In teams, students will undertake a walk around the school, moving a package across different terrains.

Before the walk

Explain to students that they are going to be responsible for taking a package for a ‘walk’ around the school without lifting it—the package must always remain in contact with the ground.

Look at the assortment of boxes that teams will be using as their package and brainstorm/describe the types of items that could go into it. For example, books might be heavy, something glass (such as a vase) might be fragile, or a pot plant might need to stay upright to avoid spilling the soil.

Next ask students for suggestions about how they might be able to move the package while keeping contact with the ground. If necessary, show students the rope/string they will connect to the package in order to facilitate its movement. Ask students to identify the type of movement they will need to move the packages—either pulling the package using the attached string/rope or pushing it with their hands, prompting them to distinguish between and define a push and pull movement as required.

Discuss what students might have to take into account when moving the package, depending on the type of box and the contents they select. For example, if the contents are fragile, what might happen if they move the package across a very bumpy surface? Or, if it is heavy, what might happen if they attempt to pull it up a steep hill?

In teams, provide time for students to select a box, its contents, and attach a string or rope to it in a manner they deem secure. Monitor this to ensure that students do not put anything too heavy in their boxes, and that the string is strong enough not to break.

Map out a route through the school grounds so that the package travels across as many different terrains as possible, such as up and down slopes, ramps and stairs, across grass, sand, dirt, rocks or uneven areas, carpet, floorboards, or around corners, bends, high traffic areas etc.

During the walk

Teams undertake their walk, stopping periodically to observe and record the movement of the object on different surfaces and terrains. They might make these observations as notes and diagrams in the science journals, or by taking photos and videos.

Provide the level of supervision on this walk that is required by your students and school environment.

Remind students that they are taking their boxes for a walk around the school, and that moving in another way, like running, will affect the validity of their scientific observations and ability to fairly and accurately compare their experiences to others.

If you have students in your class who use mobility aids, they can make observations about how different surfaces/terrains affect the use of these aids.

After the walk

Upon completing the walk, allow students the opportunity to assess their box and its contents for any damage and record their observations.

Teams share their experiences and reasoning with the class.

Construct and record a shared definition of the terms ‘push’ and ‘pull’ in the class science journal. Refer to the following definitions as required:

• A push: applying a force away from you or in a direction that moves something away.
• A pull: applying a force toward you or in a direction that draws something closer.

Introduce the term ‘force’ if required: a push or a pull between objects that changes their speed, direction, or shape.

Optional: Record these words for the class word wall or glossary.

Demonstrate, or have students enact, some simple push or pull interactions between objects, predicting what they think will happen, and then describing what happens and comparing it to predictions.

Support students to expand their push and pull definitions to state explicitly that for an object to move, speed up, slow down, change direction or change shape, a stronger/larger push or pull force from another object must be involved.

Ask the students if they can identify any of the forces acting on their packages as they moved them around the school. You might do this through discussion, drawing a shared diagram of a package in the class science journal, and labelling it, or students might draw individual labelled diagrams in their science journals.

Note: At this point, students may begin to talk about gravity “keeping the object on the ground”, or the force of friction making the box more difficult to pull/slowing it down on certain surfaces. This is not essential knowledge at this point, as it has not appeared yet in the curriculum, but it is worth taking note if students mention these ideas. These terms should not be introduced if students do not offer them.

Explain that over the course of this sequence, we are going to attempt to answer questions about how things move through a series of investigations and observations.

Record what students Think they know and what they Want to know about forces etc. in the T and W sections of a class TWLH chart.

As part of your preparation for this sequence, you may have selected a specific local area for students to focus on during the Act phase, where they will design an accessibility solution that provides easy access for people and/or objects across a specific terrain. See the Preparing for this sequence tab in the sequence overview for more details.

Introduce this context now through the following discussion.

Use the Moving around Resource sheet to facilitate a discussion with students about their experiences with forces, to introduce and elicit their thinking about new contexts that link to the Act phase. This resource sheet can be modified to suit your students and context. See the embedded professional learning Adapting to your context for further details on the changes you might make.

As you look at each image, make observations about what students notice and the differences between the two images, where needed:

• An empty shopping trolley and a full one, with the prompt Which would you rather push in a trolley race and why?
• A beach, where dry soft sand, wet sand and breaking waves can all be seen, with the prompt Which would be the easiest part of this beach to walk/run on and why?
• A dry field and a muddy field, with the prompt Which ground surface would it be easier to play soccer on and why?
• A concrete path surrounded by grass, with the prompt On which surface would it be easier to roll a scooter or wheelchair, or push a pram? Why?

Identify for/with students (as is appropriate for your context) what accessibility challenges exist for people in the world. For example:

• some people use wheelchairs or scooters permanently or semi-permanently.
• people with prams can find it challenging to get around.
• people with injuries might use crutches or knee scooters to keep weight off an injured leg.
• older people sometimes can’t move as quickly and easily as other people, or use walking frames for support.

Pose the questions:

• Why is it more challenging for some people to access beautiful landscapes of Australia (and the world more broadly) than others?
• How can weather make accessibility more challenging?

Ask students to identify features in the school that might make it easier for people with accessibility challenges to move around the school.

Next, discuss the broader local community and its accessibility features. Ask students to think about a friend or family member who might find outdoor areas less accessible.

If relevant, introduce the place/s in the school or local area that you have selected for students to focus their accessibility solution designs for, and identify the potential problems with accessing that place, particularly in different weather conditions.

If you are allowing students to select their own location, identify locations that people might have difficulty accessing, and explore why they might have those difficulties.

Explain to students that during the sequence, they will be learning about forces so that they might design an accessibility solution that would make it easier for people—perhaps their family member or friend—to access that place.

Describe how students will need to draw on their scientific knowledge in other areas, considering such things as the materials objects are made from, any animal or plant habitats present in the area, and what the terrain itself is like.

Record any of the students’ initial ideas of people who might like to access the identified location, and what their accessibility issue might be. For example:

• a person in a wheelchair accessing the shoreline at the beach.
• a mother with a pram who has to travel through a park after it has been raining heavily.
• an older person who wants to access their grandchildren's tree-house for an afternoon tea party.

Reflect on the lesson

You might:

• begin a class word wall or glossary related to forces and motion.
• add further questions to the TWLH chart.
• make note of any questions students have about the design challenge.