module 2: motion - scitrek · 3. module 3 (year 2) a. classroom teacher runs group and starts...

Last Revised: 7/29/2014

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Module 2: Motion 3th Grade

Activity Schedule: There are no scheduling restrictions for this activity.

Day 1: Question Assessment/Technique/Observations/Reproducibility Discussion/Variables (60 minutes) Day 2: Question Activity/Questions/Experimental Set-Up (60 minutes) Day 3: Procedure/Technique/Experiment (60 minutes) Day 4: Graph/Poster Making (60 minutes) Day 5: Poster Presentations (60 minutes) Day 6: Question Assessment/Tie to Standards/Content Assessment (60 minutes)

Next Generation Science Standard Addressed:

3-PS2-2 Make observations and/or measurements of an object’s motion to provide evidence that a pattern can be used to predict future motion.

Common Core Mathematics Standard Addressed: 3.NF-1 Understand a fraction 1/b as the quantity formed by 1 part when a whole is partitioned into

b equal parts; understand a fraction a/b as the quantity formed by a parts of size 1/b. Learning Objectives:

1. Students will know that an object’s motion is predictable and can predict the outcome of an experiment based on previous data.

2. Students will be able to understand the importance of repeating their experiments. 3. Students will be able to find the median number of a given set of numbers composed of an odd number of

data points. 4. Students will be able to come up with at least two testable questions and recognize when questions are

not testable. 5. Students will be able to suggest revisions for questions that are not testable in order to make them

testable. 6. Students will be able to list at least two ways that they behaved like scientists.

Classroom Teacher Responsibilities:

In order for SciTrek to be a sustainable program SciTrek needs to work with teachers to develop their abilities to run student-centered inquiry-based science lessons in their own classroom. As teachers take over the role as the SciTrek lead it will allow SciTrek to be able to expand to additional classrooms. Even when teachers lead the modules in their own classroom SciTrek will continue to provide volunteers and all of the materials needed to run the module. An example time line for teachers to take over the role as the SciTrek lead is seen below.

1. Module 1 (year 1) a. Classroom Teacher Co-Runs Group

i. Classroom teacher will co-run a group with a SciTrek volunteer. Groups contain ~ 5 students.


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2. Module 2 (year 1) a. Classroom Teacher Runs Group

i. Classroom teacher will run a group. Groups contain ~ 5 students. 3. Module 3 (year 2)

a. Classroom Teacher Runs Group and Starts Leading Class Discussions. i. Classroom teacher will run a group. Groups contain ~ 5 students.

ii. Classroom teacher will start leading parts of group discussions (examples: question activity, tie to standards, etc.).

4. Module 4 (year 2) a. Classroom Teacher Leads the Class with a Co-Lead Volunteer

i. Classroom teacher will be responsible for leading whole class discussions (examples: question activity, tie to standards, etc.).

ii. Classroom teacher will be responsible for time management. iii. Classroom teacher will be responsible for overseeing volunteers and helping

out with any groups that are struggling. 5. Any Additional Modules (year 3 and beyond)

a. Classroom Teacher Leads the Class i. Classroom teacher will be responsible for leading whole class discussions

(examples: question activity, tie to standards, etc.). ii. Classroom teacher will be responsible for time management.

iii. Classroom teacher will be responsible for overseeing volunteers and helping out with any groups that are struggling.

iv. It is very important for the classroom teacher to contact [email protected] if they will be unable to run the module on a specific day.

The SciTrek staff will be counting on teacher involvement after year one. Additional steps can be taken to become a SciTrek lead faster than the proposed schedule above. Please contact [email protected] to learn more.

In addition, teachers are required to come to UCSB for the volunteer orientation, typically ran ~1 week prior to the start of the module (contact [email protected] for exact times and dates, or see our website at http://web.chem.ucsb.edu/~scitrek/Module_Times.html under your class’s modules times). At the orientation teachers will meet the volunteers that will be helping in their classroom, go over module content, and learn their responsibilities during the module.

Prior to the Module (at least 1 week):

1. Come to the SciTrek orientation at UCSB. 2. If you are interested in changing the groups that your students were in for the first module, send the

new groups to [email protected] one week before the start of the module so that we can have nametags/notebooks made for your students. When making groups divide the class into four groups (~5 students each). We find these groups work best when they are mixed levels and mixed language abilities.

mailto:[email protected]



http://web.chem.ucsb.edu/~scitrek/Module_Times.html



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During the Module:

Days 1-4: Have the students’ desks/tables moved into 4 groups and cleared off. This way each student can have a desk to sit at during SciTrek group activities.

Days 5 and 6: Have the students desks/tables cleared off. The desks/tables do not need to be moved into groups.

Days 1-3 and 6: If possible have a document camera available to the SciTrek leader.

Materials Used for this Module:

1. Outdoor Carpet (Home Depot part number: Elevation Stone Beige 0000-512-400) cut into 2 ft x 6 ft pieces. In addition, the appropriate sized outdoor carpet is hot glued to all of the ramps.

2. Shag Carpet (Home Depot part number: Palmetto Sandalwood 0000-763-088) cut into 30 cm x 100 cm pieces. In addition, 30 cm x 50 cm pieces of the shag carpet are hot glued to 30 cm x 50 cm ramps for the initial observation.

3. Astroturf (Home Depot) cut into 30 cm x 150 cm pieces. In addition, 30 cm x 50 cm pieces of Astroturf are hot glued to 30 cm x 50 cm ramps for the tie to standards.

4. Particle Board (Home Depot) cut to 30 cm x 30 cm, 30 cm x 40 cm, 30 cm x 50 cm, 30 cm x 60 cm, 30 cm x 70 cm, 30 cm x 80 cm, 30 cm x 90 cm, 30 cm x 100 cm and 30 cm x 65 cm. All boards have outdoor carpet hot glued onto one of the sides except the 30 cm x 65 cm (these boards are used for ball stops) and some 30 cm x 50 cm pieces used for the tie to standards.

5. Rulers (Office Max part number: 21215472) 6. MyChron Timers (Fisher Part Number: 08-572-5A) 7. 152 cm/60” flexible measuring tape (Michaels part number: 10340669) 8. 300 cm/120” tailor flexible ruler tape measure yellow by Amico (Amazon) 9. Large Binder Clips 2” size with 1” capacity (Staples part number: 329502) 10. Lab Jacks 8 in x 8 in (Fisher Part Number: S63082) 11. Wood ramp holders. These are made by cutting a 4”x4” 12 cm tall and then cutting the top to a 14°

angle on the top or by cutting a 4”x4” 21 cm tall and then cutting the top to a 24° angle. The back of the wood ramp holders are covered with a .5” board that stick 3.5” above the top. See picture below.


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12. Digital Scale (OHAUS, max weight: 2000g, readability: 1 g, Model No. H-2715) (Fisher Part Number: S40242-1)

13. Acrylic Plastic Fillable Balls (Diameters/Circumference: 60 mm/19 cm, 70 mm/22 cm, 85 mm/26.5 cm, 100 mm/31.5 cm, 110 mm/35cm, 140mm/44.5 cm) balls are referenced by their diameter when purchasing and by their circumference in the module. (Amazon)

Masses of 19 cm circumference balls: a) 25 g (woodchips), painted red b) 50 g (rubber bands), painted orange c) 99 g (beans), painted yellow d) 165 g (aquarium rocks), painted green e) 230 g (nails) painted blue f) 272 g (metal ½“ nuts), painted purple g) 371 g (metal ¼“ nuts), painted back

Circumference of ~110 g gram balls (The mass of the balls are based off the largest ball weight and the same number is put on all balls of the set.)

a) 19 cm circumference (beans with a few beans replaced with ¼“ nuts (~4)) painted yellow b) 22 cm circumference (rubber bands) painted yellow c) 26.5 cm circumference (toilet paper wrapped around a ½“ nut) painted yellow d) 31.5 cm circumference (balled toilet paper) painted yellow e) 35 cm circumference (loosely balled toilet paper) f) 44.5 circumference (empty) painted yellow

14. Ping pong ball 15. Golf ball

Day 1: Question Assessment/Technique/Observations/Reproducibility Discussion/Variables Schedule:

