Year 10 Science – Term 4 (WA Curriculum): Motion, Forces and Energy

What this unit covers

In Term 4, Year 10 Science in the WA Curriculum centres on the unit “Motion, Forces and Energy”.

Students explore motion, forces and energy through practical investigations, applying Newton's laws and conservation of energy principles while developing scientific inquiry skills.

Lesson sequence (30 lessons)

The unit breaks down into the following lesson-by-lesson sequence — each title below is a teachable lesson, in order:

1. Distinguishing Between Distance and Displacement Using Vector Diagrams
2. Calculating Speed, Velocity and Acceleration from Motion Data
3. Investigating Scalar and Vector Quantities in Motion
4. Analysing Motion Using Vector Representations
5. Planning Investigations into Motion and Safety Devices
6. Exploring Newton's First Law of Motion in Everyday Situations
7. Investigating Newton's Second Law: Force, Mass and Acceleration
8. Applying Newton's Third Law to Sports and Movement
9. Testing Relationships Between Force and Motion Variables
10. Analysing Safety Devices Using Newton's Laws of Motion
11. Understanding Work and Energy Transfer in Physical Systems
12. Calculating Gravitational Potential Energy in Real Contexts
13. Investigating Kinetic Energy and Its Applications
14. Applying Conservation of Energy to Analyse System Efficiency
15. Creating Sankey Diagrams to Model Energy Transfers
16. Designing Fair Test Investigations for Motion Studies
17. Developing Risk Assessments for Physics Practical Work
18. Controlling Variables and Errors in Motion Experiments
19. Using Digital Motion Sensors to Collect Precise Data
20. Recording and Organising Motion Data in Appropriate Formats
21. Constructing Graphs to Represent Motion and Force Data
22. Processing Data Using Physics Calculations and Statistics
23. Analysing Patterns and Relationships in Motion Data
24. Drawing Evidence-Based Conclusions from Physics Investigations
25. Evaluating Data Quality and Identifying Sources of Error
26. Constructing Arguments Using Physics Evidence and Reasoning
27. Communicating Physics Findings Through Scientific Reports
28. Exploring How Computer Technology Advances Physics Research
29. Examining Historical Contributions to Physics Understanding
30. Investigating Contemporary Physics Applications in Society

Curriculum codes in this unit

Content codes:

Reading the codes: WA codes (the ones starting with WA) pack the year level, learning area, strand and content number into one string, while the national Australian Curriculum v9 uses a different anatomy that starts with AC9 — same content family, different labels. Our complete WA Curriculum guide decodes both, character by character.

Planning notes for Term 4

WA terms run roughly 9–11 weeks, and in 2026 Term 4 runs from Monday 12 October to Thursday 17 December — 10 weeks for WA public schools. With 30 lessons in this unit, that leaves breathing room for assessment, moderation and the weeks that disappear to carnivals, camps and public holidays — plan the assessable work to land two to three weeks before the end of term rather than in the final week.