Year 1 Science · AC9S1U03
A push or pull can change how an object moves or changes shape. The effect depends on the force direction and strength
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A push or pull can change how an object moves or changes shape. The effect depends on the force direction and strength.
Learning routine: Name force → Show direction → Compare strength → Predict effect → Test
A stronger push may move an object farther. A different direction can change where it goes.
Question: What happens if you push the same toy car harder on the same floor? It will usually move farther because the push is stronger while the object and surface stay the same.
Say the force, direction, strength and predicted effect.
Explain your thinking: Say what each part of the model represents, then explain why the answer or conclusion follows.
Worked example Question: What happens if you push the same toy car harder on the same floor? It will usually move farther because the push is stronger while the object and surface stay the same.
Force arrows Draw arrows to show the direction of pushes and pulls on classroom objects. Model: push → box
Gentle vs strong Compare a gentle push and a strong push on the same toy car. Model: same car • same surface • different strength
Change shape Use soft material to test how pushing, squeezing or pulling can change shape. Model: clay: round → flat
These curriculum examples extend the central model into varied contexts. They are learning contexts, not extra definitions to memorise.
observing and manipulating everyday objects such as playground equipment, toys, windows or doors and identifying the forces used to move these objects
Try and explain: You move a toy wagon towards yourself using its handle. Is that a push or a pull?
A pull: the handle is used to bring the wagon towards you.
investigating how the design of age-appropriate sporting equipment such as paddles, plastic bats and racquets help to produce stronger pushes and pulls
Try and explain: A plastic paddle strikes a soft ball. What force does the paddle apply, and what could change if the strike is stronger?
It pushes the ball away. A stronger strike may make the ball start faster or travel farther if other relevant conditions are alike.
recognising that pushing or pulling on an object can start or stop its motion or change its direction of travel
Try and explain: A rolling ball meets your gently placed hand and stops. Did the force have an effect even though the ball ended still?
Yes. A force changed its motion by slowing and stopping it; forces do not only start movement.
exploring ways the shape of playdough can be changed when pushed or pulled
Try and explain: Press a lump of playdough flat, then gently stretch it. Describe the two actions and their effects.
Pressing is a push that flattens it. Stretching involves pulling parts apart, making it longer or thinner.
designing playground equipment, toys or games and representing push and pull forces involved using models, digital drawings or role-play
Try and explain: Draw a toy car with an arrow showing a push from left to right. What does the arrow communicate?
It shows the direction of the push. Label it ‘push’; an arrow alone should not be confused with a guarantee of how far the car will travel.
investigating the push and pull movements of traditional First Nations Australians children’s instructive toys
Cultural safety: Use a community-approved source, name the specific Nation or community where the source does, and avoid presenting diverse First Nations knowledges as one generic tradition. Follow local cultural and intellectual property protocols before inviting community participation.
exploring how traditional Asian toys and games such as a kendama, Daruma Otoshi or shuttlecock are played using a push or pull
Try and explain: A foot strikes a soft shuttlecock upwards. Is the strike a push or a pull? Explain using its direction.
It is a push away from the foot. The contact force changes the shuttlecock's motion.
Describe pushes and pulls by strength and direction, then predict an effect.
The same toy car starts at rest on the same smooth floor. Compare a gentle forward push with a stronger forward push.
Watch for this mistake: A push does not always speed an object up. A push opposite its motion can slow it, and a sideways push can change its direction.
You press a soft sponge between your hands. What changes: its shape or only its colour?
Describe what you can observe.
Its shape changes because the pushes compress it.
A rolling ball is gently pushed from the side. What might change?
Consider the direction of the new push.
The ball's direction may change.
Key idea: A push or pull can change how an object moves or changes shape. The effect depends on the force direction and strength.
Return to the concept model if an answer is uncertain. Use the model to explain, not just to guess.
Use the Practice Sheet for written or hands-on work, Practice for supported feedback, and Test when the student is ready to demonstrate independent mastery.
A push or pull can change how an object moves or changes shape. The effect depends on the force direction and strength.
Learning routine: Name force → Show direction → Compare strength → Predict effect → Test
AC9S1U03: describe pushes and pulls in terms of strength and direction and predict the effect of these forces on objects’ motion and shape
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