Newton's First Law
Forces and Motion

Things you'll need to decide on as you plan: Predicting Constant Speed

Teaching Guidance for 11-14 Supporting Physics Teaching

Bringing together two sets of constraints

Focusing on the learners:

Distinguishing–eliciting–connecting. How to:

  • draw on what pupils have learned about drawing arrows to represent forces
  • reactivate their knowledge about resultant forces and natural motions

Teacher Tip: These are all related to findings about children's ideas from research. The teaching activities will provide some suggestions. So will colleagues, near and far.

Focusing on the physics:

Representing–noticing–recording. How to:

  • separate arrows representing force from arrows representing movement
  • develop a good exposition of terminal speed
  • describe situations where the resultant force is equal to 0

Teacher Tip: Connecting what is experienced with what is written and drawn is essential to making sense of the connections between the theoretical world of physics and the lived-in world of the children. Don't forget to exemplify this action.

Newton's First Law
formalises Inertia
includes the quantity Force
IOP AWARDS 2025

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