🎯 WALT & Success Criteria

WALT (We Are Learning To): Understand how the amount of force applied to an object affects how it moves.

✅ I can do this when I can:

 Explain what a force is in my own words.

 Predict what will happen when I push an object with more or less force.

 Record my observations clearly in a table.

 Use key vocabulary: force, push, pull, speed, distance, friction.

 Explain the cause and effect of different forces on movement.

📖 Key Vocabulary

Force: A push or pull that makes an object move, stop, or change direction.

Speed: How fast or slow an object moves.

Distance: How far an object travels (measured in centimetres or metres).

Friction: A force that slows objects down when surfaces rub together.

Trajectory: The path an object travels through the air or along a surface.

🧑‍🏫 Teacher Model — Think-Aloud Demonstration

Watch and listen as your teacher models the experiment. Follow the thinking steps below.

Step 1 — Predict: "I have a toy car on a smooth floor. I'm going to give it a gentle push. I predict it will move slowly and not travel very far, because I'm not using much force."

Step 2 — Test (Gentle Push): "I push the car gently… it rolled about 20 centimetres and stopped. The friction from the floor slowed it down quickly."

Step 3 — Test (Hard Push): "Now I'll push with much more force… it rolled about 80 centimetres! More force = more speed = greater distance."

Step 4 — Observe & Record: "I'm writing down exactly what I saw — not what I hoped would happen. Good scientists record honest observations."

Step 5 — Explain: "The car moved further with a harder push because more force was applied. Friction still slowed it down, but it had more energy to travel first."

📊 Worked Example Table

This is what a good recording looks like:

Test 1 — Gentle Push
What happened: Car rolled 20 cm and stopped.
Why: Only a small force was applied. Friction stopped it quickly.

Test 2 — Medium Push
What happened: Car rolled 50 cm and stopped.
Why: More force was applied. The car had more energy to overcome friction.

Test 3 — Hard Push
What happened: Car rolled 80 cm and stopped.
Why: The greatest force was used. More speed meant the car travelled furthest before friction stopped it.

⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Don't change two things at once (e.g. surface AND force) — you won't know what caused the change!

❌ Don't write what you wanted to happen — write what actually happened.

❌ Don't forget to use centimetres or metres when recording distance.

✅ Do keep your push starting from the same spot every time — this makes it a fair test.

🔬 Your Turn — Investigate It!

Now it's your turn to explore force and motion. Use a toy car, ball, or block and a smooth surface.

My Prediction: What do you think will happen when you increase the force?

My Experiment: Describe what you tested and how you kept it fair.

Draw Your Results: Sketch the three tests below. Show the starting point and where the object stopped. Label the distance.

My Explanation: What did you find out? Use the words force, speed, distance, and friction in your answer.

💭 Reflection — Think About Your Learning