• Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Friction; Gravity). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
• Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.

1. People in Australia do not fall off the Earth. Why? (Gravity pulls everyone towards the centre of the Earth / Australia has no gravity / They wear heavy shoes / They hold on tightly) → Gravity pulls everyone towards the centre of the EarthPrompt: "Down" means towards the centre of the Earth, wherever you are.
2. What is friction? (a force that pulls things down / a force that acts against motion when surfaces rub together / a force that only acts in water / a kind of magnet) → a force that acts against motion when surfaces rub togetherPrompt: Rub your hands together quickly. What do you feel?
3. Why do people oil a squeaky bicycle chain? (to increase friction / to make it magnetic / to reduce friction / to make it heavier) → to reduce frictionPrompt: Oil makes surfaces slippery.

• Drop a sheet of paper and a scrunched-up sheet together and ask why one falls faster.
• Share the objective: Air resistance and water resistance. Read the success criteria together.

• Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
• Example: Why are fish and boats streamlined (smooth and pointed)?
• Step 1: Streamlining reduces water resistance, so they move faster using less energy.
• Step 2: So the answer is: to reduce water resistance
• Answer: to reduce water resistance
• Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

• Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
• Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.

1. Why does a parachute slow a skydiver down? (Its large surface creates a lot of air resistance / It makes the skydiver lighter / It is full of helium / It turns off gravity) → Its large surface creates a lot of air resistancePrompt: The parachute pushes against lots of air.
2. Which is the best shape for a fast racing car? (covered in flags / low and streamlined / tall and square / flat and wide like a sheet) → low and streamlinedPrompt: The car should slip through the air.

• Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
• Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.

The 6 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

• Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.

1. Air and water resistance: which statement is NOT true? (A parachute with a bigger area falls more slowly. / Air resistance gets smaller as you go faster. / Streamlined shapes reduce air and water resistance. / Air resistance is a type of friction.) → Air resistance gets smaller as you go faster.Prompt: Which way does air resistance act on a falling object?
2. Cyclists crouch low over their handlebars in races. Why? (to increase friction with the road / to see the road better / to make the bike heavier / to reduce air resistance) → to reduce air resistancePrompt: Air pushes against the front of a moving body.

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/science/grade-5.