is magic, not a force.” The change comes from a push or a pull of our hands, the same forces as always.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: just squash and stretch the playdough, and name those two changes.
• Bigger: for a bent or twisted thing, name the force that did it and which way it went.

Answers and look-fors

• Squash: a push flattens it. Stretch: a pull makes it longer. Bend and twist also change the shape.
• Some things spring back to their old shape when you let go, like a spring or a band; others stay changed, like the dough or a bent straw.
• Look for the force word with the change: “I squashed it, that was a push” meets the goal.

Changing shape

A push or a pull can change a shape. Draw the playdough before and after you squash it. Then finish the sentence.

What did the force do to the shape?

Cut out the cards. Match each change word to the thing it happened to.

Match the change to the thing. Answer pairs: squash goes with the playdough pressed flat, stretch with the rubber band pulled long, bend with the straw curved over, twist with the wet towel wrung out.

Predict, then see

Now the class knows what forces do, we can guess ahead. This lesson teaches the heart of science inquiry for young children: make a prediction with a reason, then test it and check. A wrong prediction is still good science, because we always go and look.

We are learning to

• make a prediction about what a force will do,
• give a reason for the prediction,
• test it and check the prediction against what happened.

Success criteria

• I can predict what a force will do, then check it.

You need

• a ball and some blocks to knock down,
• a ramp made from a book or a block,
• the worksheet (next sheet) and the predict cards (third sheet).

Lesson flow (about 45 minutes)

Running two short sessions instead? End Session A after Predict then test. Start Session B by recalling one prediction the class made, then go on to Draw and write.

Watch for these ideas

• “A guess and a prediction are the same.” A prediction has a reason: “the hard push, because it has more force”.
• “A wrong prediction means you failed.” Checking a wrong prediction is exactly how scientists learn; only skipping the check is a miss.
• “There is no need to check.” The check is the science; a prediction is only half of it.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: predict just which one goes further, then look.
• Bigger: predict and give a reason before you test.

Answers and look-fors

• Predictions vary; the point is to predict with a reason and then check it against what happened.
• In most tests a harder push goes further or knocks more blocks down, but let the children find that themselves.
• Look for the check: “I said the hard one, and it did knock more” meets the goal, and so does an honest “I was wrong, it was about the same”.

Predict, then see

First say what you think a force will do. Then test it and draw what really happened. Then finish the sentence.

Predict, then see

Cut out the cards. For each one, predict with a reason, then test it and check.

Teacher note: predict with a reason first, then test. A wrong prediction still teaches us, as long as we check.

Forces at play

Time to take the whole term outside. The playground is full of pushes and pulls, and this lesson lets children name them where they play every day: swings, slides, seesaws and ball games are all forces at work.

We are learning to

• spot pushes and pulls in the playground,
• name the force that starts and moves each thing we play on,
• see that play and science are the same thing here.

Success criteria

• I can name a push and a pull in the playground.

You need

• the playground: swings, a slide, a seesaw and some balls,
• the worksheet (next sheet) and a clipboard or hard book each,
• the matching cards (third sheet) for back in the room.

Lesson flow (about 45 minutes)

Running two short sessions instead? End Session A after the force hunt. Start Session B back in the room, recalling one force from the hunt, then go on to Draw and write.

Watch for these ideas

• “Play has no science in it.” Every swing and slide is a push or a pull; play is science in disguise.
• “A swing keeps going forever with no force.” It needs a push to start and slows without more pushes.
• “You must push all the way down a slide.” A downward pull does that; you only need a push to set off.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: name just one push you can find in the playground.
• Bigger: name a push and a pull on the one piece of equipment.

Answers and look-fors

• Swing: a push to start it, then the rope pulls it back. Slide: a push off, then you slide down.
• Seesaw: a push down on each end in turn. Ball: a push or a kick to send it away.
• Look for a named force tied to a real thing: “the swing needs a push to start” meets the goal.

Forces at play

The playground is full of pushes and pulls. Draw the push on a swing and on a slide. Then finish the sentence.

Force at play

Cut out the cards. Match each playground thing to the force that makes it work.

Match the thing to its force. Answer pairs: the swing goes with a push to start and a rope that pulls, the slide with a push off then you slide down, the seesaw with a push down on each end, the ball with a push or a kick.

Show what we know

The last lesson brings the whole term together. Children make a push-and-pull poster that shows a force two ways, how hard and which way, and then take the final check. Everything they have practised, from Lesson 1 onward, comes out here.

We are learning to

• bring the term together in one poster,
• show a push and a pull with strength and direction,
• answer the final check on our own.

Success criteria

• I can show a push and a pull with strength and direction.
• I can answer the check.

You need

• old magazines or paper to cut, and glue, or just space to draw,
• the poster planner and the check sheet (next two sheets), one each per child,
• the board self-check quiz, if you want to play it as a class game.

Lesson flow (about 45 minutes)

Running two short sessions instead? End Session A after Plan the poster. Start Session B by making the poster, then finish with the final check.

Watch for these ideas

• A poster that shows a push but forgets the direction; ask which way the force goes.
• Strength and direction muddled; how hard and which way are two different labels.
• Forgetting forces can change shape too, not only move things.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: label just a push and a pull on the poster.
• Bigger: add a strength word and a direction word to each half.

Answers and look-fors

• Check answers: 1 A push moves the car away from you. 2 A hard push sends the ball further. 3 To send the ball up you push it up.
• 4 Pressing a soft ball squashes it; it changes shape. 5 A leftward pull rolls the wagon to the left.
• Poster look-fors: two halves, a push and a pull, each with a how-hard word and a which-way word.

Plan my poster

One half of your poster shows a push. One half shows a pull. Label how hard and which way.

Show what we know

Circle or write your answer.

Answer key is on the Lesson 10 teacher plan.