Introduction (SciTrek Leader) - 2 minutes Question Assessment (SciTrek Leader) - 5 minutes Technique (SciTrek Leader) - 10 minutes Observation Discussion (SciTrek Leader) - 2 minutes Observations (SciTrek Volunteers) - 15 minutes Reproducibility Discussion (SciTrek Leader) - 8 minutes Variable Discussion (SciTrek Leader) - 2 minutes Variables (SciTrek Volunteer) - 13 minutes

Wrap-Up (SciTrek Leader) - 3 minutes Materials: (4) Volunteer Boxes:

☐ Student nametags ☐ (7) Student notebooks ☐ Volunteer instructions

☐ Volunteer lab coat ☐ (2) Markers ☐ (7) Timers ☐ (2) Yellow balls (19 cm circ., 99 g)

☐ Measuring tape (152 cm) ☐ Measuring tape (300 cm)

☐ Ruler ☐ (2) Wood ramp holder (cut to 14°, 13 cm tall)

☐ Large binder clip


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Other Supplies:

☐ (4) Large group notepads ☐ (4) Ball stop boards (65cm x 30cm)

☐ (2) Electronic scales

☐ (4) Boards (50cm x 30cm) with outdoor carpet

☐ (4) Boards (50cm x 30cm) with shag carpet

☐ (4) Pieces of shag carpet (30cm x 100cm)

☐ (4) 6ft x 2ft carpet

Lead Box:

☐ (5) Blank nametags ☐ (3) Extra student notebooks ☐ Lead instructions

☐ Lead lab coat ☐ (4) Markers (red, green, blue, orange)

☐ (4) Timers

☐ (2) Plastic ball (19 cm circ., 99 g, yellow)

☐ Measuring tape (152 cm) ☐ Measuring tape (300 cm)

☐ Ruler ☐ (2) Wood ramp holder (cut to 14°, 13 cm tall)


☐ (2) Pencils ☐ Class data sheet ☐ (25) Question assessments

☐ Time card

SciTrek Notebook Page Used with Students:


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SciTrek Group Notepad Pages Used with Students:

Set-Up:

SciTrek Leader: Set up the two electronic scales so that everyone in the class may easily access them.


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If the classroom has a document camera ask the teacher to use it for the technique activity and to record the group data. If the classroom does not have a document camera, then tape the example poster sized group data chart and notebook page to the front board.

SciTrek Volunteer:

Put your name, the teacher’s name, and your group color on the top of your group notepad. As students are taking the question assessment walk around the room quietly place the students’ nametag, SciTrek notebook, and timer, which are in your group box, on each students’ desk. On the floor, set up the ramp and carpet set-up. Roll out the outdoor carpet and place the piece of shag carpet so that it covers half of the run. Set-up the outdoor carpet ramp in front to the section of the run that is just outdoor carpet and the shag carpet ramp in front of the section of the run that is shag carpet. Put the wood ramp holders under the ramps to give the ramps a slope. Make sure the wood ramp holders are as far under the ramps as they can go. Attach the 300 cm measuring tape with the binder clips on the top of the shag carpet ramp and extend the measuring tape to the end of the run. Set the ball stop board (65 cm x 30 cm) at the 100 cm mark on the measuring tape. Have the balls, timers, 152 cm measuring tape, and ruler available. This set-up will be referred to as the experimental set-up and will look like the set-up see below:


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Introduction (2 minutes – Full Class – SciTrek Leader):

“Hi, we are scientists from UCSB and we want to show you what we do as scientists. We will show you an experiment and then you can make observations, ask questions, and design your own experiment to answer the class question. We want to show you that you can do science and that it’s fun.” If you are a teacher that is leading the class: tell your class that we are going to start a long-term science investigation and you have asked some scientist from UCSB to come and help. Allow the UCSB volunteers to introduce themselves and share their majors. Tell the class that for this module we are going to work together to try to answer the question: “What factors affect ball motion?”

Question Assessment (5 minutes – Full Class – SciTrek Leader):

As the students are taking the assessment the volunteers should get the student nametags out of their group boxes and walk around the room looking for their students. Have the volunteers quietly lay each student’s nametag on their desk as well as a SciTrek notebook and a timer. If a student does not have their name on their paper remind them to put their name on their paper. “Before we start with our module we want to see how your ideas on questions are developing.” Pass-out the question assessment to each student. Tell students to fill out their name, teacher’s name, and date at the top of the assessment. Remind the students that it is important that they fill out this assessment on their own. Read the instructions to the students. Then read each of the questions aloud to the students and tell them to circle “testable” for questions that science can answer or “not testable” for questions that science cannot answer. When they are finished, collect the papers and verify that the student’s name is on the top of the paper.

Technique (10 minutes –Full Class – SciTrek Leader):

Tell the class that for this module we are going to roll balls down ramps to try to answer the question: “What factors affect ball motion?” Ask the students, why do you think scientist would investigate this question? By the end of the conversation make sure that students understand that if we can find patterns in ball motion that this will mean that motion is predictable and we can predict what will happen to an object that is in motion. Tell students in order to do this we will need to be able to measure the time it take a ball to travel a certain distance.


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Tell students to fill in their name, teachers’ name, and group color (the color of their name on their nametag) on the front cover of their SciTrek notebook that the SciTrek volunteers passed out during the assessment. Note: they will not be able to fill in their SciTrek volunteer’s name until they get in their SciTrek groups. Then tell students to turn to page 2 in their notebooks and set a blank notebook under the document camera. Tell students that for this experiment it is very important that their measurements of time are precise so that we can tell exactly how long it takes the ball to hit a board at a given distance for each of their trials. Go over how to read the timer using the diagram. Tell students that the first number before the colon tells the amount of hours for which the timer has run. Ask the students how many hours did the top timer run? Students should answer 1 hour. Tell students that the next number, after the colon and before the apostrophe, is the amount of minutes for which the timer has run. Ask the students how many minutes did the top timer run? Students should answer 12 minutes. Tell students that next number, between the apostrophe and the quote, is the amount of seconds for which the timer has run. Ask the students how many second did the top timer run? Students should answer 23 seconds. Tell students the last number (the small number) shows the parts of seconds. Ask the class if we know a way to record numbers that are a part of a whole. They should respond that we can record parts of a whole number using fractions. Tell the students that the parts of a second go up to 10. Ask the students what the bottom number, or the denominator, should be for this fraction? Students should answer that the denominator will be 10. Tell students the numerator, or top number of the fraction, will be the small number we see on our timer. Ask the students how we should record the parts of seconds for the example timer? They should say that the 7 parts on the timer should be put into a fraction over 10 giving 7

10. Tell students they will now fill out

questions 1 and 2 on their own and then we will go over it as a class.


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Have students go through numbers 1 and 2 on their own. Walk around to help those students who need help. After approximately 2 minutes, bring the class back together to go over the answers. For number one, students should realize that 3 hours, 0 minutes, and 45 3

10 seconds have passed since the

timer was started. Record this in the example notebook. For number two, students should realize that 0 hours, 1 minute, and 7 2

10 seconds have passed since the timer was started. Record this in the example

notebook. An example of student work can be seen above. Tell the students now that that they know how to read a timer, they must also learn how to operate a timer. Go through the steps listed in their notebook.

1) Turn the timer on by pushing the blue button. 2) If there is anything but 0’s on the screen, press the blue button again to reset the time. 3) Start the timer by pushing the yellow button. 4) Stop the timer by pushing the yellow button again. 5) Record the time to the nearest fraction of a second. 6) Reset the timer by pushing the blue button.

Let the students practice the order once then tell them that they are going to practice two more times by timing people doing different activities. For the first activity, they will record the amount of time it takes someone (either you or a volunteer) to button their lab coat. Count them down to the start by saying “3…2…1…Go.” They should start their timers when you say go. They should stop the timer when the last button is done. You should try to make this take approximately 15 seconds. Have each student write down the time they recorded in their own notebook. Have a SciTrek volunteer also time the process and allow students to compare their answer to the SciTrek volunteer. They should be able to get within one second of the volunteers’ time. For the second practice activity, the students will record how long it takes you (or a SciTrek volunteer) to jump three times. Warn them that this practice is going to be very quick so they need to pay close attention. They will start timing when you say go and they will stop timing the second your feet hit the ground on the third jump. Make sure that all students have reset their timers using the blue button. Remind students that the yellow button is used to start and stop the timer. Count them down to the start by saying “3…2…1…Go.” On go, start jumping. Have each student write down the time they recorded in their own notebook. Have a SciTrek volunteer also time the process and allow students to compare their answer to the SciTrek volunteers’. They should be able to get within one second of the volunteers time. Tell students that now that they know how to use a timer they will be able to use this skill to help them make observations.

