Y5 Autumn 1.1 · Forces · Scheme of Work & Lesson Plans

Scheme of work — at a glance

Nine lessons take pupils from “what is friction?” to levers, pulleys and gears — with a full plan → investigate → evaluate parachute enquiry and a water-resistance investigation building working-scientifically skills along the way. Each lesson runs the same structure — Arrival → Starter → I do → We do → Independent → Exit — in about 44 minutes, differentiated across three primary tiers.

#	Lesson	Learning objective	Key vocabulary
1	Friction	Know friction is a contact force between two surfaces that always opposes motion — it can help (grip, brakes) or hinder.	force, contact force, friction, motion	Open →
2	Air resistance	Know air resistance is a type of friction between air and a moving object; larger surfaces meet more air.	air resistance, friction, surface area, streamlined	Open →
3	Plan — parachute	Plan a fair test of whether parachute size affects fall time; identify independent, dependent and controlled variables.	fair test, independent, dependent, controlled	Open →
4	Investigate — parachute	Carry out the test with at least three sizes, timing in parts of a second and repeating for reliable results.	repeatability, precision, surface area	Open →
5	Evaluate — parachute	Conclude that greater surface area means more air resistance and a longer fall; evaluate and improve.	conclusion, anomalous result, evaluate	Open →
6	Plan — water resistance	Know water resistance is a type of friction; plan a comparative test of whether shape affects how fast an object sinks.	water resistance, streamlined, comparative test	Open →
7	Investigate — water resistance	Carry out the test with equal-mass shapes and conclude that streamlined shapes have less water resistance.	water resistance, streamlined, reliability	Open →
8	Explore gravity	Know gravity is a non-contact force pulling objects to Earth’s centre; distinguish mass and weight; same-size objects fall at the same rate.	gravitational force, non-contact force, mass, weight	Open →
9	Small forces, greater effects	Recognise that levers, pulleys and gears let a smaller force have a greater effect; smaller gears turn faster.	lever, pulley, gear, machine	Open →

National Curriculum coverage

Explain that unsupported objects fall towards the Earth because of the force of gravity acting between the Earth and the falling object.
Identify the effects of air resistance, water resistance and friction, that act between moving surfaces.
Recognise that some mechanisms, including levers, pulleys and gears, allow a smaller force to have a greater effect.

Working scientifically

Planning enquiries and recognising and controlling variables where necessary (L3, L6).
Taking measurements with increasing accuracy and precision, and repeat readings (L4, L7).
Recording data, reporting findings, and using results to draw conclusions and suggest improvements (L5, L7).

Vocabulary across the block

forcecontact forcefrictionmotionair resistanceparachuteindependent variabledependent variablecontrolled variablesrepeatabilityprecisionsurface areaanomalous resultwater resistancestreamlinedgravitational forceweightnon-contact forcelevergearpulleymachine

Assessment

A tiered exit ticket every lesson (Seedling / Sapling / Oak).
Interactive independent sorter self-checks understanding in the moment.
End-of-block assessment covers friction, air and water resistance, fair testing, gravity and mechanisms.

Prior learning & next steps

Builds on (Y3): forces and magnets — pushes and pulls, and how things move on surfaces. This block introduces pupils’ first formal fair and comparative tests and the language of variables.

Leads to (KS3): forces, gravity and weight, speed, and simple machines.

How each lesson is built

Every lesson is a single interactive web page: six-phase structure with on-screen timings; three tiers on the four pupil-facing tasks; a short teaching video; a self-contained animation targeting the lesson’s key misconception; TA Focus and Cold Call prompts; and a one-click print pack.

Differentiation tiers map to attainment bands: 🌱 Seedling = working towards · 🌿 Sapling = expected · 🌳 Oak = greater depth.

Friction

LO: Understand that friction is a contact force between two surfaces that always acts against the direction of motion, and that it can be useful or a nuisance.

🌱 SeedlingSorts help / hinder with support; knows friction opposes motion.

🌿 SaplingGives a place friction helps and one where it is a nuisance, with reasons.

🌳 OakExplains why brakes rely on friction yet the same force wears parts out.

Lesson structure (≈44 min)

Phase	Min	What happens
Arrival	4	Year 3 recap — forces are pushes and pulls; bridge to friction.
Starter	5	Grip or slip? Friction as a contact force that opposes motion.
I do 1	6	What friction is: contact, opposes motion, useful (video).
We do 1	6	Sort examples: friction helps or gets in the way.
I do 2	4	Which way does friction push? (animation: box slides, friction opposes).
We do 2	5	True/false on the two friction myths.
Independent	10	Friction sorter (helps / hinders / myth) + tiered write-up.
Exit	4	Three tiered questions.

Misconceptions to address“Friction only happens when surfaces move” and “friction only happens on rough surfaces” — it acts even at rest and on smooth surfaces like glass.

Resources: video Friction — Year 5 Forces; box-and-arrows animation; Friction Sorter; TA Focus; Cold Call; print pack.

