Resource 2: Some prompts for brainstorming forces and motion

Table R2.1 Brainstorming on ‘forces and motion’.
Learning outcome Prompt Comment
Finding out what your students already know about forces and motion ‘Forces and motion’ Encourage your students to think about what they learnt at elementary school.
Thinking deeply about a particular issue

‘What would the world be like if there was no friction?’

‘Imagine a rolling ball. Think of all the ways to stop it.’

This will really test their imaginations and make them think about the consequences of friction.

This will help students to understand that forces are required to make things move or to stop things from moving.
Making connections between different topics and subjects ‘Energy’ Students will have come across the word ‘energy’ in many different contexts. This will help them to draw together what they have learnt in Physics (energy transfer), Chemistry (how to generate energy) and Biology (how living things get their energy).
Relating science to everyday life

‘What levers have you used today?’

‘How do forces help us in our daily lives?’

A photograph of a children’s playground, or a building site with crowbars and pulleys

These prompts will help students to understand that science is all around them and not just in a science classroom.

Remember that images and pictures can also be used as prompts.

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