Observation Discussion (2 minutes – Full Class – SciTrek Leader):

Tell the students that scientists make lots of observations. Ask the class, “What is an observation? What are the types of things that you can record for an observation?” If they have trouble with this, show them an object and let them make some observations. Turn these observations into general features of an observation. Examples of possible observations are: color, texture, size, weight, temperature, material, etc.. Tell the class they will now get in their group and make observations of the ramp experimental set-up and then they will observe a ball as it rolls down the two ramps. These observations will help us answer the


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class question of what factors affect ball motion? To determine their group they will need to look at the color of their nametag. Tell each color group where to go. If a student does not have a nametag write the student’s name on one of the extra nametags that are in the lead box using the color of marker of the group that you are going to have them join.

Observations (15 minutes –Small Groups – SciTrek Volunteers):

Once the students come over to your group have them sit in boy/girl fashion. Then have students write your name and their group color on the top of their notebooks. Then collect the notebooks and put them in your group box. Make sure the floor is set-up as described in the set-up section.

As a group, have the students come up with some observations about the experimental set-up before they start rolling the ball down the ramp. Observations should be recorded on the large group notepad. Make sure that students measure the height of the ramp (13 cm), the length of the ramp (50 cm), the distance to the board stop (100 cm), the mass of the ball (99 g), and the circumference of the ball (19 cm). To measure the mass of the ball, use the scale that will be set-up in the front of the classroom by the SciTrek leader.

After the students have made observations about the experimental set-up, pass out a timer to three students and pass out the ball to one of the students. Tell the other students that they will get a chance to release the ball and measure the time the ball takes to hit the board for the next trial. Have one student put the ball at the top of the shag carpet ramp, against the board. Have that student count down by saying “3…2…1…Go” and release the ball. Have three other students time how long it takes the ball to hit the board after it is released from the top of the ramp. Tell students to stop the timer when they both see and hear the ball hit the board. On the group notepad, record the three times the students measure. Remember to record the milliseconds in a fraction of 10. Student should also make other observations about what happened. Repeat the process for the outdoor carpet ramp. For this trial have a different student put the ball at the top of the ramp and count down by saying “3…2…1…Go” and then releasing the ball. Again, have three students (different students that did not get to participate before) time how long it takes the ball to reach the board after it is released. Again record the three times to the nearest tenth of a second in fraction form. Also record other observations students made about the trial. Ask students what was different about the two runs. Students should say that the shag carpet run took longer than the outdoor carpet run. Ask students if there is another way that we could prove that the ball takes longer to reach the board when the ball is rolled on shag carpet instead of outdoor carpet. Make sure by the end of the conversation that student generate the idea of racing two balls one on the shag carpet ramp and one on the outdoor carpet ramp. Once students have generated this idea, bring out the other yellow ball. Place both balls at the top of the ramp and release them at the same time. Prepare one student to share an observation about the ball and ramp system with the rest of the class. As soon as your group has fished making observations of the two trials go to the document camera or board and record the median measurement (middle measurement) on the group chart. This should be done by you (the volunteer) and not the students.


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If there is additional time have the students summarize what they saw. Ask students what do these two trials tell us about the factors that affect ball motion? Ask students questions about the two different ramp materials and which ramp material allowed the ball to hit the board in the smallest amount of time. An example of a group notepad for all of the observations is seen below; feel free to deviate from the example. Students do not need to record their observation into their notebooks.

Reproducibility Discussion (8 minutes – Full Class – SciTrek Leader):

Have one student from each group share an observation that they made of the motion set-up. Have the students look at the class data sheet. Ask the students if every group got the same results? The students should be able to respond “No.” Ask the groups if they all took the same measurements. Have students tell you what they measured/recorded in their groups. They should all realize that they did the same experiment. Ask the students why different groups got different numbers. Some possible responses might be: the ball did not roll straight, a student did not release the ball from exactly the top of the ramp, or different students might have stopped the timer at different times. Tell students that scientists often preform multiple trials to try to account for any error or inconsistency in their data. However, when they present their data they like to report one number instead of all of the numbers they measured.

Ask the class what number they would pick if they had to pick one data point to represent the entire set. For example ask the students, “If I had to pick one number from the trials on shag carpet, which number would I pick that represents them all?” Since students have used this technique in their last SciTrek module students will most likely say they will say they would pick the middle number. Ask the students if they remember what the middle number is called (median).


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Tell the students that they are going to find the median number in each set of numbers. Start with the run on the shag carpet, have the students rearrange the numbers so that they are in increasing order from smallest to largest. Then have the students pick the middle number. Because there are five numbers it will be easy to find the middle number. Repeat this process for the trial on the outdoor carpet. Ask the students what we learned about ball motion from this experiment? Students should be able to tell you that the surface the ball is rolling over affects ball motion and the smoother the surface the faster the ball roles. Ask student to predict one surface that would be faster than outdoor carpet (example: smooth plastic) and one surface that would be slower than shag carpet (example: even longer shag carpet).

Variable Discussion (2 minutes – Full Class – SciTrek Leader):

Tell the class they are now going to try to think of other variables they could test to help them understand ball motion better. Ask the class what does the word “variable” mean to a scientist? What is the definition of a variable in science? Possible answer: variables are parts of the experiment that you can change.

Tell the class that they are going to think about variables in the experiment that they could change to help us answer the class question of: What factors affect ball motion? In addition to generating variables they should think about why these variables might affect the outcome of the experiment. Ask the class to give you a variable that they could test for their experiment. Have the class come up with one variable and then have them tell you why they think that variable would affect ball motion, how they would design an experiment to test this variable, and make a prediction of the results of the experiment that they proposed. Example: Variable: Ramp Height

Why might the variable affect ball motion? The higher the ramp the more energy that the ball could have. How would you test this variable? Do several trials in which you release the ball from multiple different ramp heights.

Prediction: The taller the ramp the faster the ball will hit the board. Tell the students they will generate more variables and analyze them in their groups.

Variables (13 minutes – Small Groups – SciTrek Volunteers):

Go around the table and have each student tell you one variable and make a prediction about how it will affect ball motion. Record both the variable and the prediction on the group notepad. If there is extra time go around the table a second time. An example of the group notepad can be seen below. Students do not need to record the variables or predictions into their notebooks Prepare a student to share one variable and why they think it will affect ball motion during the group discussion.


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Wrap-Up (3 minutes –Full Class – SciTrek Leader):

Have one student from each group share a variable they generated and how/why they think it will affect ball motion. Make sure that students tell you their predictions about how the different values of that variable will affect ball motion. Challenge students to justify their thinking and explore with them how this might help them design an experiment. Fox example if a students’ variable was ball mass ask them how they would design an experiment to test this. Then have student predict what the results would be and tell you why they made this prediction.

Tell the students that the next time they will come up with testable questions about the ramp set-up that they saw today. They will also plan an experiment around one of the variables that they are interested in exploring. Tell students that these experiments will help us answer the question, what factors affect ball motion?

Clean-Up

Before you leave have the students attach their nametag to their notebook and place them in the group box. Bring all materials back to UCSB. In addition, put your lab coat back into the box.


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Day 2: Question Activity/Questions/Experimental Set-Up Schedule: Introduction (SciTrek Leader) – 2 minutes

Question Activity (SciTrek Leader) – 20 minutes Question Discussion (SciTrek Leader) – 3 minutes Testable Questions (SciTrek Volunteers) – 8 minutes Question Discussion (SciTrek Leader) – 3 minutes Non-Testable Questions (SciTrek Volunteers) – 4 minutes Question/Experimental Set-Up Discussion (SciTrek Leader) – 3 minutes Question (SciTrek Volunteers) – 4 minutes Experimental Set-Up (SciTrek Volunteers) – 10 minutes

Wrap-Up (SciTrek Leader) – 3 minutes Materials:

(4) Volunteer Boxes:

☐ Student nametags ☐ Student notebooks ☐ Volunteer instructions

☐ Volunteer lab coat ☐ (2) Markers ☐ Materials page Other Supplies:

☐ (4) Large group notepads

Lead Box:

☐ (5) Blank nametags ☐ (3) Extra student notebooks ☐ Lead instructions

☐ Lead lab coat ☐ (4) Marker (red, green, blue, orange)

☐ (2) Pencils

☐ Materials page ☐ Time card


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SciTrek Notebook Pages Used With Students:


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SciTrek Group Notepad Pages Used With Students:


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Set-Up:

SciTrek Leader: If the classroom has a document camera ask the teacher to use it for the question activity (page 3). If the classroom does not have a document camera, then tape the example poster sized pages to the front board.

