Science · Year 1

Active learning ideas

Speed of Movement: Fast and Slow

Active movement experiments let children feel force and friction firsthand instead of hearing abstract rules. When students push cars down ramps and feel surfaces, neural connections for speed and resistance form faster than from a textbook alone.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9S1U04

• 20–35 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Plan-Do-Review
• 35 min · Small Groups

Ramp Races: Surface Comparison

Build identical ramps using cardboard and books. Place toy cars at the top and release them on different surfaces taped to the ramp (carpet, foil, sandpaper). Groups time each run with a stopwatch or count 'one-Mississippi' aloud, then compare results on a class chart.

Compare the speed of a rolling toy car on different surfaces.

Facilitation Tip

During Ramp Races, set identical ramps side by side so groups can compare tile, carpet, and sandpaper in one glance.

What to look for

Give each student a card with pictures of a toy car on carpet, tile, and sandpaper. Ask them to draw an arrow showing the direction the car would move and write 'fast' or 'slow' underneath each picture, explaining why.

• Remember
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making
• Self-Awareness

Activity 02

• Plan-Do-Review
• 25 min · Whole Class

Prediction Challenge: Toy Car Derby

Line up toy cars of different sizes or wheels at a start line. Students predict and record which reaches the finish first over 2 meters. Race them with a gentle push, discuss surprises, and re-race to test consistency.

Explain what makes an object move faster or slower.

Facilitation Tip

In the Prediction Challenge, ask children to sketch their fastest car on a mini whiteboard before racing so reasoning stays visible.

What to look for

During a ramp race activity, ask students: 'Which surface do you predict will make the car go fastest? Why?' Observe student responses and listen for their reasoning about surface texture.

• Remember
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making
• Self-Awareness

Activity 03

• Plan-Do-Review
• 30 min · Pairs

Friction Hunt: Classroom Surfaces

Select classroom items like rulers or books as ramps. Pairs roll marbles or cars down each, timing over a fixed distance. Note fast versus slow surfaces and sort them into 'fast' and 'slow' categories with drawings.

Predict which object will reach the finish line first in a race.

Facilitation Tip

For the Friction Hunt, tape small squares of each surface to desks so students can feel texture differences before timing runs.

What to look for

After testing toy cars on different surfaces, ask the class: 'Imagine you are pushing a toy boat in a bathtub. Would it move faster on the smooth plastic bottom or on a bumpy rubber mat? Explain your answer using the words 'fast,' 'slow,' and 'surface.'

• Remember
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making
• Self-Awareness

Activity 04

• Plan-Do-Review
• 20 min · Pairs

Push Power: Varying Force

Use a single ramp setup. Students push toy cars lightly, medium, and hard, timing each over the distance. Chart results to see how push strength changes speed, keeping surface constant for fair comparison.

Compare the speed of a rolling toy car on different surfaces.

Facilitation Tip

Have partners count aloud to three before releasing the car in Push Power to standardize the push force across trials.

What to look for

Give each student a card with pictures of a toy car on carpet, tile, and sandpaper. Ask them to draw an arrow showing the direction the car would move and write 'fast' or 'slow' underneath each picture, explaining why.

• Remember
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making
• Self-Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Start with a quick warm-up: ask children to mime moving fast and slow around the room. Then model how to hold the car, count the push, and watch the finish line. Avoid telling them the answer; instead, prompt them to notice which surface lets the car travel farther in the same time. Research shows prediction followed by evidence corrects misconceptions more reliably than explanation alone.

Children will confidently link surface texture to speed and use words like faster, slower, and friction when describing trials. They will suggest fair tests by adjusting one variable and keeping others the same.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Prediction Challenge: Toy Car Derby, watch for students who think a larger or heavier car will automatically win the race.

  Hand each group three cars of different sizes and ask them to rank which will finish first before racing. After the derby, have groups present their evidence and adjust their rankings, tying size to friction rather than weight alone.

• During Push Power: Varying Force, watch for students who believe speed will always stay the same on one surface.

  Ask partners to repeat the same push three times while a third student times each run. Then have them average the times and compare them to the first trial, highlighting small variations and the need for multiple tests.

• During Friction Hunt: Classroom Surfaces, watch for students who assume all smooth surfaces will make the car go equally fast.

  Provide squares of tile, foil, and polished wood and ask students to feel each surface before racing. After trials, have them sort the squares into fast-slow piles and discuss subtle texture differences that affect speed.

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Methods used in this brief

• Plan-Do-Review