• 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. Which way does gravity pull objects near Earth? (towards the Sun only / sideways / down, towards the centre of the Earth / up, towards the sky) → down, towards the centre of the EarthPrompt: What happens when you drop a ball?
2. What is friction? (a force that pulls things down / a force that only acts in water / a kind of magnet / a force that acts against motion when surfaces rub together) → a force that acts against motion when surfaces rub togetherPrompt: Rub your hands together quickly. What do you feel?
3. On which surface would you slide furthest in your socks? (a gravel path / a thick carpet / a polished wooden floor / a grassy field) → a polished wooden floorPrompt: Which surface is smoothest?

• 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. Cyclists crouch low over their handlebars in races. Why? (to increase friction with the road / to reduce air resistance / to see the road better / to make the bike heavier) → to reduce air resistancePrompt: Air pushes against the front of a moving body.
2. Why does air resistance increase as a cyclist goes faster? (The cyclist hits more air particles each second / Gravity gets stronger / The air gets heavier / The bike gets bigger) → The cyclist hits more air particles each secondPrompt: Think about air particles in the cyclist's path.

• 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.

• Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.

1. Cyclists crouch low over their handlebars in races. Why? (to reduce air resistance / to see the road better / to increase friction with the road / to make the bike heavier) → to reduce air resistancePrompt: Air pushes against the front of a moving body.
2. A skydiver falls at a steady top speed (terminal velocity). What is true about the forces? (There is no weight / There is no air resistance / Air resistance is bigger than weight / Weight and air resistance are balanced) → Weight and air resistance are balancedPrompt: Steady speed means no resultant force.

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