AC9SFU02 • Foundation Science

AC9SFU02: How Objects Move

describe how objects move and how factors including their size, shape or material influence their movement

Topic GuideClassroom ViewWorksheetPracticeTest
🎯 Learn the key ideaStart here

Learning intention: Objects can move in different ways such as rolling, sliding, spinning and bouncing. Their size, shape and material can affect how they move.

Success looks like: Name movement types; Notice shape effects; Compare fairly; Change one feature; Describe evidence.

Learning routine: Observe → Move → Describe → Change one feature → Compare

Explain, check and applyReason

Describe the motion you observe

Use roll, slide, spin or bounce to describe what happens, not only fast or slow. An object can move in more than one way. Observe each trial rather than assigning one permanent movement to an object.

Same object, different starting position

With adult guidance, put an empty tube on its curved side on a low ramp, then try it resting on a flat end. What changes?

Answer and teaching guidance

On its curved side it may roll; on a flat end it may slide, remain still or tip. Record the actual result. Its material has not changed, but how its shape meets the surface has changed.

Use the evidence, not a size rule

Two balls of different sizes are released from the same low ramp. The smaller one travels farther in this trial. Does the bigger ball always travel farther?

Answer and teaching guidance

No. This result does not support “bigger always goes farther”. Other differences, such as material, can matter too. Describe these objects and this trial without claiming size alone caused the result.

Compare materials with guidance

Compare similar-sized rubber and foam balls on the same surface. Release each from the same low height without pushing. What could you observe?

Answer and teaching guidance

Observe whether and how they bounce, and which rises higher in repeated trials. Keep the start and surface alike; report the result rather than assuming every rubber or foam ball behaves identically.

Ready to move on

Move two safe objects. Name how each moves and describe one visible feature that may help explain the difference.

Answer and teaching guidance

For example, a round ball rolls while a block slides on a flat face. Accept actual observations. Formal force laws, speed calculations and independent experimental design are not required.

👀 Model and worked examplesLearn

Shape can change the movement

round marble → rolls easily
flat block → tends to slide
spinning top → turns around one point

Think aloud: Describe what is observed first, then use that evidence to explain the idea.

Make a fair movement comparison

Same surface + same start → change ONE feature

Compare two objects fairly by keeping the start and surface the same.

📚 Key words4 words

movement

a change in position

roll

turn over and over along a surface

slide

move across a surface without rolling

fair comparison

change one feature while keeping the rest the same

🧠 Try it in different waysApply

1. Roll or slide?

Test a marble and a block on the same surface. Describe how each moves.

2. Ramp test

Release two objects from the same starting point on a simple ramp. Compare the movement.

3. Change one feature

Change only size, shape or material and say what changed about the movement.

⚠️ Common mistakes and fixesFix errors
  • Changing two things at once: Change only one feature so the comparison is fair.
  • Only saying fast or slow: Also describe the kind of movement: roll, slide, spin or bounce.
  • Assuming bigger always moves farther: Observe and compare instead of guessing from size alone.
✅ Quick checkCheck
  • Name two ways an object can move.
  • Why is a marble likely to roll?
  • What should stay the same in a fair ramp test?
  • How could material affect movement?

Ready for Practice when: Name movement types; Notice shape effects; Compare fairly; Change one feature; Describe evidence.

📝 Revision NotesRemember
  • Main idea: Objects can move in different ways such as rolling, sliding, spinning and bouncing. Their size, shape and material can affect how they move.
  • Useful routine: Observe → Move → Describe → Change one feature → Compare
  • movement: a change in position
  • roll: turn over and over along a surface
  • slide: move across a surface without rolling
  • fair comparison: change one feature while keeping the rest the same
  • Best self-check: explain one new example without copying the worked model.
🇦🇺 Australian Curriculum coverageE1–E5

Content description: describe how objects move and how factors including their size, shape or material influence their movement

These are curriculum teaching examples used as a breadth check, not separate mandatory outcomes.

First Nations teaching guidance: Use a locally appropriate, community-approved source; name the relevant Peoples and Country/Place; respect cultural authority and permissions; and do not present one example as universal across First Nations Australians.

E1

observing how toys move, and grouping them based on their movement

Teaching example: Observe safe toys in motion and group by what happened, such as rolling or sliding. Allow a toy to show different movements in different trials.

E2

observing and describing ways different and unusually shaped objects such as blocks, tubes or eggs move when rolled down a slope

Teaching example: Try an empty tube on its curved side and on a flat end on a low ramp. Describe actual rolling, sliding, tipping or remaining still.

E3

comparing the way different-sized, similar-shaped objects such as tennis balls, golf balls, marbles or basketballs roll and bounce

Teaching example: Compare different-sized balls with adult guidance. Keep the release point and surface alike, and notice when material also differs so size alone cannot explain the result.

E4

exploring how the material a ball is made from affects the way it moves, such as plastic, foam, cloth or rubber balls on a surface

Teaching example: Release similar-sized balls of different materials from the same low height onto the same surface. Compare observed bouncing and repeat before describing a pattern.

E5

exploring how the size and shape of traditional instructive toys used by First Nations Australians influence their movement

Teaching example: Use an authorised account of a named traditional instructive toy. Observe or discuss its documented movement and respect local permissions rather than inventing cultural designs.

Teacher resource

AC9SFU02 fixed teacher slides

The authored presentation uses the same models, vocabulary and checks as this lesson.

Open Classroom View
🎥 Optional Video Lesson

The SkillrHub lesson remains the primary learning resource. This optional video reinforces the explanation; you can complete the lesson and practice without watching.

Back to the lesson

Before you watch:

  • Pause after each worked example.
  • Try the examples yourself.
  • Return to the SkillrHub lesson before continuing.
Recommended: Swings, Slides, and Science | Physics for Kids

SciShow Kids — Noticing different movements in a familiar playground.

As you watch: How is moving on a swing different from moving down a slide?

Load video player Loads YouTube in this lesson. See the video notice below.

Try it: Describe a toy rolling and a block sliding. With an adult, compare the same toy moving on a smooth surface and a towel.

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Curriculum equivalents: Victoria, NSW and international

Curriculum equivalents for How objects move and how factors including their size, shape...

Mapped skill: describe how objects move and how factors including their size, shape or material influence their movement

These references identify matching or closely related learning. Curriculum sequence, terminology and depth vary, so teachers should use the mapped skill and lesson difficulty to confirm suitability.

RegionCurriculum frameworkClosest level or code
AustraliaAustralian Curriculum v9.0AC9SFU02 · Foundation
VictoriaVictorian Curriculum F–10 Version 2.0 — ScienceVC2S2U10 · Foundation–Level 2
New South WalesNSW Science and Technology K–6 Syllabus (2024)STE-SCI-01 · Early Stage 1
United States (USA)Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)Kindergarten
Canada (Ontario)Ontario Curriculum — ScienceKindergarten
United Kingdom (England)National Curriculum in England — ScienceYear 1, Key Stage 1
IndiaNCERT / CBSE — ScienceFoundational Stage / Balvatika 3

Australian Curriculum v9.0 is the canonical source for this SkillrHub lesson. Victoria and NSW entries name the closest published state codes or outcomes; international entries are planning references rather than claims of identical curricula.

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Topic reference: AC9SFU02 — AC9SFU02: How Objects Move

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