SciTrek Volunteer:

Quietly pass out notebooks/nametags to students in their regular seats while the SciTrek leader is doing the introduction. The first part of the activity will be done in their regular classroom seats, after students will break up into their groups.


While the lead is giving the introduction, the SciTrek volunteers should get the student SciTrek notebooks/nametags out of their boxes and pass them out to the students in their group. Note students will be sitting in their regular classroom seats for the question activity after which they will move to their SciTrek groups. Ask the class what is the class question that we are investigating? The students should reply: What factors affect ball motion? Ask the students what they did the last SciTrek meeting. They should reply that we were rolling balls down ramps to determine which ball hit the board faster. Make sure that they tell you that they learned that the ramp/run material affects ball motion and the smoother the material the faster the ball will travel. Tell students that today they are going to generate testable questions about the ramp system. After which they will be able to pick a question and design an experiment to answer that question. But, first, we are going to look at a list of questions and decide whether each question is testable by science.

Question Activity: (20 minutes – Full Class – SciTrek Leader)

Ask the students what type of questions can be tested by science? You should get answers that revolve around “science can test things that are measurable/countable or observable.”

Ask the students what type of questions cannot be tested by science? You should get the following two groups of untestable questions. 1) Questions in which the data cannot be acquired. Example: How many fingers do fairies have? Since we cannot catch fairies we would not be able to answer this question 2) Questions that contain opinions, are ambiguous, or are not well defined. Opinion questions contain opinion words such as prettier, nicest, better, etc.. Example: Which are prettier lilies or daisies? Not well defined/ambiguous questions contain words such as affected, react, etc.. Example: Do squirrels react to dogs? In addition, not well defined/ambiguous question can contain semi measurable words such as big, wide, heavy, etc.. Example: Is the Golden Gate Bridge wide? The problem with this question is you do not know how the questioner defines the word wide. A scientist could answer this question “yes” if they were comparing the Golden Gate Bridge to a typical overpass bridge while another scientist could answer the question “no” because they were comparing the Golden Gate Bridge to the Pacific Ocean.

Tell the students to turn to page 3 of their notebooks and place a blank notebook under the document camera and turn to page 3. Read the directions aloud to the class. Have students work on the activity by


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themselves circling what they think are the correct answers. After everyone has had a chance to work through the activity (~ 3 minutes) go over the answers as a class. Tell the students that we are now going to go over each answer and that they shouldn’t erase their answers. Instead tell the students to box the correct answers so that they will know the type of questions that they are struggling with. Read each of the questions to the class and then ask for a student to tell you whether it is testable or not and why. If the question is testable have students tell you what they would measure/count/observe to find the answer to the question. If the question is not testable first have the students identify the part of the question that is not testable, and then have the students propose a related question that is testable. Sometimes it is helpful to underline the word in the question that is making the question not testable. As you go over each question box the correct answer on the example notebook under the document camera.

Below are the answers to a-j on page 3 in detail. Letter a: How much does an astronaut suit weigh? Testable (Easy to Test-Measurement)

This is a testable question because it is possible to get an astronaut suit and put it on a scale and measure its mass in kg.

Letter b: Do dogs like Astronaut Ice Cream? Not Testable (Opinion/Not Well Defined-Contains the Word Like)

This is not a testable question because the word like is an opinion and it is impossible to measure if a dog likes Astronaut Ice Cream. A dog could eat the Astronaut Ice Cream because it likes the


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ice cream or because it is hungry and needs nutrients. Since this question contains an opinion/not well defined word (like), it is not testable. Instead, a testable question could be: Which food do dogs eat first, Astronaut Ice Cream or steak?

Letter c: Is Venus prettier than Saturn? Not Testable (Opinion/Not Well Defined-Opinion Comparison)

This is not a testable question because the word prettier is an opinion. Many people disagree about which objects are prettier. Since this question contains an opinion/not well defined word (prettier), this question is not testable. Many times questions that are comparisons are testable, but they must not contain opinion/not well defined words. Instead, a testable question could be: Which planet has more rings, Venus or Saturn?

Letter d: How many moons orbit around Jupiter? Testable (Easy to Test-Counting)

This is testable question because it is possible to count the number of moons that orbit around Jupiter.

Letter e: Which planet, other than Earth, is the most habitable? Not Testable (Opinion/Not Well Defined-Contains an Opinion/Not Well Defined Word)

This is not a testable question because the word habitable is not well defined. Does habitable mean that the planet has water, or does it mean that the planet has the same temperature range as Earth? Since this question contains an opinion/not well defined word (habitable), this question is not testable. Instead, a testable question could be: What is the hottest temperature recorded on Venus in 2012?

Letter f: How fast does Luke Skywalker fly his spaceship? Not Testable (Can’t Acquire Data-Fictional Character)

This question is impossible to test because we will not be able to acquire data on Luke Skywalker because he is a fictional character. Since we cannot measure how fast Luke Skywalker flies his spaceship this question would be impossible to test. Instead, a testable question could be: How fast does the space shuttle?

Letter g: How long does it take light from the Sun to reach the Earth? Testable (Hard to Test)

This is a testable question because scientists could measure the time it takes for light from the Sun to reach the Earth. Students sometimes struggle with the difference between questions that are hard to collect data for (but are still testable) and question that are not testable. Even though this question would be difficult to collect data for it is still testable.

Letter h: Is the space shuttle big? Not Testable (Opinion/Not Well Defined-Semi Measurable)

This is not a testable question because the word big is not well defined. The space shuttle is big compared to people but small compared to the Earth. Since the question did not define what big is, it is not testable. Instead, testable questions could be: Which is taller, the space shuttle or a person? or What is the size of the space shuttle?


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Letter i: Is studying the solar system valuable? Not Testable (Opinion/Not Well Defined-Students Think that Answer is Yes)

This is not a testable question because valuable is a matter of opinion. Many people have different meanings of the word valuable. Does valuable mean that studying the solar system can increase their knowledge about space, or does it mean that you could use this knowledge to make money? Since this question contains an opinion/not well defined word (valuable) this question is not testable. Note: this question is particularly hard for students because they think that the answer to the question is yes, they do not think about whether it is testable or not testable. Instead, a testable question could be: Does studying the solar system increase the number of planets people can name?

Letter j: What color light do stars give off? Testable (Easy to Test-Observation)

This is a testable question because it is possible to observe stars and determine the color light they give off.

Question Discussion: (3 minutes – Full Class – SciTrek Leader)

Tell the students that they are now going to generate their own testable questions about the ramp set-up that they used the last time that you were there. Tell them that they are going to use the variables that they generated last time to help them with their questions. Make sure that students understand scientist define a variable as something that can be changed in an experiment to learn something about the system. Have a few students share variables that they generated last class session. Hold up one of the group notepads with the following sentence frame. If I change ________________ what will happen to_________________________________?

Tell students that they can insert a variable into blank 1 and something that they can measure/observe into blank 2 to generate a testable question.

As a class come up with one question that fits this sentence frame.

Example: “If I change the height of the ramp what will happen to the time it takes the ball to hit the board?”

Tell the students that they now get into their groups and work together to generate as many testable questions about the ramp system as possible. Inform the students that the group that comes up with the most testable questions will be given a prize the next meeting. Inform the students that non-testable questions will not be counted towards the prize.

Testable Questions (8 minutes – Small Groups – SciTrek Volunteers):

As a group, have the students come up with a question in the form “If I change ____________ what will happen to ____________?” After they have generated one question in this form they may generate other questions in any form they want. If students do not generate testable questions in the form provided, try to have students state what they would desire to measure in their testable question. If students are

variable what you are measuring/observing


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having trouble generating questions, have them review the variables that they generated the previous meeting.

Prepare one student to share a question with the class. An example notepad can be seen below.

