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Rugby forces
Type: Activity
Learning Strategy: Modelling
Topic: Forces
This activity brings the excitement of the World Cup into the classroom. Students look at pictures of scrums, tackles, line outs and so on, and decide where the forces are acting. They then colour in players and arrows to illustrate the forces' directions and magnitudes. This activity is particularly appropriate for lower ability year 7 students.
Published: 27th September 2007
Reviews & Comments: 16
Learning objectives
Students will:
• Identify the directions of forces in balanced and unbalanced force pairs
Try the activity
- rugby forces teachers notes
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Curriculum link
11-14 (KS3) Forces and their effects (QCA module 7K)• Recognise that forces have both magnitude and direction
• Describe situations in which forces are balanced and unbalanced
• Described how unbalanced forces affect the direction and speed of a moving object
Running the activity
Display page 1 to introduce the activity. You might like to show a few minutes of World Cup action, too.
If running the activity as a short starter, give each pair of students one picture cut from page 2. Tell them to decide who or what is doing the pushing or pulling in their picture, and to colour in that part of the picture. They then colour the appropriate arrow in the same colour. Share findings through class discussion or by creating a display.
If running this as a main activity, give each student or pair a copy of page 2. Tell students to discuss and colour in all 6 pictures, as described in the instructions at the top of the page. Then get students to cut up page 2 and categorise the pictures: those with balanced forces and those with unbalanced forces.
In discussion, you might like to ask students whether anyone is getting squashed, speeding up or slowing down, or changing direction in each picture. This activity is also a good opportunity to challenge a common misconception by emphasizing that forces is associated with a change in motion rather than simply motion or the direction of motion.
If you violently disagree with the direction of any of the arrows on page 2, please write a comment for this activity on the web site, and we'll amend in the light of a general consensus…both forces and rugby excite great controversy!
Web links
News links
- BBC sprort
- Useful pictures and reports from the rugby world cup
- scrum
- See this site for a good selection of photos
Reviews & Comments
Write your online review to share your feedback and classroom tips with other teachers. How well does it work, how engaging is it, how did you use it, and how could it be improved?
Help!
Mar 17th, 2013
Really want to use this activity next week but for some reason the activity itself will not open/download :(. I am logged in, anyone got any ideas?
Thank you!
Reviewer: Sara Skellorn
rugby forces
Feb 1st, 2012
Very popular especially when timed with the international rugby tournament
Reviewer: graham, singleton
excellent resources fro class homework projects
Mar 24th, 2011
Reviewer: KAREN LEWIS
Forces
Sep 28th, 2010
This is a great activity to engage students in forces and get them to think about the science in a context that relates to everyday life (walking, running, jumping). Any student finds the task interesting and engages with the science and is differentiated by student ability to explain the science involved.
Reviewer: Tracey Holmes
forces
Jul 25th, 2010
Works very well to extend pupils understanding beyond the standard force diagrams of moving cars etc. Lower abilities are happy to just do some colouring!
Reviewer: Philip Dovell
Physics
Jun 8th, 2010
very infromative and systematic! It enlightened me how a complete learning materials should be. Thank you!
Reviewer: Caleb LO
Rugby forces review
Sep 21st, 2009
a really good resource tool for the students but, I had to simplify bits of it for my students - worked well as I could link it into the PE sessions (cross curricular - always a bonus with the SMT)
Reviewer: william wakeman
forces
Nov 23rd, 2008
Reviewer: amma nkansah
science
Sep 30th, 2008
It was an excellent activity. really clicked with yr 8. they enjoyed doing it
Reviewer: viji varghese
Rugby Forces
Jul 13th, 2008
Good basic set of drawing that shoe forces in an understandable way. Used a clip from Rugby World cup to introduce the activity. Used with year 7 Level 3/4 as a review, assessment for learning activity.
Reviewer: Tim Kilbey
science forces
Jun 6th, 2008
An excellent resouces to teach about forces
Reviewer: fidelis mugova
Rugby
Jun 5th, 2008
Fitted in well last term as the boys were doing rugby for games. Used as a cross-currricular activity
Reviewer: Helen McNeoll
Rugby forces review
May 22nd, 2008
my low ability year 7's enjoyed this, but did find
it difficult, and a lot of guidance was needed.
Great starter activity though! thanks!
Reviewer: CLARE MALTBY-WEHNER
Rugby forces review
May 10th, 2008
Worked really well with a mixed ability year 7 group, especially we could act out some of the pictures and they could see what was happening
Reviewer: eve hallinan
Rugby Forces
Oct 15th, 2007
Top set Y7 found this a very entertaining way to reflect on how forces are used in sport. This activity lent itself well to differentiate the top students from the middle ability students as they were able to consider other forces. Also I included video footage of scrums, line outs, rucks and mauls to add extra interest at the beginning of the lesson.
Reviewer: Iain Hickman
rugby forces
Oct 12th, 2007
very engaging for the lower ability yr 9s as a revision aid. you can extend this for the higher ability students by making them design similar pictures of other sports
Reviewer: debra johnson
200 lessons and assessments from as little as £4.95
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