Science lesson plan · 5th grade (Year 6 in England) · 45 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 · 5 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.
- People in Australia do not fall off the Earth. Why? (Gravity pulls everyone towards the centre of the Earth / They hold on tightly / They wear heavy shoes / Australia has no gravity) → Gravity pulls everyone towards the centre of the EarthPrompt: "Down" means towards the centre of the Earth, wherever you are.
- Why do football boots have studs? (to make a noise / to increase friction so players don't slip / to reduce friction / to make them lighter) → to increase friction so players don't slipPrompt: Grip is useful on wet grass.
- Who is famous for describing gravity after watching things fall? (Isaac Newton / Marie Curie / Charles Darwin / Thomas Edison) → Isaac NewtonPrompt: A story says an apple fell near him.
Hook · 5 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 · 10 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 · 10 min
- Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
- Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
- Cyclists crouch low over their handlebars in races. Why? (to make the bike heavier / to see the road better / to reduce air resistance / to increase friction with the road) → to reduce air resistancePrompt: Air pushes against the front of a moving body.
- Why does air resistance increase as a cyclist goes faster? (The cyclist hits more air particles each second / The air gets heavier / The bike gets bigger / Gravity gets stronger) → The cyclist hits more air particles each secondPrompt: Think about air particles in the cyclist's path.
You do: independent practice · 10 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 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.
Exit ticket · 5 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 pulls falling objects downwards. / Air resistance is a type of friction. / Air resistance acts against the direction of motion.) → Air resistance pulls falling objects downwards.Prompt: Which way does air resistance act on a falling object?
- Why is it harder to walk through water than through air? (Water has no particles / Air pushes you forward / Water resistance is much bigger than air resistance / Gravity is stronger in water) → Water resistance is much bigger than air resistancePrompt: Water particles are much closer together than air particles.
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