Here is what the KICD curriculum design asks for in Pressure, with a sample lesson plan, notes and an exit check you can read before you teach. In Fuma, the same lesson comes out of your own scheme of work, starting from the lesson your class has reached and dated to your term.
Aligned to the KICD curriculum designSample — review before you teach
What learners should be able to do
Specific learning outcomes, word for word from the KICD curriculum design.
a)demonstrate pressure in solids and liquids
b)identify applications of pressure in solids and liquids
c)describe the relationship between pressure and area of contact and weight of solids
d)describe the relationship between pressure and height of liquids (qualitative treatment only)
e)discuss the applications of pressure in solids and liquids
Key inquiry questions
What are the applications of pressure in solids and liquids?
A sample lesson plan: Discovering Pressure in Solids through Contact Area
This is a sample. Read it and change it for your class before you teach it. In Fuma, everything stays a draft until you approve it.
Grade 8 · Integrated Science · 40 minutes
explain pressure as the force acting per unit area of a surface
demonstrate that a sharp object exerts greater pressure than a blunt one using plasticine
appreciate the importance of pressure in everyday cutting tools
A sample lesson plan
Time
Teacher
Learners
Introduction5 min
Teacher:
Display a sharp and a blunt pencil.
Ask learners to brainstorm what they understand by 'pressure'.
Ask them to predict which end makes a deeper mark in plasticine.
Link to prior force knowledge: force is a push or pull.
Learners:
Share ideas on meaning of pressure.
Predict which pencil end will make a deeper mark.
Recall that force is a push or pull.
Pressing Pencils into Plasticine15 min
Teacher:
Distribute plasticine ball and two pencils (one sharp, one blunt) to each group.
Instruct learners to press each pencil end into plasticine using same force.
Ask groups to compare depth of marks and discuss.
Remind learners to keep the pushing force constant.
Learners:
Press sharp pencil end into plasticine using controlled force.
Press blunt pencil end into plasticine using same force.
Compare depths of the two marks.
Record which end sank deeper and discuss with group.
Drawing Force Spread on Contact Areas10 min
Teacher:
Provide printed diagram with narrow and wide contact surfaces.
Instruct learners to draw five force arrows spreading over each surface.
Ask learners to label the surface with greater pressure.
Guide discussion linking arrow spacing to pressure.
Learners:
Draw five equal force arrows on narrow contact surface.
Draw same five arrows spread over wide contact surface.
Notice that arrows crowd together on narrow surface.
Label the narrow surface as producing greater pressure.
Naming the Rule and Applying to Tools5 min
Teacher:
Ask learners to state the relationship between area and pressure.
Write learner-generated rule on board: smaller area → greater pressure.
Show images of sharp knife and blunt hoe; ask which cuts easier.
Summarise: same force, smaller contact area produces greater pressure.
Learners:
State in own words how contact area affects pressure.
Identify which tool has smaller contact area and cuts easier.
Match concrete observation to everyday cutting tools.
Shown: the first 35 minutes of the 40-minute lesson.
Sample teaching notes
Teaching notes are for you at the board: the subject knowledge and what to watch for.
Content Mastery for the Teacher
Pressure defined. Pressure is the force acting per unit area of a surface — that is, how concentrated a push is. Write it on the board as a formula, not a sentence:
$$P = \frac{F}{A}$$
where force is in newtons (N), area in square metres (m²), and pressure in newtons per square metre (N/m²), also called pascals (Pa). One pascal is one newton spread over one square metre. Introduce the unit 'pascal' as the scientific name for N/m², but let learners keep working in N/m² for the arithmetic — it is friendlier and identical in value.
Misconceptions to Surface and Correct
Misconception 1 (from the plan): the sharp end is 'stronger' rather than having a smaller contact area. This forms because a sharp knife, a nail and a needle feel more forceful in the hand, and everyday language ('strong knife') blurs strength with concentration. Surface it during the activity by asking each group to press both pencil ends while you watch their hands — if the pushing looks harder on the sharp end, stop them and reset. Corrective move:'The pencil does not push itself. Your hand pushed both ends. Was your hand stronger the second time?' Confirm they pushed with the same effort, so the ONLY difference was the tip. Physically show the two tips side by side against the plasticine so the width itself is visible.
Misconception 2 (from the plan): more arrows = greater pressure because pressure means more force. This forms because in the representational task the arrows look like force, and the natural instinct is to draw 'more pressure' as 'more arrows'. Surface it during the drawing task by asking a group to show you their diagram; if the small-area side has more arrows, ask 'Did the sharp pencil get a bigger push from your hand?' — they will say no. Corrective move: draw one long force bar on the board and physically divide it with chalk lines into wide-spaced segments (wide area) and narrow-crowded segments (small area). Same total bar, same total force, different spacing — a different pressure. Rule to write: same force, packed tight = high pressure; same force, spread out = low pressure.
Misconception 3 (from the plan): a sharp tool applies more force rather than raising pressure through area. Forms because the sharp knife works better, and learners attribute 'working better' to 'more force'. Surface it in the tools discussion by showing a sharp knife and a blunt hoe and asking which cuts easier. Some will say 'the sharp one — it's got more power'. Corrective move: ask them to consider a blunt knife pressed hard versus a sharp knife pressed gently — the sharp knife still cuts more easily. So it cannot be the force alone; it must be how the force is spread. Ask: 'If a knife becomes blunt, what happens to its contact area?' (It widens.) 'And the pressure at the edge?' (It drops.) 'So how would you fix it?' (Sharpen it — reduce the area again.) This links sharpening a jembe in the shamba straight back to the rule.
A quick exit check, with answers
1.Pressure is defined as force acting per unit ________.
Show answer
area
2.A sharp pencil is easier to press into plasticine than a blunt one because it has:
A. a smaller contact area
B. a greater force
C. a larger contact area
D. a greater mass
Show answer
A. a smaller contact area
3.For the same force, pressure increases when the area of contact decreases.
Show answer
True
4.A farmer uses a jembe with a sharp edge to dig while a blunt jembe makes digging harder. (a) State what is meant by pressure. (1 mark) (b) Explain why the sharp jembe digs more easily. (2 marks) (c) Give two everyday tools that work by reducing contact area. (2 marks)
Show answer
(a) Pressure is the force acting per unit area of a surface. (b) The sharp jembe has a smaller contact area, so for the same digging force it exerts greater pressure on the soil, making it sink in more easily. (c) Any two of: knife, needle, nail, axe, razor blade, spear, arrow tip.
Outcomes and inquiry questions are quoted from the KICD curriculum design. The lesson plan, notes and exit check are Fuma's draft. Fuma is built from the KICD designs; KICD has not endorsed it.