Force, Motion and Energy

Engage

Activate the student’s prior knowledge of how forces work in simple and compound machines using classroom objects (scissors, hole punch, tape dispenser). Generate curiosity among groups of students as to what force is and have them demonstrate by each group finding other objects in the room that requires some type of force. Each group will explain that particular force and demonstrate its activity. The Explore Activity, Marble Rolling will be introduced. The question to explore is how fast and far will the marble roll down the ramp on various surfaces. (sandpaper, carpet piece, and smooth surface)

Explore

Students will collaborate on how energy, force, and motion are related. The student will use the four question strategy and generate questions about the different forces and their definitions (forces, inertia, speed, gravity) and how they apply to the experiment. The students will perform the Explore Activity to satisfy questions generated before, during, and after the experiment. The Starboard will be used to engage the students in higher level questioning and writing responses on the board.

Explain

Students will generate essential questions explaining the language of the discipline, the terms, process skills, the tools that are used, the details, how the objects motion is described, and how energy, motion, gravity, are related. By understanding and using the language of the physicist in their writings, the student will be able to communicate effectively the process of the concept map.

Elaborate

Students will elaborate on the language of the discipline, the details, by asking questions for clarity as to the terminology used. The students will write brief summaries of the lessons that are discussed and will use details of the experiment to fully explain the step by step procedures of the required task. The four question strategy sheet will be filled out with the student’s predictions and the outcome.

Evaluate

Evaluating the project, the students (groups) will assess their predictions and compare them with the results. The students will review the process of the experiment through the four question strategy. As a facilitator, the teacher will assist the students in providing higher level questions allowing them to extend this experiment to real world situations for further clarity. The students will use a rubric to assess their success with the experiment. Each student will use a chart, first wring what they Know about force, motion, and energy before the lesson, What information they expect to gather while in the process of the lesson and finally, the Learned information. The teacher observes to see if questions were answered throughout the lesson. At this point, exit tickets are handed out and to see what questions are still rolling around. The student retakes the pretest to see how well the concept has been mastered.

Extend

The students will apply the knowledge learned by possibly making a power-point presentation, filling out the concept map on the Starboard, making a Venn diagram, or using a graphic organizer to explain the interrelationships of the changes in energy and it applies to our daily life. The students will extend this concept to situations that may have occurred in their household, observations outside of the home, (construction, drilling, a car in motion). The students will give an example and by using the language of a physicist, explain the steps of occurrence of motion in objects.