Question Discussion: (3 minutes – Full Class – SciTrek Leader)

Have one student from each group share one of their testable questions with the class. After a groups’ question is presented ask the rest of the class if the question is testable and if so what data the group would need to collect to answer the question.

Tell students there are a lot of questions that science cannot answer. Ask the students if they know the types of questions science cannot answer? They should be able to generate the following two categories of questions that science cannot answer:

Category 1: Questions in which data cannot be acquired Category 2: Questions that contain words that are opinions or are not well defined

Ask the students if someone can give an example question about the ramp set-up that science cannot answer.

Example Category 1 Question: Does the ball roll down the ramp at the same speed in Neverland? Example Category 2 Questions: Does the ball like rolling down the ramp? or Is learning about ball motion important?

Tell the students that they are now going to get back in their groups and generate questions that science cannot answer about the ramp system.


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Non-Testable Questions (4 minutes – Small Groups – SciTrek Volunteers):

Have the students generate a list of questions that science cannot answer and record them on the group notepad. Try to encourage students to generate questions that are in both of the non-testable categories. If they are struggling have them turn to the question activity and look at the questions that are not testable. Ask students why these questions are not testable and then have them use these as a model to generate a question about the ramp system. Prepare one student to share one of their questions with the class. An example notepad can be seen below.

Question/Experimental Set-Up Discussion (3 minutes – Full Class – SciTrek Leader):

Have each group share one question that they came up with that science cannot answer. After a groups’ question is presented ask the rest of the class if the question is non-testable and if so why.

Tell the class that they are now going to start to design an experiment. Ask the class what are we working on understanding for this module? Students should reply that we are trying to determine what factors affect ball motion. Tell the students that they should think about what variable they are interested in changing. Remind them of the definition of a variable (something that you can change in an experiment). Once they have decided on the variable they would like to experiment with they will write it in their notebook under the changing variable. They should then discuss, as a group why they think this variable might affect ball motion. They will then be able to fill in their question. After they fill in their question their volunteer will give them a materials page so that they will be able to choose the values of their changing variable as well as their controls.

Tell students that there are a few things they will need to keep in mind while they are going through the process of designing their experiment.


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Experimental Considerations:

1. You will run 4 trials. 2. For each trial you must measure the time the ball travels (time from ball release to ball hitting the

board). 3. You will only have access to the materials on the materials page. 4. Once you have chosen your changing variable look for it on the materials page to see any

constraints associated with that changing variable. 5. Run lengths must be between 50 cm and 200 cm.

Question (4 minutes – Small Groups – SciTrek Volunteers):

Have your group decide which changing variable they are interested in investigating. Record this on the group notepad and then have students record it in their SciTrek notebooks. As a group discuss why and how they think this variable will affect ball motion. Record their thoughts on the group notepad and then have them record some of these ideas in their notebook. Use their changing variable to generate the question that the group is going to investigate and have students copy this into their notebooks. Prepare one student to share the group question during the wrap-up.


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Experimental Set-Up (10 minutes – Small Groups – SciTrek Volunteers):

Have your group turn to page 5 in their notebook and turn to page 7 of the group notepad. Ask your group what they decided to have for a changing variable and record this on the top of the page. Then have your group use the materials page to select the values of their changing variable that they are going to use and record these under each of the trials. Encourage your group to explain why they are picking the values that they are selecting. For instance if the select ball mass, ask they if they should pick a wide or a narrow range of values would help them answer their question more efficiently.

Then have your group determine a list of variables that they will hold constant, these will be your groups’ controls (ball material, ramp height, run length, run material, run width, temperature). Record these controls on the left side of the slash (leave the right side of the slash blank to put in the value of the controls after you have generated all controls). Try to come up with at least one control that is not on the materials page (examples are controls that are in italics). If your group is struggling to generate controls turn the group notepad back to the variables on page 3. As your group is determining controls, question the group about what they think might be a good value and why. For instance if the control is run length, ask the students if they think a shorter or a longer run length will help them answer their question easier. Once they have generated their controls bring out the materials page and determine the value of the controls that they will use and record these on the right side of the slash (ball material/plastic, ramp height/13 cm, run length/150 cm, run width/original, temperature/room temperature). Make sure that students copy the experimental set-up information onto page 5 of their notebook. An example of the experimental set-up can be seen below. Make sure that your group circles all of the materials that they will need from the materials page and that their group color is written on the top of the page. Once this is complete have a group discussion on what the students think will happen during the experiment. Then have each student fill in the sentence frames on page 5. The prediction sentence can be different in each student’s notebook. If you have extra time have your group summarize the experiment that they are going to run and what they are hopping to learn from the experiment.


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Wrap-Up (3 minutes – Full Class - SciTrek Leader):

Have one student from each group share the question that they are going to investigate. Tell students that the next time that SciTrek is here they will be to running their experiments. Tell students that all of the class experiments will help us be able to answer the question, what factors affect ball motion?

Clean-Up:

Before you leave have students attach their nametag to their notebook and place them in the group box. Place the materials page on the top of the notebooks in the box. Count the number of testable questions that your group generated and write it on the front page of your notepad. Bring all materials back to UCSB. In addition, put your lab coat back into your group box.

Day 3: Procedure/Technique/Experiment Schedule:

Introduction (SciTrek Leader) – 3 minutes Procedure (SciTrek Volunteers) – 18 minutes Technique (SciTrek Leader) – 7 minutes Experiment (SciTrek Volunteers) – 30 minutes Wrap-Up (SciTrek Leader) – 2 minutes

Materials: (4) Volunteer Boxes:


☐ Volunteer lab coat ☐ (2) Markers ☐ (3) Timers

☐ Measuring tape (152 cm) ☐ Measuring tape (300 cm) ☐ Ruler

☐ Large binder clip ☐ Requested wood ramp holder or lab jack

☐ Requested ball(s)

Other Supplies:

☐ (4) Large group notepads ☐ (4) Ball stop boards 65cm x 30cm

☐ (2) Electronic scale

☐ Requested ramps lengths ☐ (4) 6ft x 2ft outdoor carpet

Lead Box:

☐ (3) Extra student notebooks ☐ Lead instructions ☐ Lead lab coat

☐ (4) Markers ☐ (4) Timers ☐ Measuring tape (152 cm)

☐ Measuring tape (300 cm) ☐ Ruler ☐ Large binder clip

☐ One of each size of wood blocks

☐ General ball 1 orange 50 g ☐ General ball 2 yellow 99 g

☐ (2) Pencils ☐ (6) Erasers for prizes ☐ Time card


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SciTrek Notebook Pages Used with Students:


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SciTrek Group Notepad Pages Used with Students:

Set-Up: SciTrek Leader:

Make sure that you have identified the group with the most testable questions so that you can give the prize (erasers) to that group. If the classroom has a document camera, ask the teacher to use it for the technique discussion (page 7). If the teacher does not have a document camera, then tape the example poster sized notebook page to the front board. Set up the two scales so that all groups have access to use them.

SciTrek Volunteer:

Set out the SciTrek notebooks/nametags around the table having students sit in boy/girl fashion. Introduction (2 minutes – Full Class – SciTrek Leader):

Announce the group that generated the most testable questions from the previous session and distribute prizes (erasers) to that group.

Ask the class what we have been working on the last two meetings. They should be able to tell you that they have been exploring ball motion and that they have found out that the run material effects the motion of the ball and the smoother the run material the faster the ball will hit the board. They should also state that they were starting to design an experiment to look at other variables that might affect ball motion. Have each group tell you the variable that they are going to investigate. Tell the class that today


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they are going to design a procedure to test their changing variable. Ask the class what is a procedure. They should tell you it is a list of steps to complete during an experiment. Tell them once they have determined their procedure they will get to carry out their experiments. Tell students to go back to their groups and work on their procedures.

Procedure (18 minutes – Small Groups – SciTrek Volunteers):

Ask the students to tell you what they had decided to test and what they think they will learn from their experiment. Then help students come up with a step-by-step procedure of how to answer their question and conduct their experiment. It is helpful to have the students dictate the procedure to you while you copy it on the group notepad. Once the procedure is complete have students copy it from the group notepad into their notebooks. Try to keep the procedure as short as possible while still including the important information. Make sure to record all of the values for the changing variable in the procedure. Example procedure step for a group who has a changing variable of ball mass is: roll each ball down the ramp (A) 15 g B) 25g C) 50 g and D) 99 g) and measure time. A sample of an appropriate procedure can be seen below.

