Hold a soft ball still on the floor (or desk). Do not start the circuit yet. Take three or four quick ideas. Children will often say push, kick, or pick it up. Accept every idea and leave the question open: today we will find out how pushes and pulls change the way things move.

Have ready to show: one soft ball only. Keep the toy car and trolley out of sight until the short Station B and C preview in the next step.

Keep this step tight (about 5 minutes). Lead with the live ball model. Fold the words in as they appear. End with a 20–30 second gesture preview of Stations B and C only — do not re-teach the full inquiry cycle on those stations.

Worked example (model aloud with the ball — this is the load-bearing teach)

I wonder: what happens if I give this ball a gentle push?

I predict: I think it will start rolling and keep going until something stops it.

I test: give a gentle push along a clear floor lane. Let the class watch. Then place a flat hand in the path so the ball stops against it.

I observed: the push made the ball start. The hand stopped it.

I think: a push is a force that can start something moving, and another force (a push from the hand) can stop it.

Quick circuit preview (about 30–40 seconds total, teacher only): Bring out the toy car and trolley now (they stayed out of sight in Getting Started).

• Station B turn: one side push on the car along the taped bend. Say: "That force was a push. It made it turn."
• Station C slow: give the trolley a gentle push so it rolls away along the lane, then hold the handle or string from behind and pull gently backward toward yourself so it slows. Say: "That force was a pull. It made it slow down."

If time allows only: head off the misconception that things "just stop by themselves" by naming friction with the floor, and ask: if I want the ball to turn left, where should my push come from?

Before the lesson

• Clear three floor lanes or table spaces. Mark a simple bend at Station B with masking tape (a curved path is enough).
• Station A: one soft ball and a short clear lane.
• Station B: one toy car and a taped bend.
• Station C: one trolley or wheeled toy with a handle or string for a gentle pull from behind.
• Split the class into three groups. Plan three rotations of about four minutes each, including a short move between stations (about 12 minutes of station time plus moves inside the 15-minute slot).

Adult oversight (do this — peer roles are not enough alone)

You stay at Station C for the whole circuit. Station C is the highest-risk station (two children, moving trolley, pull that must oppose motion). Stations A and B run with peer Actor / Namer / Watcher roles and clear safety rules; you glance across between Station C turns, but your body stays with C.

If the room is very tight or behaviour needs closer eyes, run only Stations A and B at once while you hold Station C as a short teacher-led turn for each group as they arrive — every group still meets all three force changes.

Turn-taking and watcher roles (use at every station)

In a group of eight to ten, only one object moves at a time. Give clear roles so watching stays purposeful:

• Actor: does the push or pull (at Station C there are two actors in order).
• Namer: says the stem aloud after the move: "The force was a push/pull. It made it start / stop / turn / speed up / slow down."
• Watchers: thumbs up if they agree with the namer, or offer one better word. Teacher (at C) or group leader (at A/B) asks one watcher each turn: Was that a push or a pull? What changed?

Rotate roles every turn. Aim for each child to act at least once across the circuit; with large groups and three short rotations, not every child will act at every station. Do not invent a second desk task for watchers; the judging and naming is their job.

Station sequences

Station A (start and stop): Actor gives a gentle push so the ball rolls along the lane, then places a flat hand (or soft cushion) in the path to stop it. Namer names push + start, then push + stop. Optional second try: a stronger push and name speed up.

Station B (turn): Actor places the car at the start of the taped bend and gives a side push (or guides the front) so the car follows the curve. Namer: push + turn.

Station C (slow with a pull) — run in this order so the pull opposes motion:

1. Actor 1 stands behind the trolley and gives it a gentle push so it rolls away along the lane (or the teacher starts it once if the group needs a model).
2. Actor 2 stands behind the moving trolley (same side as the start), holds the handle or string, and applies a gentle pull backward toward themselves, against the trolley's motion, so it slows and stops without a bump.
3. Success look: trolley slows smoothly; pull is from behind against the roll; no yank, no tug-of-war, no racing, no standing in the trolley's path.
4. Namer: pull + slow down. (If they also name the first push that started it, accept both.)

Look-fors:

• Station A: a push starts the ball; a hand (or soft cushion) stops it. Bigger push = speeds up.
• Station B: a side push or a turn of the car changes direction around the bend.
• Station C: a gentle pull from behind, against the motion, slows the moving trolley.

If a group finishes early at A or B: try a softer push and a stronger push at the same station and say which went further or faster. Do not invent a second device task.

Safety: roll and push away from feet and faces; keep the lane clear; one object moving at a time per station; no racing into other groups; Station C pulls are gentle only and always from behind against the motion.

Post-circuit oral replay (about 1 minute, whole class, before journals open): stand at each station briefly and re-state the intended force and change so recording checks understanding, not crowded rotation memory.

• Station A: push to start; push (hand) to stop.
• Station B: push to turn around the bend.
• Station C: pull from behind to slow down (after a gentle start push away along the lane).

Hand out the Investigation Journal pages. Children need two clear rows only (not every station if time is tight). Accept a short word plus a simple drawing. Keep the word bank and the same stem visible on the board for the whole recording time: The force was a ___. It made it ___. (Optional fuller frame if a child needs an object slot: The force was a ___. It made the ball/car/trolley ___.)

Circulate and check that force words match what they actually did. If a child writes "the ball stopped by itself", ask them to show the stopping force with their hand and add it.

Differentiation: emerging writers draw the station and tick push/pull and start/stop/turn/speed up/slow down from the board word bank. Confident writers add one extra note (gentle push or strong push).

Display-only science talk. No typing. Gather the class on the carpet or at desks facing the board.

Focus question: where do pushes and pulls change motion in playground games and PE?

Ideas to draw out: the push that starts a football pass on the yard; kicking or throwing a ball (push to start); catching or trapping a ball (force to stop); turning a scooter or bike handlebars; pulling a coat zip up after break; pulling a friend up in a tug game (safely named, not played here); slowing down before a wall; a push on a swing.

STEM eyes: forces are not only in science lessons. They are in every game on the yard.

Revoice pupil language into the lesson words: push, pull, start, stop, turn, speed up, slow down.