Forces can be exerted by one object on another through direct contact or from a distance

This sample assessment investigates friction in a rolling toy car.

The resource was developed by QCAA - students conduct an investigation into the effect of friction on the distance a toy car travels after rolling down a slope.

The resource includes detailed background information about the science concepts, student worksheet, continua model of task-specific standards  for A-E assessment, suggestions for student feedback and links to the Australian Curriculum.

New Australian Curriculum 9 Codes: AC9S4U03 (Year 4)

This Connected Learning Experience helps teach about non-contact forces.

The resource is an ASSIST Connected Learning Experience (CLE) designed to help teach Year 4s about non-contact forces.

Description: In this investigation, non-contact forces are investigated in the context of magnetism and electrostatic electricity to show that some forces can move objects without directly touching them.

Learning intentions

Students will be able to:

This online resource explores the science involved in dams.

The resource examines the forces involved and includes background information, student worksheets and step-by-step instructions to help students build model dams.

New Australian Curriculum 9 Codes: AC9S4U03 (Year 4)

This resource discusses student misconceptions about friction.

The resource provides teaching strategies for teaching about friction as a contact force. It also includes critical teaching ideas and research about student alternative conceptions.

Critical teaching ideas covered:

This online resource is about teaching non-contact forces.

The resource provides teaching strategies for teaching about non-contact forces such as gravity, magnetism and electrostatic attraction.

It includes a discussion of student misconceptions and how they compare with the scientific view, as well as activities to complete with your class.

Critical teaching ideas covered.

This online resource introduces magnetism as a non-contact force.

The resource provides strategies for teaching younger students and discusses everyday experiences of students and how they compare to scientific knowledge, and provides activities to complete with your class.

Magnets pull or push on objects without touching them. The underpinning science concepts include:

This downloadable resource is a student quiz on magnets.

The quiz reviews the following aspects of magnetism: the forces between magnetic poles, magnetic fields, compasses, which metals are magnetic, electromagnets.

The answers are available as a separate download.

New Australian Curriculum 9 Codes: AC9S4U03 (Year 4)

These downloadable resources explore contact and non-contact forces.

The resources are MS Word documents that detail investigations to help younger students explore non-contact forces (e.g., magnetism and gravity) and contact forces (e.g., friction and air resistance).

These forces are investigated through three activities: balloon rockets, magnet strength, and a rolling car.

The documents also include support materials and the appropriate links to the Australian Curriculum: Science.

New Australian Curriculum 9 Codes: AC9S4U03 (Year 4)

This unit of work introduces the concepts of forces.

Students investigate those forces that act at a distance and those that act due to direct contact.

Forces explored include pushes, pulls, friction, gravity and magnetism.

Students also use a fair test investigation to show how different-sized forces affect the movement of objects.

New Australian Curriculum 9 Codes: AC9S4U03 (Year 4), AC9S7U04 (Year 7)