Students are provided with information and data on different makes of soccer balls. Students answer questions on fair testing, and write conclusions from the given data.
Task: students, in small groups, discuss a concept cartoon about rolling cans, before making a prediction about which will roll further. Assessment focus: making predictions about friction.
Task: Select cards to show how to control the variables of an investigation into the rolling distance of marbles on different surfaces. Assessment focus: controlling variables.
Task: Predict, observe and explain what will happen when a balloon containing another balloon filled with water is thrown. Assessment focus: making and explaining predictions and observations.
Students investigate energy transfer by colliding marbles, explaining their observations, and what happens to the energy of the moving marble on impact.
Students first do the science activity Throwing balloons 3 or Throwing balloons 4 where they predict, observe, and explain what will happen when a balloon containing another balloon filled with water is thrown. Then the students do this resource's writing task where they describe the balloon and what happens when it is thrown, and explain why they think it moved the way it did. Six annotated exemplars of student scripts (writing) are included under the "Working with Students" tab.
This practical task requires students to record temperatures of various areas in the school and to suggest reasons why some areas are warmer or cooler than others.
Students construct three different sized parachutes from plastic bags. They then carry out a fair test to see which sized parachute is the most effective. Students answer questions about fair tests, collect and record their results, and make a conclusion.
Explain what affects the distance travelled by toy cars, and why they eventually stop. Assessment focus: science explanations using ideas about forces and energy.