LO: To know the names of the planets in order from the sun. We use this in year 5. It is suitable as a stand-alone or cover activity, Pupils write and illustrate a mnemonic to help them remember the names of the planets in our solar system.

This is an investigation into how changing the area of the canopy changes the speed that a parachute falls. I have used this with year 5 pupils. When I did this I assessed the plan. The work is in three parts, the plan, the experiment and the conclusion.

LO: To be able to describe the properties of the materials in a trainer. This is a stand-alone/ cover lesson suitable for year 5 pupils. It links to the KS materials work. Pupils must design a trainer, say which materials they have used and give reasons for their choices. It contains a link to an online resource about designing trainers.

This is a lesson that I have used with year 5 pupils. It described gravity as a force that pulls everything towards the centre of the Earth and tells the story of how Sir Isaac Newton developed the laws of gravity.

I have used this resource with year 5 pupils to investigate which surfaces give the most friction when a shoe is pulled across them. I usually use the desk, a chain, the classroom floor (mine doesn’t have carpet), a rug and (if the weather is good) the playground and grass. The method describes using a newton metre but you could use an elastic band instead and measure how much it stretches. (If you are doing this be careful that the band doesn’t snap and ping into a child’s eyes.) There are two parts to this, the experiment and the write up.

This is a lesson about the dangers of binge drinking. After a discussion of the facts pupils have to respond to a problem page letter from a binge drinking teen. This is suitable to be used as a cover lesson.

LO: To be able to communicate clearly in science. We use this in year 5 (middle school) after pupils have had their first Bunsen Burner lesson. It would be suitable for year 7 in secondary schools.

LO: To know what makes up a balanced diet & to be able to explain what a balanced diet is. In this lesson children learn/ revise what a balanced diet is and the names of the food groups. They then have to design a school dinner menu that is “balanced”. In part 2 of the lesson they write up their menu idea in best. This is suitable as a stand alone or cover lesson. We use it with year 6.

I have used this resource with year 5 pupils. It explains what friction is and encourages pupils to discuss some examples of friction in action. Pupils produce a poster to show these examples. There is an example of the work and an extension to consider how we reduce friction using a lubricant. This lesson works well as a cover task or as home learning.

LO: To be able to give some examples of when friction is useful and when it is not. This is a 2 part activity to design and play a game about friction. We use this a stand alone cover activity,

This is a lesson that I have used with year 5 pupils to help them understand the difference between mass and weight. When I teach it I use myself as the example in the “how much does and average woman weigh?” question but I have changed it for a stock picture here. Pupils will need to use bathroom scales to find their mass and then calculate their weight on earth, in space and on the moon. There is an option to use “Bob’s” mass if they prefer.

This is lesson about forces that I have used with year 5 pupils. In this lesson pupils are introduced to the idea that forces can be balanced or unbalanced and that we can use arrows to show these forces. Newton’s laws of motion are introduced as an extension but this is not KS2 content. The trad version of the Power Point has more text than the LD version but they both support the same level of learning.

This is an introductory lesson about forces that I have used with year 5 pupils. It asks pupils to think of times that they have pushed/ pulled things and make a tally. They then think of some synonyms for push/ pull and make a poster to show there examples. The trad version of the Power Point has more text than the LD version but they both support the same level of learning.

I have used this resource to investigate how model seeds (or helicopters fall). The pupils are guided through planning the investigation which they then carry out and write it up. To make the seeds you will need paper (to be cut into strips of varying width) and paper clips. To carry out the experiment you will also need a stopwatch.

LO: To be able to describe the different properties of materials. This is a stand-alone lesson which links to KS 2 work about materials. We use it as a cover lesson. The pupils have to design a futuristic building, say which materials they have used and give reasons why they used them.

This is a 3 or 4 lesson activity where the pupils design a game about an animal. At the end the pupils play each other’s games and evaluate them. Each lesson has a separate starter activity.