Resources: 1m ruler/tape measure, weighing scales, a variety of balls of similar sizes (e.g. tennis ball, softball, hockey ball), pencils, 2 sheets of paper and a stopwatch.
Support Handout (1): An investigation sheet for the children to record their question, predictions, variables, results and conclusions, with support for recording the question and variables.
Core Handout (2): An investigation sheet for the children to record their question, predictions, variables, results and conclusions.
Stretch Handout (3): An investigation sheet for the children to record their question, predictions, a detailed section about fair testing, results and conclusions.
Challenge Handout (4): A space is provided to write a paragraph about Sir Isaac Newton, discussing his life and work.
Enquiry Approach - Comparative / fair testing
Conducting a test that controls all but one variable to answer a scientific question.
Enquiry Skill - Making predictions
Using prior knowledge to make informed suggestions on what may happen in a scientific enquiry.
Prior Learning: This unit builds on previous knowledge from the Year 3 Forces and Magnets unit.
Using the starter slides, recap the main learning from Year 3 - Forces and Magnets with the children by asking them to describe what a force is and recall any forces they can remember. Discuss whether these are contact or non-contact forces. Ask them questions about how magnetic poles interact. Address any misconceptions before moving on to ensure that the children are building upon correct subject knowledge.
Use the presentation to explore the life and work of Sir Isaac Newton. The pupils may wish to take notes to support them in completing the challenge task. The presentation explains that Newton discovered gravity, which is a fundamental force within the universe. It is the force which draws objects towards the centre of a massive celestial body, such as a planet, star or moon. They will also discuss the difference between mass and weight and apply this to an astronaut visiting the moon. The children will also begin to understand Newton’s further contributions, such as calculus and his laws of motion.
Career Film: Take a tour around Rolls-Royce SMR's Heritage Museum in Derby to find out about Osman Bawa's job. Osman works as the Integrated Management Systems Manager for Rolls-Royce SMR.
Expert Film: This is Osman Bawa. Osman works as the Integrated Management Systems Manager for Rolls-Royce SMR. Listen to Osman as he describes gravity.
Ask the children to investigate whether the mass of a ball affects the force of gravity. Use weighing scales to measure the mass of 3-5 different balls (which are roughly the same size). Drop these balls from the same height and observe how long they take to fall to the floor.
When setting up the experiment in the mission assignment, discuss the variables the children need to control, including the height from which they drop the ball, the level the ball is at and the shape and size of each ball. They should also ensure that they drop it, rather than exerting any force. The variable they will change is the ball.
Note: they should all fall at the same rate, so the children may need support in seeing this if their times are not accurate. Your class may find it challenging to observe precisely when the ball makes contact with the floor. If this is the case, you can proceed with the following options:
Ask the children to follow the prompts on the handout to firstly make a prediction and record the variables before recording the results from the investigation. Lastly, ask them to write a conclusion to the investigation question.
Challenge Task: Write a paragraph about Sir Isaac Newton to explain his life and work.
Discuss the results from the investigation. Then, take 2 sheets of paper and reiterate that these both have the same mass. Screw one up into a ball and leave one as a sheet. Drop the ball of paper and the sheet at the same time and observe what happens. The children should understand that the objects should fall at the same rate, but should observe that the ball of paper reaches the ground first. Discuss what could be the reason for this (they will learn the reason for this - air resistance - in the next session).
Rocket Thinking - Teacher Notes: A PNQ question challenges the children to think of something positive, something negative, and a question - all in response to the slide. Allow the children to explore different scenarios and what might happen if gravity were to be reduced by a third, or a half, or even by 70%. For instance, if the Earth’s gravity were to be halved, then:
Gravity is a fundamental force of nature that is responsible for the attraction between two objects with mass. This force is what keeps planets in orbit around stars, and it also plays a role in the behaviour of objects on Earth. Gravity is described mathematically by Newton's law of universal gravitation, which states that every particle in the universe attracts every other particle with a force that is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.
Isaac Newton was an English mathematician, physicist, and astronomer who is widely regarded as one of the most influential scientists of all time. He was born in 1642 in Woolsthorpe, England, and is best known for his work on gravity and the laws of motion.
In 1687, Newton published his famous work, "Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica" (often referred to simply as the "Principia"), which laid out the laws of motion and the law of universal gravitation. This work explained how objects move under the influence of forces, and it also provided a mathematical formula for calculating the strength of the force of gravity between two objects. The principles described in the "Principia" formed the foundation of modern physics and mechanics.
Newton's work on gravity was revolutionary because it explained how the same force that caused objects to fall to the ground on Earth was also responsible for the motion of the planets and other celestial bodies in the sky. This unified understanding of the laws of motion and gravity was a major breakthrough in the field of physics and led to a greater understanding of the universe as a whole.
In addition to his work on gravity, Newton made significant contributions to the fields of optics, calculus, and the laws of thermodynamics. He was also a fellow of the Royal Society and served as its president from 1703 to 1727.
Isaac Newton's life and work have had a profound impact on the world of science and technology, and his legacy continues to inspire scientists and researchers to this day.
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