Best for
Junior and middle-years science, push/pull concept building, and introductory physics where students need clear language and diagrams.
Science • Years 3-6 • Physical science
Forces and Motion
Use this handout to help ākonga identify pushes and pulls, draw force arrows, and explain why an object starts moving, slows down, stops, or changes direction.
Free force-language scaffold, premium investigation path
This handout already includes the concept cards, arrow task, and explanation prompts. Te Wānanga can rebuild it around your own practical investigation, local sport context, or mixed-readiness class.
- Swap in local examples such as waka movement, rugby kicks, or playground equipment.
- Create a picture-heavy support version or a more advanced extension version.
- Save the adapted task in My Kete and reopen it in Creation Studio later.
Kaiako planning snapshot
- Use length: 30-45 minutes.
- Grouping: Whole-class model first, then pairs and independent drawing.
- Prep: Optional everyday objects for push/pull demonstrations.
- Teaching move: Keep the language visible: push, pull, friction, balanced, unbalanced, direction.
Resources already provided
- Force-type summary
- Balanced/unbalanced examples
- Force-arrow task
- Short explanation prompts
- Teacher-only curriculum companion
The key diagrams and writing spaces are already on the page, so this can be used as the main student sheet.
Ngā Whāinga Akoranga / Learning Intentions
- We are learning that a force is a push or a pull.
- We are learning how forces affect movement.
- We are learning to explain balanced and unbalanced forces.
Paearu Angitu / Success Criteria
- I can identify at least two different forces.
- I can show a force with an arrow and a label.
- I can explain what happens when forces are balanced or unbalanced.
Curriculum integration / Te Mātaiaho alignment
Use the companion page to connect this handout to observable physical change, explanation, and practical investigation. Its value is in giving students language they can carry into experiments.
Forces in everyday Aotearoa life
Forces are easiest to understand when students can see them in real life: kicking a ball, paddling a waka, pushing a trolley, using a scooter, or watching an object slow down because of friction.
Strong teaching keeps the examples local and visible so students are not memorising terms without understanding what the terms describe.
A light mātauranga Māori lens fits naturally here through local waka movement, observation of surfaces, and the language of careful noticing rather than abstract textbook-only examples.
Common forces
Applied force
When you push or pull something.
Gravity
The pull that brings objects toward Earth.
Friction
A force that resists movement between surfaces.
Balanced or unbalanced?
| Situation | Balanced or unbalanced? | What happens to the object? |
|---|---|---|
| A book sits still on a table. | ||
| A ball is kicked and starts moving fast. | ||
| A scooter slows down on rough ground. |
Draw the force arrows
Choose one moving object. Draw it and add arrows to show the main forces acting on it. Label each arrow.
Support, core, stretch
Support
Use the sentence frame: “The object moved because...”
Core
Complete the table and label at least two force arrows correctly.
Stretch
Explain how friction changes movement and when it is helpful instead of annoying.
Students may show understanding through diagrams, arrows, oral explanation, or short written sentences depending on readiness.
Hononga Marautanga · Curriculum Alignment
Science — Pūtaiao
Level 3–4: Investigate how living and physical systems work; understand relationships between organisms and their environments; collect, interpret, and evaluate scientific evidence to explain natural phenomena.
Social Sciences — Tikanga ā-Iwi
Level 3–4: Understand how human activity affects natural environments; explore the connection between ecological health and community wellbeing; recognise the role of cultural knowledge in environmental decision-making.
Aronga Mātauranga Māori
Mātauranga Māori is a sophisticated knowledge system built through centuries of careful observation, hypothesis, testing, and refinement — the same processes that define scientific inquiry. Māori knowledge of ecology, weather patterns, seasonal change, and animal behaviour guided sustainable resource management for generations before Western science arrived in Aotearoa. Understanding science through a dual-knowledge lens — bringing mātauranga Māori and Western science into dialogue rather than hierarchy — produces richer, more contextually grounded understanding. The concept of kaitiakitanga reminds us that scientific knowledge carries obligations: understanding how natural systems work means accepting responsibility for how we treat them.
Tuhia ōu whakaaro · Write Your Thoughts
Reflect on what you have learned today. What was the most important idea? What question do you still have?
Ngā Rauemi Tautoko · Support Materials
This handout is designed to be used alongside the broader unit resources available at Te Kete Ako handouts library. Related resources from the same unit are linked in the unit planner. All resources are provided — no additional preparation is required to use this handout in your classroom.