If there is extra time have the students start filling in their results table on page 8 of their notebooks. DO NOT HAVE THEM START THEIR EXPERIMENT UNTIL AFTER THE TECHNIQUE DISCUSSION.


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Technique (7 minutes – Full Class – SciTrek Leader): Tell the students that during their experiment they will perform multiple trials but they will want to be able to plot one number on the graph. Ask the students what number they think they will use for their graph. Students should respond the middle number, which is called the median. Tell students you will now work with them to determine the median number from example data so they will be able to determine the median once they collect their own data.

Tell the class to turn their notebook to page 7. Place an example SciTrek student notebook under the document camera and turn to page 7. Tell the students that to find median, they should first arrange the numbers in increasing order (which has already been done for them). Once the numbers are arranged in order, the number in the middle is the median number, which they should identify by circling. Go over how to find the median in the first example and then have the students work on the next three examples by themselves. After students have finished, go over the answers. Tell students if they have extra time today they can work on the extra practice problems. An example of a student notebook page can be found below. Tell students that will use this technique of finding the median when they perform their experiment.

Experiment (30 minutes – Small Groups – SciTrek Volunteers):

Before students start their experiment make sure that they have filled out the variable section of the results table on page 8.


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Help the students’ set-up and complete their experiments. For each trial, your group will roll the ball three times. For each of those rolls, there will be three students timing the ball. Record the data that the students collect in the group notepad (see an example group notepad below). For each ball roll, select the median from your recorded numbers. The median number is the only number the students will record in their notebooks. On the group notepad, each trial will have a total of nine recorded times. For the student notebooks they will have three numbers recorded for each trial. Remember to record time to the nearest fraction of a second (example 1 3

10 s). Help students copy the data into their notebooks.

When you are finished with the experiment as a group have students put the numbers for trial one in order and determine the median number for that trial. Then have students work independently to find the median number for the rest of the trials. After students are finished go over the median numbers as a group and record the numbers on the group notepad. An example group notepad and student notebook can be seen below.

If there is extra time have students explain to you what they did for their experiment and what they learned from their experiment. Try to have students explain this without looking at their notebooks.

Wrap-Up (2 minutes – Full Class – SciTrek Leader):

Tell the students that the next time that SciTrek is there they will analyze their data by making a graph. They will then make a poster to present their finding to the rest of the class. These posters will help us learn about what factors affect ball motion.


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Clean-Up:

Before you leave have students attach their nametag to their notebook and place them in the group box. Bring all supplies back to UCSB. In addition, put your lab coat back into your group box.

Day 4: Graph/Poster Making Schedule: Introduction (SciTrek Leader) – 2 minutes Graph (SciTrek Volunteers) – 20 minutes

Poster Making (SciTrek Volunteers) – 36 minutes Wrap-Up (SciTrek Leader) – 2 minutes Materials:

(4) Volunteer Boxes:


☐ Volunteer lab coat ☐ (2) Markers ☐ Highlighter

☐ (2) Glues ☐ Scissors ☐ Poster diagram (full page)

☐ Sticker for how to present graph

☐ (2) Paperclips

Poster Parts

☐ Scientists’ names ☐ Question ☐ Experimental set-up

☐ Procedure ☐ Results table ☐ Results graph

☐ (6) “ I acted like a scientist when _______”

☐ (6) Picture spaces

Other Supplies:

☐ (4) Large group notepads ☐ Large poster paper

Lead Box:


☐ (4) Marker ☐ (2) Highlighters ☐ (2) Glues

☐ Scissors ☐ Poster diagram (full page) ☐ (2) Stickers for how to present graph

☐ (5) Paperclips ☐ Scotch tape ☐ Time card


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SciTrek Notebook Page Used with Students:

SciTrek Notepad Page Used with Students:


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Set-Up:

SciTrek Leader: Ask the classroom teacher for a place to leave the student posters in the classroom.

SciTrek Volunteer: Set out SciTrek notebooks/nametags around the table having students sit in boy/girl fashion. Have poster parts ready for students.


Ask the class, “What is the class question that we have been investigating?” Students should tell you “what factors affect ball motion?” Tell students that you saw some great experiments the last session and you are excited to hear about what they have learned about ball motion. Tell them that today they are going to analyze their data by making a bar graph. Then they will put together a poster to show the rest of the class what they have learned from their experiment. Tell them that they should write as neatly as possible on the poster parts so that the other class members can read their poster.

Graph (20 minutes –Small Groups – SciTrek Volunteers):

Ask your group what they did the last time. Have them explain their experiment to you without looking at their notebooks. Then have the students fill out the graph. The graph will have a scale provided. Each large line represents

1 second, each smaller line represents 110

of a second. In addition, as a group have the students fill out the

x axis (their changing variable and the values of this variable that they used). Once the axes are filled out, graph the first trial with the students. Ask the students what was the time for the first trial. Tell students to tell you to stop when your finger gets to the appropriate level on the graph. Place your finger at zero and slowly move it up the graph until the students tell you to stop. If the students miss the stopping mark repeat the process. Once you have identified where the line goes draw a line and write the number on top of the line. Then quickly fill in the area below the mark. Tell students that they should try to beat how fast you filled in under the line when they draw the graph in their notebooks. Have students attempt to graph the other 3 trials on their own and then check their work and record the results in the group notepad. An example of a filled in group notepad and notebook below.


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Once all the students have completed their graph as a group fill in the sentence frame “My experiment shows _______.” See sample above. Do not simply record that the graph shows the x value vs. the y values. Instead, make sure that students try to make a claim about what happened. An appropriate claim could be: the balls mass does not affect the time the ball travels. This is an appropriate claim because it allows the students to make a prediction about what would happen if new values of their changing variable were introduced. After generating a claim or a prediction about what the experiment shows, write the word “because” and follow it with supporting data or values from the graph (the 15 g ball

travelled 13

10 seconds and the 99 g ball traveled 1

3

10 second as well). Help students copy this statement

into their notebooks on page 9. Prepare one student to share this sentence frame with the rest of the class during the wrap-up discussion. Once students have filled out “My experiment shows__________” have each student individually fill in the sentence frame (page 10): “I acted like a scientist when__________.” This sentence frame should be unique for each of the students. If students are having trouble with this sentence frame ask them what they did during each SciTrek visit.

Poster Making (36 minutes – Small Groups – SciTrek Volunteers):

Assign each student one of the poster sections to complete. If a student struggles with writing try to give them a shorter writing section to complete (example: question). If you have more students than there are poster pieces then cut the poster piece with the graph and “my experiment shows_______” into two parts so that one student can complete/present the graph and another student can complete/present “my experiment shows________.” Have the students write their name on the section that they will complete. In the students’ notebook highlight the section that they will complete/present. Note: if a


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student is completing/presenting multiple sections use the paperclips in your group box to clip together the sections that they are completing so that during the poster presentation day they will have an easier time flipping back and forth between pages. Place one of the following sentence frame stickers on the top of page 9 in the notebook of the students that is completing the graph.

The ball with a_____________________ of_____________________ hit the board in _______ seconds. The ramp with a __________________ of______________________ hit the board in _______seconds. Practice reading the four sentences with that student that is presenting the group. For the poster below,

the sentence frame would be: The ball with mass of 15 g hit the board in 1³̸₁₀ seconds. Make sure that you fill in the first blank for the student in the sentence frame but leave the variable and measurement blanks empty. When students finish writing their sections, have them draw a picture of their experiment or how the acted like a scientist during the experiment. As soon as students have completed some of their pieces start gluing them onto the large poster paper exactly as they are arranged in the example below. Do not wait until students have completed all the pieces to start gluing them onto the poster. Once the poster is complete have students start practicing for the poster presentation. Make sure that students know to read from their notebooks instead of from the poster. The poster should be presented in the following order: 1) scientists’ names, 2) question, 3) experimental set-up, 4) procedure, 5) graph, and 6) “my experiment shows ________.” They will NOT read the “I acted like a scientist when _______” or the results table from their poster. The “I acted like a scientist when _________” section will be discussed as a class after all posters are presented. In addition, it sometimes helps to write a small number (order seen above) on the sections in their notebook in the order that they will be presented.

circumference or mass variable measured time

height or length variable measured time

(you should fill this blank out for the student)

(you should fill this blank out for the student)


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Tell students that they will present their findings the next meeting and you are looking forward to hearing about all of their experiments.