Open Lesson 1 →

Air resistance

LO: Understand that air resistance is a type of friction between air and a moving object, and that its size depends on shape and surface area.

🌱 SeedlingKnows a bigger surface catches more air and falls slower.

🌿 SaplingExplains why a parachute slows a fall but a streamlined train speeds up.

🌳 OakExplains why air resistance is friction and acts in more than one direction.

Lesson structure (≈44 min)

Phase	Min	What happens
Arrival	4	Recap L1 (friction).
Starter	5	Pushing through the air; air resistance as friction with air.
I do 1	6	What air resistance is; shape & surface area; acts in any direction (video).
We do 1	6	Catch air or cut through it? Sort designs.
I do 2	4	Big surface, slow fall (animation: big vs small falling).
We do 2	5	Label the two forces on a falling parachute.
Independent	10	Air resistance sorter (more / less / myth) + tiered write-up.
Exit	4	Three tiered questions.

Misconceptions to address“Air resistance only acts when things fall” and “invisible forces do nothing” — it acts in any direction and changes speed, shape or direction.

Resources: video What is air resistance? — Year 5 Forces; big-vs-small fall animation; Air Resistance Sorter; TA Focus; Cold Call; print pack.

Open Lesson 2 →

Plan — parachute experiment

LO: Plan a fair test of whether the size of a parachute affects its fall time, identifying the independent, dependent and controlled variables.

🌱 SeedlingIdentifies what we change and what we measure.

🌿 SaplingWrites the plan: change… measure… keep the same…

🌳 OakExplains why changing one variable makes the test fair and the results trustworthy.

Lesson structure (≈44 min)

Phase	Min	What happens
Arrival	4	Recap L2 (air resistance).
Starter	5	Enquiry: does parachute size affect fall time? Gather predictions.
I do 1	6	Independent, dependent and controlled variables (video).
We do 1	6	Apply the three variable types to our parachute test.
I do 2	4	Change one, measure one, keep the rest the same (animation: variable boxes).
We do 2	5	Label items as independent / dependent / controlled.
Independent	10	Variable sorter (independent / dependent / controlled) + write the plan.
Exit	4	Tiered questions; prediction with reasoning.

Misconceptions to addressMixing up the three variable types. Keep the mantra: change one thing, measure one thing, keep the rest the same.

Resources: video Variables: independent, dependent, controlled; variable-boxes animation; Variable Sorter; TA Focus; Cold Call; print pack.

Open Lesson 3 →

Investigate — parachute experiment

LO: Carry out the parachute fair test using at least three sizes, timing in parts of a second and repeating readings for reliable results.

🌱 SeedlingRecords times with support; drops from the same height.

🌿 SaplingRecords three sizes with repeats and works out averages.

🌳 OakExplains how repeating and averaging make results reliable.

Lesson structure (≈44 min)

Phase	Min	What happens
Arrival	4	Recap L3 (the plan & variables).
Starter	5	Stopwatch practice; three sizes; same height; time in parts of a second.
I do 1	6	Run the test well; record and repeat for reliability (video).
We do 1	6	Build the results table; one clean class drop.
I do 2	4	Big canopy, slow fall (animation: big vs small parachute).
We do 2	5	Fair or spoiled? Spot what would ruin the results.
Independent	10	Reliable-results sorter (reliable / spoils / myth) + record data.
Exit	4	Tiered questions on reliability.

Misconceptions to address“It’s the wind slowing it, not air resistance”, plus stopwatch errors such as forgetting to reset to zero.

Resources: video Air resistance — Year 5 Forces; big-vs-small parachute animation; Reliable-Results Sorter; TA Focus; Cold Call; print pack.

Open Lesson 4 →

Evaluate — parachute experiment

LO: Draw a conclusion from the data — greater surface area means more air resistance and a longer fall — and suggest genuine improvements.

🌱 SeedlingStates that bigger parachutes took longer to fall.

🌿 SaplingWrites a conclusion and one way to improve the test.

🌳 OakExplains why repeating an unfair test won’t help, and how to extend it.

Lesson structure (≈44 min)

Phase	Min	What happens
Arrival	4	Recap L4 (our results).
Starter	5	Read the pattern: bigger surface → more air resistance → longer fall.
I do 1	6	Conclude from data; improve by changing a parameter, not repeating (video).
We do 1	6	Write a class conclusion sentence.
I do 2	4	See the pattern (animation: surface-area vs fall-time bar chart).
We do 2	5	Real improvement or not? Sort ideas.
Independent	10	Evaluate sorter (conclusion / improvement / not) + conclusion & improvement.
Exit	4	Tiered questions; repeating vs extending.

Misconceptions to address“Just repeat the same test to get better results” — repeating an unfair test won’t fix it; extending means changing a parameter.

Resources: video Fair tests & variables recap; surface-area bar-chart animation; Evaluate Sorter; TA Focus; Cold Call; print pack.

