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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.
  1. People in Australia do not fall off the Earth. Why? (Gravity pulls everyone towards the centre of the Earth / Australia has no gravity / They hold on tightly / They wear heavy shoes) → 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 only acts in water / a kind of magnet / a force that acts against motion when surfaces rub together / a force that pulls things down) → a force that acts against motion when surfaces rub togetherPrompt: Rub your hands together quickly. What do you feel?
  3. Who is famous for describing gravity after watching things fall? (Thomas Edison / Isaac Newton / Marie Curie / Charles Darwin) → 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.
  1. Why does a parachute slow a skydiver down? (Its large surface creates a lot of air resistance / It turns off gravity / It makes the skydiver lighter / It is full of helium) → Its large surface creates a lot of air resistancePrompt: The parachute pushes against lots of air.
  2. Why is it harder to walk through water than through air? (Water resistance is much bigger than air resistance / Air pushes you forward / Gravity is stronger in water / Water has no particles) → Water resistance is much bigger than air resistancePrompt: Water particles are much closer together than air particles.

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.
  1. Air and water resistance: which statement is NOT true? (Streamlined shapes reduce air and water resistance. / Air resistance is a type of friction. / Air resistance gets smaller as you go faster. / A parachute with a bigger area falls more slowly.) → Air resistance gets smaller as you go faster.Prompt: Which way does air resistance act on a falling object?
  2. Why does a parachute slow a skydiver down? (It makes the skydiver lighter / It turns off gravity / It is full of helium / Its large surface creates a lot of air resistance) → Its large surface creates a lot of air resistancePrompt: The parachute pushes against lots of 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

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Air resistance and water resistance

Name

Date

Score/ 8

  1. Question 1

    Why are fish and boats streamlined (smooth and pointed)?

    • A. to float higher
    • B. to increase water resistance
    • C. to reduce water resistance
    • D. to look nice

  2. Question 2

    Why is it harder to walk through water than through air?

    • A. Gravity is stronger in water
    • B. Water resistance is much bigger than air resistance
    • C. Water has no particles
    • D. Air pushes you forward

  3. Question 3

    Air and water resistance: which statement is NOT true?

    • A. Air resistance is a type of friction.
    • B. Air resistance acts against the direction of motion.
    • C. Air resistance pulls falling objects downwards.
    • D. A parachute with a bigger area falls more slowly.

  4. Question 4

    Cyclists crouch low over their handlebars in races. Why?

    • A. to increase friction with the road
    • B. to make the bike heavier
    • C. to reduce air resistance
    • D. to see the road better

  5. Question 5

    Which is the best shape for a fast racing car?

    • A. tall and square
    • B. covered in flags
    • C. low and streamlined
    • D. flat and wide like a sheet

  6. Question 6

    A skydiver falls at a steady top speed (terminal velocity). What is true about the forces?

    • A. Weight and air resistance are balanced
    • B. Air resistance is bigger than weight
    • C. There is no air resistance
    • D. There is no weight

  7. Question 7

    Why does a parachute slow a skydiver down?

    • A. It is full of helium
    • B. It turns off gravity
    • C. It makes the skydiver lighter
    • D. Its large surface creates a lot of air resistance

  8. Question 8

    Why does air resistance increase as a cyclist goes faster?

    • A. The cyclist hits more air particles each second
    • B. The air gets heavier
    • C. The bike gets bigger
    • D. Gravity gets stronger

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Answer key: Air resistance and water resistance

  1. 1. C. to reduce water resistance

  2. 2. B. Water resistance is much bigger than air resistance

  3. 3. C. Air resistance pulls falling objects downwards.

  4. 4. C. to reduce air resistance

  5. 5. C. low and streamlined

  6. 6. A. Weight and air resistance are balanced

  7. 7. D. Its large surface creates a lot of air resistance

  8. 8. A. The cyclist hits more air particles each second