Clean-Up:

Before you leave have students attach their nametag to their notebook and place them in the group box. Leave student posters in the classroom. Bring all supplies back to UCSB. In addition, put your lab coat back into your group box.

Day 5: Poster Presentations Schedule: Introduction (SciTrek Leader) – 2 minutes Practice Posters (SciTrek Volunteers) – 15 minutes Poster Presentations (SciTrek Volunteers/SciTrek Leader) – 38 minutes Wrap-Up (SciTrek Leader) – 5 minutes


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Materials: (4) Volunteer Boxes:


☐ Volunteer lab coat ☐ Highlighter ☐ (4) Paperclips


Lead Box:


☐ (2) Highlighters ☐ (2) Scotch tape ☐ (4) Paperclips

☐ Teacher evaluation ☐ Time card

*Student posters should already be in the classroom. Set-Up:

SciTrek Leader: Write the class question on the board “What factors affect ball motion?” Leave enough room so that you can record student findings under the question. Give the teacher the “Evaluation of the SciTrek Program by Participating Teachers” form. Ask teachers to fill this form our and give it back to you the next time you are there.

SciTrek Volunteer:

Hand out the student nametags/notebooks to students. Get your groups’ poster. Today students will be sitting in their regular classroom seats during poster presentations.

Introduction (2 minute – Full Class – SciTrek Leader):

Tell students that today they are going to present their posters to the rest of the class. Tell the students that they are now going to be given 15 minutes to practice their poster before starting the presentations. Tell students before they practice their poster they need to explain to their volunteer what experiment they did and what they learned from their experiment. After that their SciTrek volunteer will ask them questions about their experiment. Tell students to pay attention to the type of questions their volunteer is asking because these are scientific question and they will need to ask other groups scientific questions during the poster presentation. After the 15 minutes students will return to their original class seats. They will sit in these seats during the presentations.

Practice Posters (15 minutes – Small Groups – SciTrek Volunteers):

Once students have gotten to your group have students explain to you what they did for their experiment and what they learned about ball motion. Ask student questions to make sure that they understand what they did during their experiment. Make sure that you also have them use their results to predict what would happen for other systems that they did not test. Remind them to think about the pattern or the trend that they saw for their own results and apply this trend to make other predictions about ball motion. For instance if the group was changing variable was ball mass ask them to predict the time that it would take for a ball of mass 125 g (this would be a mass that they did not test) to hit the board. Possible


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answer: the same time it took for the other trials because changing ball mass did not change the time it took for the ball to hit the board. Try to make sure that each student in your group answers one question. Once your group has an understanding of their experiment have them start practicing their poster. Make sure students are reading the poster parts in the correct order (scientists’ names, question, experimental set-up, procedure, graph, and “my experiment shows __________”) and out of their notebook, not off the poster. If the students’ section is not highlighted in their notebook, highlight the section for them. If they are reading multiple sections paperclip the sections together.

Poster Presentations (38 minutes – Full Class – SciTrek Volunteers/SciTrek Leader):

Have students return to their original class seats. Ask the class, “What question have we been working on to solve?” Students should tell you: What factors affect ball motion? Ask the class, “Why we are interested in answering this question?” Students should say that if we can determine the factors that affect ball motion we can predict other types of motion. Tell the students that after each presentation you will ask the class what changing variable the group was testing. They will then be given the opportunity to ask scientific questions to the presenting group to help them determine if the variable that the group was investigating affected ball motion. Scientific questions are the type of questions that your group leader was asking you about your experiment to learn more about your trials. Ask the class, “If the group experimented with ball mass do you think that they would be able to answer questions about ball circumference?” They should say no. “Therefore, we should try to ask the group questions that focus on their changing variable.” Tell the class once they have finished asking the group questions you will ask them if the group’s changing variable affected ball motion and if so how. Your will then summarize their ideas on the board under the class question. Volunteers should make sure that students are quiet and respectful when other groups are presenting. When your group is presenting go to the front of the room with the group and prompt students if they do not know who talks next and remind them to read out of their notebook and not off of the poster. During the student question time, the SciTrek lead and/or volunteers should ask at least one question. Examples of possible questions are: “How do you know…?” or “Is there anything else you can do to get more information about your question?” Each group should answer approximately 5 questions (1 question per student).

After all poster presentations have been given, ask the class “what did we learn about ball motion?” Have them summarize the class findings. Depending on the experiments that the class ran these are the highlights of the experiments.

Ball mass does not affect the time it takes for the ball to hit the board

The longer the run length the more time it takes for the ball to hit the board

The steeper the ramp (up to about 45°) the less time it takes for the ball to hit the board. Note: if the ramp is above a 45° angle then energy is lost when the ball hits the ground after coming off the ramp and the ball takes longer to hit the board

The circumference does not affect the time it takes for the ball to hit the board Note: The balls do have slightly different moments of inertia which would affect their speeds however over the distance that the students are looking at usually this is not seen.

The ramp length does not affect the time it take for the ball to hit the board.


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When reflecting on the summary, use students’ collected data and not what they should have found, if the two are in disagreement. Ask students, “If you want to get a ball to hit the board at 200 cm as fast as possible what conditions would you use?”

Mass: Any mass

Ramp Length: Any length

Ball circumference : Any circumference

Ramp Height: 35 cm (for a ramp length of 50 cm this will give a 45° angle)

Run Material: Smooth material Note: if no one in the class did experiments on one of the variables above, then they will not know how that variable affects ball motion and do not expect them to tell you which value to use.


Ask students the following wrap-up questions: Did you act like a scientist during this project? What did you do that scientists do?

Tell the students that the volunteers that have been working with them are undergraduates and graduate students that volunteer their time so that they can do experiments. Have the students say thank you to the volunteers. Tell the students that this is the last day with their SciTrek volunteers, therefore, they should say goodbye to them. Tell students that you will be back one more time. Tell students to remove the paper part of their nametag from the plastic holder and that they can keep the paper nametag but to give the plastic sleeve back to their SciTrek volunteer.

Clean- Up:

Before you leave collect plastic parts of nametags and put them in the group box. Students can keep the paper part of their nametag. Also collect and clip notebooks together with a large binder clip. Leave student posters in the classroom. Bring all materials back to UCSB. Remove tape from the lid of your box and place into group box. In addition, remove all materials from lab coat pockets, remove your nametag, unroll lab coat sleeves, and put your lab coat back into your group box.

Day 6: Question Assessment/Tie to the Standards/Content Assessment Schedule: Question Assessment (SciTrek Leader) – 10 minutes

Tie to Standards (SciTrek Leader) – 40 minutes Content Assessment (SciTrek Leader) – 10 minutes


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Materials: Lead Box:

☐ (3) Extra student notebooks ☐ Student notebooks ☐ Lead instructions

☐ Lead lab coat ☐ (2) Pencils ☐ (2) Yellow balls (19 cm circ., 99 g)

☐ Purple ball (19 cm circ., 272 g) ☐ Ping pong ball ☐ Golf ball

☐ Wood ramp holder (cut to 14°, 13 cm tall)

☐ (2) Wood ramp holder (cut to 24°, 22 cm tall)

☐ (25) Question assessments

☐ Time card

Other Supplies:

☐ 5ft x 2ft carpet with measurement mark

☐ Ball stop board (65cm × 30cm)

☐ (2) Boards (50cm × 30cm) with outdoor carpet

☐ Board (50cm × 30cm) with Astroturf

☐ Board (50cm × 30cm) ☐ Board (100cm × 30cm) with marks on back side

☐ 100cm x 30cm of Astroturf

SciTrek Notebook Pages Used with Students:


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Set-Up: SciTrek Leader:

Pass out notebooks to students. If you do not have time to get set-up before the start of the module ask the teacher to pass out the notebooks during the question assessment. Roll out the 5 ft × 2 ft carpet onto the table in the front of the class (if it is not possible to do this on a table then it can be done on the floor, see floor set-up note below). Set-up two 50 cm × 30 cm outdoor carpet covered ramps on the two different wood ramp holders heights (13 cm tall and 22 cm tall). Align the ramps so that the bottom of the ramps are sitting on the 50 cm mark on the carpet. Set the ball stop board at the 150 cm mark. Set two yellow balls (19 cm circumference, 99 g balls) by the set-up. Have the rest of the tie-to-standards materials close (purple ball, ping pong ball, golf ball, additional 22 cm tall wood ramp holder, board with Astroturf, wood board 50 cm, wood board 100 cm, and Astroturf) Floor Set-Up Note If you must set up on the floor, after you have the students make their first prediction (testing the ramp height) you need to warn the students about all the moving that will take place during today’s session. Give the students the following instructions: “On the count of three, I want everyone to stand up and move around the carpet set up so that you are able to see our experiment. The people in the front must sit so that those behind them can see. I will make sure that everyone is able to see before I start the trials, but remember that the quicker and quieter you all get set, the sooner we will be able to see each experiment. In addition, when you get to the carpet set up make sure not to touch it. Let’s see how we do. One… two… three.” The first


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time, you may need to direct students whether they need to sit, kneel or stand. After the experiment have students return to their seats. Tell students that we will repeat this process two more time during the session.

