Science lesson plan · 6th grade (Year 7 in England) · 30 minutes
Contact and non-contact forces
Forces and motion
CCSS NGSS.MS-PS2-2CCSS NGSS.MS-PS2-5England: KS3 Physics: Motion and forces
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Contact and non-contact forces.
- 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: Pushes and pulls; Gravity
Leads to: the next skill in this area.
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 (Pushes and pulls; Gravity). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- Is this a push or a pull: pressing a doorbell? (push / pull) → pushPrompt: Does the thing move away from you or towards you?
- People in Australia do not fall off the Earth. Why? (Australia has no gravity / They wear heavy shoes / They hold on tightly / Gravity pulls everyone towards the centre of the Earth) → Gravity pulls everyone towards the centre of the EarthPrompt: "Down" means towards the centre of the Earth, wherever you are.
- Which needs a bigger push to start moving? (a feather / a full shopping trolley (cart) / an empty shopping trolley (cart) / a balloon) → a full shopping trolley (cart)Prompt: Which one is heaviest?
Hook · 3 min
- Drop a sheet of paper and a scrunched-up sheet together and ask why one falls faster.
- Share the objective: Contact and non-contact forces. 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: Is this a contact force or a non-contact force: air resistance?
- Step 1: Contact forces act when objects touch.
- Step 2: So the answer is: contact force
- Answer: contact force
- 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.
- Is this a contact force or a non-contact force: magnetic force? (contact force / non-contact force) → non-contact forcePrompt: Do the objects have to touch for the force to act?
- Why do astronauts on the Moon still have weight? (Friction holds them down / They wear heavy boots / The Moon's gravity acts on them without touching / There is air on the Moon pushing them down) → The Moon's gravity acts on them without touchingPrompt: Gravity is a non-contact force.
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.
- Types of force: which statement is NOT true? (Non-contact forces only act on metals. / Friction is a contact force. / Magnets can push or pull without touching. / Gravity is a non-contact force.) → Non-contact forces only act on metals.Prompt: Does air touch a moving object?
- Is this a contact force or a non-contact force: tension in a rope? (contact force / non-contact force) → contact forcePrompt: Do the objects have to touch for the force to act?
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: Pushes and pulls.
- 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
- 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-6.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder