• 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? (Australia has no gravity / They wear heavy shoes / Gravity pulls everyone towards the centre of the Earth / 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 only acts in water / a force that acts against motion when surfaces rub together / a kind of magnet) → a force that acts against motion when surfaces rub togetherPrompt: Rub your hands together quickly. What do you feel?
3. On the Moon, an astronaut dropped a hammer and a feather at the same time. What happened? (The feather landed first / They floated away / The hammer landed first / They hit the ground together) → They hit the ground togetherPrompt: The Moon has no air.

• 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 reduce water resistance / to increase water resistance / to float higher / to look nice) → to reduce water resistancePrompt: A streamlined shape lets water flow past easily.
2. A skydiver falls at a steady top speed (terminal velocity). What is true about the forces? (There is no weight / Air resistance is bigger than weight / There is no air resistance / Weight and air resistance are balanced) → Weight and air resistance are balancedPrompt: Steady speed means no resultant force.

• 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? (Streamlined shapes reduce air and water resistance. / A parachute with a bigger area falls more slowly. / Air resistance is a type of friction. / Air resistance gets smaller as you go faster.) → Air resistance gets smaller as you go faster.Prompt: Which way does air resistance act on a falling object?
2. Which is the best shape for a fast racing car? (flat and wide like a sheet / tall and square / covered in flags / low and streamlined) → low and streamlinedPrompt: The car should slip through the air.

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