Lesson Plan: Motion and Measurement of Distances

 

Class: VI Chapter: Motion and Measurement of Distances (NCERT Science Class VI – Chapter 10) Total Duration: 15 school days (40–45 min each) → every single concept is taught with exact definitions, derivations, diagrams, activities, common errors, board work, vocabulary, and assessment

PRECISE DEFINITIONS (as per NCERT + slightly elaborated for clarity)

(These exact definitions will be written by students in their notebooks with coloured borders)

  1. Motion: An object is said to be in motion if it changes its position with respect to its surroundings with the passage of time.
  2. Rest: An object is said to be at rest if it does not change its position with respect to its surroundings with the passage of time.
  3. Frame of reference / Reference point: The fixed object or surroundings** with respect to which we decide whether another object is in motion or at rest.
  4. Rectilinear motion: Motion along a straight line (also called translatory motion). Example: car moving on a straight highway.
  5. Circular motion: Motion along a circular path. Example: blades of a moving fan.
  6. Rotational motion: Motion in which an object spins about a fixed axis. Example: Earth rotating on its own axis.
  7. Periodic motion: Motion that repeats itself after a fixed interval of time. Example: motion of a simple pendulum, heartbeat.
  8. Oscillatory motion: To-and-fro motion about a mean position (special type of periodic motion). Example: swing, piston of an engine.
  9. Measurement: Finding the exact size, amount or degree of something using standard instruments and units.
  10. Standard unit: A fixed and unchanging unit accepted all over the world.
  11. SI system: International System of units (Système International d’unités).
  12. Metre (m): The SI unit of length. Defined as the distance travelled by light in vacuum in 1/299,792,458 second.
  13. Parallax error: Error in reading a scale when the eye is not placed exactly above the marking.
  14. Least count: The smallest measurement that can be accurately measured with an instrument (for ordinary ruler = 1 mm or 0.1 cm).

DAY-WISE PLAN (Ultra-Detailed)

Day 1 – Historical Development of Measurement of Distances

Board heading: How did man start measuring distances?

  • 0–10 min Hook video (2 min) → “From walking to bullet train”
  • 10–25 min Story narration + timeline on board Ancient times → Body parts (hand-span, cubit, foot, pace) Ancient India → Angul, Hasta, Danda, Yojana Ancient Egypt → Royal cubit Problem → No two kings had same forearm length → confusion in trade
  • 25–40 min Activity Each child measures the blackboard with (i) Cubit (elbow to middle finger tip) (ii) Foot (heel to big toe) (iii) Hand-span Record in table → all values different → conclusion: Non-standard units are unreliable
  • Notebook definition 1 & 2 written today Homework: Measure your study table with cubit and foot → bring values tomorrow

Day 2 – Rest and Motion are Relative

Board heading: Rest and Motion

  • 0–15 min Demonstration drama Child A sits on chair → Child B walks past → ask Child A: “Who is moving?” → B Now both walk together at same speed → ask again → “B is at rest with respect to me”
  • 15–30 min Exact definitions 1, 2, 3 written with coloured diagrams
  • 30–40 min Activity sheet → 15 pictures → tick “Motion” or “Rest” with respect to the reference point given Homework: 10 objects at home → write motion/rest w.r.t. you and w.r.t. the wall

Day 3 – Rectilinear Motion

Board heading: Types of Motion – 1

  • Definition 4**
  • Demo: Toy car on straight ruler track
  • Path traced with marker → straight line
  • Real life examples: marching soldiers, train on straight track, falling stone
  • Notebook: Draw path + 8 examples

Day 4 – Circular Motion

Board heading: Types of Motion – 2

  • Demo: Tie stone to thread → whirl it horizontally
  • Path → circle
  • Definition 5
  • Examples: moon around Earth, tip of fan blade, giant wheel
  • Difference table: Rectilinear vs Circular motion

Day 5 – Rotational Motion

Board heading: Types of Motion – 3

  • Demo: Spin a top, rotate a pencil between palms
  • Definition 6
  • Key point: Every part of the object moves in its own circle but the object spins about a fixed axis
  • Examples: Earth’s rotation, spinning wheel of bicycle

Day 6 – Periodic & Oscillatory Motion

Board heading: Types of Motion – 4 & 5

  • Simple pendulum experiment (every child makes one with thread + key)
  • Count time for 20 oscillations → calculate time period
  • Definitions 7 & 8
  • Table of examples: Periodic only (planets), Both periodic & oscillatory (pendulum, swing)

Day 7 – Revision of All Types of Motion + Grand Chart

  • Teacher draws huge 6-box chart on blackboard
  • Children copy in notebook with coloured pens
  • Oral quiz: Teacher shows 25 pictures → children shout the type

Day 8 – Need for Standard Units → Introduction to SI Units

Board heading: Standard Units of Measurement

  • Discussion: Why cubit is not used today?
  • 1790 French Academy → definition of metre
  • Present definition of metre (light-based) → definition 12
  • SI units table written: Length → metre (m) Mass → kilogram (kg) Time → second (s)
  • Conversion ladder drawn permanently on one corner of board km ←1000→ m ←100→ cm ←10→ mm

Day 9 – Sub-multiples & Multiples + Conversion Practice

  • 50 conversion sums on board (increasing difficulty)
  • Trick: “King Henry Died By Drinking Chocolate Milk” mnemonic for kilo-hecto-deca-base-deci-centi-milli

Day 10 – Correct Measurement of Length

Board heading: Rules for Accurate Measurement

  • Live demonstration of 7 common mistakes
    1. Scale not starting from 0
    2. Scale kept tilted
    3. End of object not at 0
    4. Eye not vertically above the mark (parallax error – definition 13)
    5. Bent or broken scale
    6. Reading from the side
    7. Not noting least count
  • Correct posture shown from 3 angles
  • Practical: Every child measures length of (a) pencil (b) eraser (c) textbook (d) own palm in mm and cm → record 3 trials → find average

Day 11 – Measurement of Curved Lines

  • Method 1: Thread + ruler
  • Method 2: Divider method (for maps)
  • Practical: Measure
    1. Length of your school shoe sole
    2. Outline of your palm
    3. Your smile curve
    4. Edge of a leaf
  • Record in table

Day 12 – Measuring Very Large & Very Small Distances

  • Large: 1 light-year = 9.46 × 10¹² km (only introduction)
  • Small: Thickness of paper ≈ 0.1 mm
  • Activity: How many pages in 1 cm stack? → calculate thickness of one page

Day 13 – Fun Outdoor Practical + Motion Identification

  • 50 m straight race → rectilinear
  • Circle race → circular
  • Spinning in one place → rotational
  • Swinging on swing → oscillatory
  • Children measure distances with measuring tape and identify motion

Day 14 – Project Work + Doubt Clearing

  • Project topics distributed (choose one)
    1. Motion scrapbook (15 pictures with type)
    2. Working model of pendulum clock
    3. Chart on evolution of units
    4. Survey of 10 vehicles → classify motion

Day 15 – Summative Assessment + Grand Quiz

  • Written test 40 marks Section A – Definitions (10 marks) Section B – Match, True/False (10 marks) Section C – Diagram-based (identify motion) (10 marks) Section D – Measurement practical (10 marks)
  • Prize for top 3 projects
  • Class photo with the giant motion chart

Permanent Displays in Classroom (prepare before unit starts)

  1. Giant timeline chart – Body parts → Ancient units → Metre → Present definition
  2. 2 m long wall strip marked in dm, cm, mm
  3. 6-type motion poster with real photos
  4. Parallax error poster (wrong vs correct eye position)
  5. Conversion ladder with moving arrow