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Science lesson plan · 6th grade (Year 7 in England) · 45 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 · 5 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.
  1. Is this a push or a pull: picking an apple from a tree? (push / pull) → pullPrompt: Does the thing move away from you or towards you?
  2. On the Moon, an astronaut dropped a hammer and a feather at the same time. What happened? (They hit the ground together / They floated away / The hammer landed first / The feather landed first) → They hit the ground togetherPrompt: The Moon has no air.
  3. What happens if you kick a ball harder? (It stops at once / It goes slower / Nothing changes / It goes faster and further) → It goes faster and furtherPrompt: A bigger push has a bigger effect.

Hook · 5 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 · 10 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 · 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. Is this a contact force or a non-contact force: air resistance? (contact force / non-contact force) → contact forcePrompt: Do the objects have to touch for the force to act?
  2. Why do astronauts on the Moon still have weight? (There is air on the Moon pushing them down / Friction holds them down / They wear heavy boots / The Moon's gravity acts on them without touching) → The Moon's gravity acts on them without touchingPrompt: Gravity is a non-contact force.

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. Why do astronauts on the Moon still have weight? (The Moon's gravity acts on them without touching / There is air on the Moon pushing them down / Friction holds them down / They wear heavy boots) → The Moon's gravity acts on them without touchingPrompt: Gravity is a non-contact force.
  2. Is this a contact force or a non-contact force: electrostatic force? (contact force / non-contact force) → non-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

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Contact and non-contact forces

Name

Date

Score/ 8

  1. Question 1

    A balloon rubbed on hair can pick up small bits of paper without touching them. Which force is acting?

    • A. electrostatic force
    • B. friction
    • C. upthrust
    • D. tension

  2. Question 2

    Is this a contact force or a non-contact force: friction?

    • A. contact force
    • B. non-contact force

  3. Question 3

    Types of force: which statement is NOT true?

    • A. Friction is a contact force.
    • B. Magnets can push or pull without touching.
    • C. Tension is a non-contact force.
    • D. Forces are measured in newtons using a newton meter (force meter).

  4. Question 4

    Is this a contact force or a non-contact force: magnetic force?

    • A. contact force
    • B. non-contact force

  5. Question 5

    A book rests on a table. Which two forces act on the book?

    • A. no forces at all
    • B. friction and air resistance
    • C. magnetism and gravity
    • D. its weight down and the normal contact force from the table up

  6. Question 6

    A boat floats on a lake. Which force from the water holds it up?

    • A. tension
    • B. weight
    • C. magnetic force
    • D. upthrust

  7. Question 7

    Is this a contact force or a non-contact force: air resistance?

    • A. contact force
    • B. non-contact force

  8. Question 8

    Is this a contact force or a non-contact force: tension in a rope?

    • A. contact force
    • B. non-contact force

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Answer key: Contact and non-contact forces

  1. 1. A. electrostatic force

  2. 2. A. contact force

  3. 3. C. Tension is a non-contact force.

  4. 4. B. non-contact force

  5. 5. D. its weight down and the normal contact force from the table up

  6. 6. D. upthrust

  7. 7. A. contact force

  8. 8. A. contact force