Year 5 · Science · Forces

Why do things fall?

And why don't they fall up?

Today
What we are learning
To explain why things fall towards the Earth.
You have got it when you can
  1. Say that gravity is a pull, not a push.
  2. Explain that gravity pulls everything towards the Earth.
  3. Use evidence to explain why a heavy thing and a light thing land together.
  4. Explain why a feather does fall slower on Earth, but not on the Moon.
Words we will use today
gravity A pull between the Earth and everything on it. "Gravity pulled the pen down."
force A push or a pull. You cannot see one. You see what it does. "Gravity is a force."
unsupported un · support · ed Nothing is holding it up. "I let go. Now it is unsupported."
attract To pull towards. "The Earth attracts the book."
Take "unsupported" apart: un (not) + support (hold up) + ed. Not being held up. You will meet un- again in every subject you ever study.
First thing4 min

Three things you know about forces.

Write them. Thirty seconds.

A force is a push or a pull.

Forces can make things speed up, slow down or change direction.

You cannot see a force. You see what it does.

Is a force always a push?

Going furtherGive me a force you cannot see.
Show them how10 min

I drop a pen. Why did it fall?

Write up what they say, in their words. Do not correct it.

Almost every class gives you some version of "because it's heavy". You will come back to this exact sentence at the end of the lesson.

Now watch. I am going to drop two things.

Show them how10 min

Same height. Same moment.

A heavy book
A light pen

They land together.

Show them how · the Turn10 min
What we thought
What we think now

Changing your mind on evidence is what scientists do.

Build it together12 min

Predict. Watch. Explain.

vs

A marble and a ping-pong ball.
A book and a shoe.
Predict every time.

They land together. Every time.

It does not matter how heavy. Gravity pulls the same on both.

If someone says "but a feather falls slower" - yes. Ask me next lesson.

On the Moon there is no air.

An astronaut drops a hammer and a feather.
Same height. Same moment.

Quick check

Which lands first?

Hammer
Feather
Together

Then write one sentence saying why.

Going furtherOn the Moon gravity is weaker. So do things fall slower there?
Their turn15 min

Change your friend's mind.

A friend says: “Heavy things fall faster.”
Write a reply that changes their mind. Use the evidence from today.
You might think… but actually… The evidence is… This is because gravity…
Going furtherWhy does a feather fall slower than a hammer on Earth? Answer without saying gravity is weaker on the feather.

Use a starter if it helps you. You do not have to.

Last thing4 min

This is what we wrote
at the start.

Write their opening sentence back up, word for word.
Then: "Is it right? Fix it." They rewrite it themselves.

Fix it.

Say
-
Watch for
-
Next
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The modelling space
The spaces are completely empty. Nothing is written in them, not even a hint, because anything inside that box gets projected onto the board and thirty children would be reading an instruction meant for the teacher. The slide gives the prompt. The space stays blank. The teacher models it their own way. What the space is for lives in the lesson plan, on the desk, never on the wall. The toggle below shows the plan's guidance - a separate document, not the slide.
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