Open Lesson 5 →

Plan — water resistance

LO: Understand that water resistance is a type of friction, and plan a comparative test of whether an object’s shape affects how fast it sinks.

🌱 SeedlingKnows a streamlined shape has less water resistance.

🌿 SaplingWrites the plan and names the controlled variables.

🌳 OakExplains why equal-mass clay makes the shape test fair.

Lesson structure (≈44 min)

Phase	Min	What happens
Arrival	4	Recap L5 (air resistance & fair tests).
Starter	5	Moving through water; water resistance & streamlining.
I do 1	6	What water resistance is; streamlined shapes; a friction force (video).
We do 1	6	Plan the shape test; variables again; same-mass clay.
I do 2	4	Streamlined sinks faster (animation: two cylinders).
We do 2	5	Rank shapes by streamlining.
Independent	10	Streamlined sorter (streamlined / blunt / myth) + write the plan.
Exit	4	Tiered questions; predict the fastest shape.

Misconceptions to address“Water resistance only happens in water” (it acts in any liquid) and “water resistance isn’t friction” (it is).

Resources: video What is water resistance? — Year 5 Forces; streamlined-vs-blunt animation; Streamlined Sorter; TA Focus; Cold Call; print pack.

Open Lesson 6 →

Investigate — water resistance

LO: Carry out the water-resistance comparative test with equal-mass shapes and conclude that more streamlined shapes have less water resistance.

🌱 SeedlingIdentifies which shape sank fastest.

🌿 SaplingConcludes which shape had the least water resistance.

🌳 OakExplains the conclusion and suggests a way to extend the test.

Lesson structure (≈44 min)

Phase	Min	What happens
Arrival	4	Recap L6 (the water plan).
Starter	5	Set up: same clay mass, same cylinder, same water; time to the bottom.
I do 1	6	Run the water test; release, time, repeat, average (video).
We do 1	6	Record results; compare streamlined vs blunt.
I do 2	4	Shape decides the speed (animation: two shapes, same mass).
We do 2	5	Fair or spoiled? Spot what would ruin it.
Independent	10	Reliable water-test sorter (reliable / spoils / myth) + conclude.
Exit	4	Tiered questions; does water resistance need water?

Misconceptions to address“Water resistance isn’t a type of friction” and “it only happens in water” — it is friction and acts in any liquid.

Resources: video Water resistance — Year 5 Forces; two-shape sink animation; Reliable-Water-Test Sorter; TA Focus; Cold Call; print pack.

Open Lesson 7 →

Explore gravity

LO: Understand that gravity is a non-contact force pulling objects towards Earth’s centre; distinguish mass and weight; know same-size objects fall at the same rate.

🌱 SeedlingKnows gravity pulls objects towards Earth.

🌿 SaplingExplains the difference between mass and weight.

🌳 OakExplains why same-sized objects of different mass land together.

Lesson structure (≈44 min)

Phase	Min	What happens
Arrival	4	Recap L7 (resistance forces).
Starter	5	Which hits the ground first? Gravity as a non-contact force.
I do 1	6	Gravity, mass and weight; Newtons and the Newton meter (video).
We do 1	6	Measure weight in Newtons; mass vs weight.
I do 2	4	Same size, same fall (animation: two balls land together).
We do 2	5	True / myth / mass-weight sort.
Independent	10	Gravity sorter (true / myth / mass & weight) + explain mass vs weight.
Exit	4	Tiered questions; gravity on the Moon.

Misconceptions to address“Heavier objects always fall faster” and “there is no gravity on the Moon” — same-size objects fall together; the Moon’s gravity is weaker, not absent.

Resources: video What is gravity? — Year 5 Forces; equal-fall animation; Gravity Sorter; TA Focus; Cold Call; print pack.

Open Lesson 8 →

Use small forces for greater effects

LO: Recognise that mechanisms including levers, pulleys and gears allow a smaller force to have a greater effect, and that smaller gears turn faster.

🌱 SeedlingNames the three mechanisms.

🌿 SaplingGives a real example of a lever, a pulley and a gear.

🌳 OakExplains how one mechanism lets a smaller force have a greater effect.

Lesson structure (≈44 min)

Phase	Min	What happens
Arrival	4	Recap L8 (gravity, mass, weight).
Starter	5	Make the job easier; mechanisms turn a small force into a larger one.
I do 1	6	Levers, pulleys and gears; smaller gears turn faster (video).
We do 1	6	Spot the mechanism in everyday objects.
I do 2	4	Small force, big effect (animation: lever on a pivot).
We do 2	5	Lever, pulley or gear? Sort examples.
Independent	10	Mechanism sorter (lever / pulley / gear) + explain how one works.
Exit	4	Tiered questions; block review.

Misconceptions to address“Bigger gears spin faster” — it is the smaller gear with fewer teeth that turns faster.

Resources: video Simple machines — KS2; lever animation; Mechanism Sorter; TA Focus; Cold Call; print pack.

Open Lesson 9 →