• 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. Which way does gravity pull objects near Earth? (sideways / towards the Sun only / up, towards the sky / down, towards the centre of the Earth) → down, towards the centre of the EarthPrompt: What happens when you drop a ball?
2. Why do football boots have studs? (to reduce friction / to make a noise / to make them lighter / to increase friction so players don't slip) → to increase friction so players don't slipPrompt: Grip is useful on wet grass.
3. Why do people oil a squeaky bicycle chain? (to make it magnetic / to make it heavier / to increase friction / to reduce friction) → 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 are fish and boats streamlined (smooth and pointed)? (to float higher / to increase water resistance / to reduce water resistance / to look nice) → to reduce water resistancePrompt: A streamlined shape lets water flow past easily.
2. Which is the best shape for a fast racing car? (covered in flags / low and streamlined / flat and wide like a sheet / tall and square) → 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? (Air resistance acts against the direction of motion. / Air resistance is a type of friction. / Streamlined shapes reduce air and water resistance. / Water resistance only acts on boats.) → Water resistance only acts on boats.Prompt: Which way does air resistance act on a falling object?
2. Which falls slowest: a flat sheet of paper or the same paper screwed into a ball? (neither falls / the ball of paper / the flat sheet / they always land together) → the flat sheetPrompt: They have the same mass. What is different?

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