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New
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Year 1

Rotary motion

I can describe rotary motion.

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New
New
Year 1

Rotary motion

I can describe rotary motion.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Rotary motion is where something is turned (rotated).
  2. Water wells get water from deep underground.
  3. A water well has a rotary mechanism that is used to lift a a bucket from a well by turning the handle.
  4. Water wheels can be used to produce electricity.

Keywords

  • Rotary motion - something that turns around in circles

  • Water wheel - a large wheel driven by flowing water

  • Water well - a hole used to get water from deep underground

Common misconception

Rotary motion always produces electricity.

Rotary motion can be designed to lift objects, grind objects or produce electricity.


To help you plan your year 1 design and technology lesson on: Rotary motion, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Potential trip to a water wheel. Making focus: gaps between tables make a great 'well'. Children will need boxes to suspend, you could add prepared holes to speed up the lesson. Alternatively, you could use constrcution kits to create the structure
speech-bubble
Teacher tip
equipment-required

Equipment

Water wheel toy, tray, aprons, ruler, dowel, tables x 2 , string, ribbon, twine, wool, plastic recyclable tubs, hole punch, scissors, sticky tape, masking tape, range of small objects

content-guidance

Content guidance

  • Risk assessment required - equipment
supervision-level

Supervision

Adult supervision required

copyright

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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4 Questions

Q1.
What would you use to cut paper or card?
Correct answer: scissors
a saw
a glue stick
sticky tape
Q2.
What could you use to join two pieces of paper together?
Correct answer: Glue
Correct answer: sticky tape
nails
Q3.
What does the word 'build' mean?
take something apart
Correct answer: put something together
to move things around
Q4.
Which of these are materials?
Correct answer: plastic
bowl
fork
Correct answer: wood
Correct answer: metal

4 Questions

Q1.
What movement does this water wheel make?
An image in a quiz
up and down motion
side to side motion
Correct answer: rotary motion
Q2.
Water wells get the water from...
An image in a quiz
in the sky.
high above ground.
Correct answer: deep underground.
Q3.
A water well lifts water from a well by turning the .
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: handle
Q4.
True or false? All rotary motions make electricity.
true
Correct answer: false

Additional material

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