This document is part of a science learning module about balanced and unbalanced forces. It provides instructions and content to help students understand forces and how they affect motion. The document guides students through stages of reviewing what they already know about forces, identifying what they still need to learn, addressing any gaps in their knowledge through explanatory examples and questions, and checking their understanding with review questions and tasks.

1. Balanced & unbalanced
© Mastery Science, 2022

2. What’s the
problem?
Engage

3. © Mastery Science, 2018
Balanced & unbalanced: Activate © Mastery Science, 2022
Imagine dropping this slinky.
What do you think happens next?
ENGAGE
Find out!
A: Top
falls first
B: Bottom
falls first
C: Both ends
fall together
D: Ends
meet in the
middle

4. © Mastery Science, 2018
Balanced & unbalanced: Activate © Mastery Science, 2022
The bottom of the slinky
appears to hang in mid-air for
nearly a second before falling.
Your challenge is to explain
why.
ENGAGE
Why does the bottom of a slinky defy gravity?

5. In this stage, you will:
Review the idea that forces change
how things move
Be aware of what you don’t know
and how best to learn it
© Mastery Science, 2018
Balanced & unbalanced: Activate © Mastery Science, 2022
KNOW
LEARN

6. What do I know
already?
Check

7. Check your
understanding
Forces change how things move.
They can cause an object to change speed, direction
and shape.
Click to
view sheet
© Mastery Science, 2018
Balanced & unbalanced: Activate © Mastery Science, 2022
CHEC
K

8. Can I fill my
knowledge gaps?
Explain

9. A rocket starts to take off.
How do we show forces?
A force is something a
moving object has.
WRONG!
Click
A force is something that
acts on an object to move it.
RIGHT!
It takes a force to change the rocket’s
speed.
A force can make an object speed up.
EXPLAI
N

10. A parachute opens and a car slows down.
Where does the force come from?
This change in motion requires a force.
A force can make an object slow down.
EXPLAI
N

11. A force pushes a toy boat.
What happens if the force is larger?
A force can change an object’s direction.
The boat changes
direction.
EXPLAI
N

12. A push force on top of a spring
changes its shape.
What happens if the force is larger?
A force can change an object’s shape.
EXPLAI
N

13. Do I understand?
Explain

14. Read Understanding Science
p28-29
Answer the review questions
EXPLAIN

15. Check your understanding
Balanced & unbalanced: Activate © Mastery Science, 2022
Stretch tasks
SS1
How well I understand:
Draw an arrow on the diagram to
show the force that makes the
rocket move.
The parachute behind the
car opens. A force slows the
car down.
1 2
3 4
1. In air hockey the puck moves across the table
without slowing down.
Imagine an air hockey table 100 m long. What will
happen to the puck after you hit it?
A It will get slower and stop
B It will travel across the whole table
C It will start to speed up
Explain your choice.
2. Rosie drops a chocolate
ball down a tube. She
blows upwards on the ball.
It does not move.
Why not?
A rocket takes off.
Which way does the force act
- A or B?
A B
A toy boat floats on the water.
A force acts in the direction
shown.
Sketch the position of the boat a
moment later.
This spring changed shape.
Draw an arrow to show the force
that changed its shape.