Science lesson plan · 5th grade (Year 6 in England) · 30 minutes
Air resistance and water resistance
Forces and motion
CCSS NGSS.MS-PS2-2England: KS2 Y5 Forces
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Air resistance and water resistance.
- I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
- I can explain each step and say why it works.
- I can check my answer and spot a mistake.
Before and after
Needs first: Friction; Gravity
Leads to: Newton's laws of motion
Materials: Force meters, Toy cars and ramps, Mini whiteboards, A diagram or short video clip of the idea, Printed student sheet (below).
Warm-up · 4 min
- Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Friction; Gravity). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- Which way does gravity pull objects near Earth? (up, towards the sky / towards the Sun only / sideways / down, towards the centre of the Earth) → down, towards the centre of the EarthPrompt: What happens when you drop a ball?
- Why do people oil a squeaky bicycle chain? (to make it heavier / to increase friction / to make it magnetic / to reduce friction) → to reduce frictionPrompt: Oil makes surfaces slippery.
- On the Moon, an astronaut dropped a hammer and a feather at the same time. What happened? (The hammer landed first / They hit the ground together / They floated away / The feather landed first) → They hit the ground togetherPrompt: The Moon has no air.
Hook · 3 min
- 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.
I do: model it · 7 min
- 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.
We do: guided practice · 6 min
- Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
- Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
- Which falls slowest: a flat sheet of paper or the same paper screwed into a ball? (neither falls / they always land together / the flat sheet / the ball of paper) → the flat sheetPrompt: They have the same mass. What is different?
- Why is it harder to walk through water than through air? (Air pushes you forward / Gravity is stronger in water / Water has no particles / Water resistance is much bigger than air resistance) → Water resistance is much bigger than air resistancePrompt: Water particles are much closer together than air particles.
You do: independent practice · 7 min
- 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.
Exit ticket · 3 min
- Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
- 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. / Air resistance acts against the direction of motion. / 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?
- Which is the best shape for a fast racing car? (covered in flags / tall and square / flat and wide like a sheet / low and streamlined) → low and streamlinedPrompt: The car should slip through the air.
Watch out for
- Everyday meanings of words getting in the way of the science meaning: define key words explicitly.
- Remembering facts without the reason: ask "why?" and "what is the evidence?"
Support and stretch
Support
- Review first: Friction.
- Use concrete materials: force meters.
- Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
- Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.
Stretch
- Move on to: Newton's laws of motion.
- Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
- Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.
Homework and more practice
Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/science/grade-5.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder