Year 4 Science · AC9S4U03
Students describe forces as pushes or pulls between objects, distinguish contact from non-contact forces and use fair tests to investigate how friction, gravity and…
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Students describe forces as pushes or pulls between objects, distinguish contact from non-contact forces and use fair tests to investigate how friction, gravity and magnetism change motion.
Learning routine: Observe → Model → Investigate → Record → Explain → Evaluate
Bring two large classroom bar magnets near each other. Turn one around and compare. Unlike poles attract; like poles repel. Then test a steel paperclip across a small gap. Keep the same magnet, clip and tabletop, reset the clip each trial and record whether it moves at each tested distance.
Check: A clip moves before contact. Is touching essential? Answer: No; magnetic attraction can act across a gap. Do not conclude that every metal is attracted.
Slide the same block from the same low ramp point onto two level surfaces. Measure from the ramp end to the stopping point and repeat three times per surface. A shorter travel distance suggests more resistance under those conditions. Friction can help brake a bicycle but can also wear the brake pads. Roughness alone does not predict every pair of materials.
Worked evidence: A block travels 44, 46 and 45 cm on mat A and 81, 79 and 80 cm on board B. Every A trial is shorter than every B trial, supporting greater resistance on A in this test. No calculated average is needed.
Hold a soft ball over a low tray, then release it. Earth pulls the ball towards its centre both before and after release. Before release, the hand supports it; afterwards, that support is gone. On a table, a book can remain still because the table pushes up while gravity pulls down.
20-second check: Draw gravity on a held ball and a falling ball. Both arrows point towards Earth. Reteach if a learner draws no gravity on the held ball.
Place a cork or sealed toy boat in a shallow tray of water. Observe that it stays afloat without a hand holding it. Water pushes upward while gravity still pulls downward. Draw and label both forces; equal lengths represent balanced strengths in this still example.
Check: Does floating switch gravity off? Answer: No. Water supports the object against gravity. We describe the pushes and pulls without density calculations.
ACARA’s teacher background describes Pitjantjatjara children using a rolling bark disc as a target. Identify the initial applied push and later resistance from contact with the ground. This is one documented context, not a description of all First Nations games.
Safe classroom investigation: Roll a foam disc along a clear lane, without any thrown implement. Compare how far it travels on two surfaces using the same release. Record the actual motion and explain how contact resistance changes it. This classroom model explores forces; it is not presented as an authentic recreation of a cultural game. Respect the source and follow local protocols for cultural participation.
Inspect clean shoe soles placed on a table. Sketch grooves, raised patterns and worn smooth patches. Predict which might grip a chosen surface, then explain why appearance alone is insufficient evidence: material, load and wetness also matter.
Adult demonstration: Pull two equally loaded shoes across the same tile using the same method. Compare the pull needed to start sliding. Keep children off slippery surfaces. A stronger starting pull indicates greater grip in this setup; do not claim one pattern is safest everywhere.
Watch NASA’s Apollo 15 hammer-and-feather demonstration. Pause before release and predict what each object will do. Both reach the lunar surface together in the demonstration, where air resistance is negligible. The Moon has gravity: both objects fall after the astronaut lets go.
Check: Why is “there is no gravity on the Moon” inconsistent with this observation? Answer: The released objects fall to its surface. Keep discussion qualitative; do not require acceleration formulae or assume a feather falls the same way in Earth’s air.
A force arrow labels a push or pull acting on an object. Its length represents relative strength, not time or distance travelled. Draw a sliding block with a friction arrow opposite the slide. A separate motion arrow, if used, must be labelled “motion” so it is not mistaken for a force.
Check: A points right and is longer than right-pointing B. Answer: A represents a stronger force in the same direction. Revisit the key if a learner answers “longer journey”.
The content description and elaborations below show the curriculum ideas taught in this unit. Items marked as teaching context support lesson planning.
Question: The same block travels farther on B than A in every repeated fair trial. Which surface appears to offer more resistance? Answer: A. Review hint: Compare stopping distances under the same starting conditions.
Question: Draw both vertical forces on a boat floating steadily. Answer: Water pushes up; gravity pulls down, represented by equal arrows. Review hint: Stillness does not mean forces are absent.
Support: Sort picture examples into touching and across-a-gap forces and use “___ pushes/pulls ___”. Core: Run a controlled surface or magnet test and explain the observed pattern. Extend: Identify a limitation and plan a repeat that checks it, staying with qualitative forces.
Expected evidence: Friction and magnetism/gravity; water supports against gravity; stronger force. If any is missing, revisit the corresponding model and ask the learner to redraw or explain it before moving on.
Use familiar pushes, pulls, contact, gaps and relative strengths. Prior knowledge is describing motion and measuring lengths. Formal vector sums, acceleration equations, coefficients of friction, magnetic field calculations and density calculations are not required. Use large classroom magnets, small drop heights, a clear rolling lane and adult supervision; keep magnets away from mouths and wipe water spills.
Students describe forces as pushes or pulls between objects, distinguish contact from non-contact forces and use fair tests to investigate how friction, gravity and magnetism change motion.
Learning routine: Observe → Model → Investigate → Record → Explain → Evaluate
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