Year 6 teacher Zoe Lowe teaches her class' first science lesson. She looks at mass, weight and gravity, using balls to represent the Earth and Moon, and a plush doll, Astrobear, to represent a living creature.
She begins with gravity, using teaching aids to provide a visual representation of their understanding and also their misconceptions.
Through a paired talk exercise, the pupils begin to understand that gravity is a force. Zoe introduces the term "gravitational pull" and refers back to Year 5 work.
She distinguishes between the everyday and scientific usages of the word weight, using the visual aids, and illustrates how gravitational pull affects weight.
Once the children have listed the key vocabulary for the lesson, a practical session with newtonmeters follows.
Key points:
- Distinguishing between weight and gravity
- Using newtonmeters
