JLA

JLA students have been busy thinking and working like scientists as they explored the exciting world of forces through hands-on investigations. 

Students discovered that a force is a push or a pull that can make an object move, stop, speed up, slow down or even change shape. 

They investigated different types of forces and learnt that some forces require objects to touch (contact forces), while others can act from a distance (field forces). 

As part of our learning, students explored Newton's Three Laws of Motion. They also investigated how heavier objects require more force to move and observed that every action has an equal and opposite reaction through activities such as balloon rockets. 

JLA scientists used scientific vocabulary including force, motion, inertia, mass, push, pull, action, reaction, prediction and observation to explain their learning. 

Students explored the connection between forces and sound. By pushing and pulling, they discovered that sound is created when objects vibrate, sending sound waves through the air to our ears.  

One of our favourite investigations involved exploring inclined planes (ramps). Students tested how changing the height and steepness of a ramp affected the way objects moved. They observed that steeper ramps allowed objects to travel faster and further, helping them understand how inclined planes make moving objects easier by changing the amount of force needed.