If the classroom has a document camera, ask the teacher to use it to fill out the tie to standards activity with students on pages 10-12. If the classroom does not have a document camera, then tape the example poster size notebook pages to the front board.

Question Assessment (10 minutes – Full Class – SciTrek Leader):

“Before we start with our activity we want to see how your ideas on questions are developing.” Pass-out the question assessment to each student. Tell students to fill out their name, teacher’s name, and date at the top of the assessment. Tell students one of the ways that we get money for the program is to show that the program is effective and that we need them to do their best on the assessment so we can know the effectiveness of the program. Remind the students that it is important that they fill out this assessment on their own. Read the instructions to the students. Then read each of the questions aloud to the students and tell them to circle “testable” for questions that science can answer or “not testable” for questions that science cannot answer. Have students turn over their paper. Tell the students for the following attitude questions there are no right or wrong answers. Read each of the four attitudes towards science question to the students and have them circle/fill in their answers. When they are finished, collect the papers and verify that the student’s name is on the top of the paper.

Tie to Standards (40 minutes – Full Class – SciTrek Leader):

Tell the class that you enjoyed their poster presentations the last time you were there. Tell them that today they are going to revisit some of the variables that they tested and the effects of these variables on ball motion. Have students turn to page 10 of their notebooks. Place an example notebook on the document camera and turn to page 10.

Speed vs. Time (5 minutes)

Ask students what they were measuring during their experiments? Students should reply that they were measuring the time it took for the ball to hit the ball stop board which was a set distance from the top of the ramp. Tell students that you heard some of the students taking about ball speeds during the module and you were wondering what they meant by this because it seems like they only measured the time. Therefore, how would they be able to tell anything about speed? By the end of the conversation make sure that students understand that to get a speed they need time and distance. Since both time and distance were measured during the experiment they can talk about speeds of the ball. Have students fill in question 1 and 2 on page 10. See example below.


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Effects of Ramp Height (10 minutes)

Show students the set-up on the table. Tell students, “I am going to roll two balls that have the same circumference (19 cm) and mass (99 g) down the two ramps which are 13 cm tall and 22 cm tall. I will then allow the balls to roll for 150 cm before the ball will hit the ball stop board. But before I do this experiment I want you to predict what you think will happen and record this prediction in your notebook for question 3.” Allow students time to make their predictions and then have one student share what they think and why. After have the rest of the class vote if they agree/disagree with the student’s prediction using thumbs up/thumbs down. Set the two yellow balls at the top of the ramps and release the balls at the same time. In the actual column of question 3 record which set-up made the ball hit board first. Fill in the result of trial 1 on the example notebook under the document camera. Repeat the process two more times for trials 2 and 3. Ask the students, does the ramp height affect the time the ball takes to hit the board? Students should respond yes. Have the students circle “yes” for question 4. Have students write a sentence explaining the relationship between ramp height and how fast the ball hits the board. (IMPORTANT: As students are writing their sentence remove the 13 cm tall ramp and replace it will a 22 cm tall ramp covered with Astroturf. In addition roll out the Astroturf run.) After students have attempted this on their own have a few students share their sentences with the class and write one of them down on the example notebook. See example student work below.

Ask students, if they think that the taller ramp will always result in the ball hitting the board faster. If a group used ramp height as a variable they might have found that increasing the ramp height decreases the time it take for the ball to hit the ball stop board until the ramp has a slope of ~45˚ (ramp height = 35 cm). Anything greater than this angle and the time it takes for the ball to hit the ball stop board starts to increase from the minimum time. (If this variable was not investigated by a group take one of the ramps and increase the ramp height until the ramp is 90° from the run. Ask students if this ball will reach the ball stop board slower or faster than the other ramp that is set up. Students should predict that when the ramp is at 90° the ball will never reach the ball stop board, therefore, if the ramp gets too step the time it take to reach the ball stop board increases.) Ask the class why when the angle is great does it take more time for the ball to hit the ball stop board. By the end of the conversation make sure that students understand that the taller the ramp, the more energy the ball has but more of the balls energy is directed in the downward direction (z), therefore, less of the energy is directed along the ramp (x). (In other words the fall causes the ball to loose significant amount of energy, therefore, the ball does not travel as far. The extreme of this is seen when the ramp is at 90° and the ball does not travel in the x direction.)


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Effects of Ball Mass (10 minutes)

Tell students, “I am going to roll two different balls down the same ramp which is 22 cm off the ground. One of the balls will have a mass of 99 g (yellow ball) and the other ball will have a mass of 272g (purple ball) and both balls will have the same circumference (19 cm). I will then allow the balls to roll for 150 cm before the balls will hit the ball stop board. But before I do this experiment I want you to predict what you think will happen and record this prediction in your notebook for question 6.” Allow students time to make their predictions and then have one student share what they think and why. After have the rest of the class vote if they agree/disagree with the student’s prediction using thumbs up/thumbs down.

Set the two balls at the top of the same 22 cm outdoor carpeted ramp (you will not use the Astroturf ramp for this experiment) and release the balls at the same time. In the actual column of question 6 record which set-up made the ball hit the ball stop board first. Fill in the result of trial 1 on the example notebook under the document camera. Repeat the process two more times for trials 2 and 3.

Ask the students if ball mass affects the time the ball takes to hit the board? Students should respond no. Have student circle “no” for question 7. Have students write a sentence explaining the relationship between ball mass and how fast the ball hits the board. (IMPORTANT: As students are writing their sentence remove the ramp that is covered with outdoor carpet and replace with the wood ramp. In addition place the 100 cm ramp wood side up, down for the run.) After students have attempted this on their own have a few students share their sentence with the class and write one of them down on the example notebook for question 8. See example student work above. Show the students the two balls (golf ball and ping pong ball) that you will use for the gravity demonstration. Do not use the plastic balls for this demonstration because they will shatter if they are dropped. Have the students make observations about the balls. At the bare minimum make sure that students have noted that the balls are approximately the same size but one is heavier than the other. Have students predict which ball will hit the ground first and circle their prediction for question 9. Have one student share what they think and why. Then have the rest of the class vote if they agree/disagree with the student’s prediction using thumbs up/thumbs down. Hold one ball in your left hand and hold the other ball in your right hand. Make sure that the balls are at approximately the same height. Drop the balls at the same time on to a hard surface so students can hear the balls hit the ground. If the classroom is carpeted turn one of the ramps over and drop the balls on the wood side of the ramp. Students will


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observe that the balls will hit the ground at the same time. Have them record this for question 10. Ask students to compare and contrast when balls of different masses are rolled down a ramp and when they are dropped. Students should realize the mass does not affect the speed the ball travels in either of the two cases. Teacher/Lead Note: If a feather and a BB (ammo pellet) of the same mass were dropped at the same time the BB would hit the ground first. This is not because the BB is heavier than the feather this is because the feather is larger and encounters more air resistance. If the feather and the BB were dropped at the same time in a vacuum (where there is no air, and no air resistance) both would hit the ground at the same time.

Effect of Run Material (10 minutes) Tell students, “I am going to roll two balls that have the same circumference (19 cm) and mass (99 g) down the ramps/runs that are made of different materials. One run will be made out of wood and the other run will be made from Astroturf. Both ramps will have a height of 22 cm. I will then allow the balls to roll for 150 cm before the ball will hit the ball stop board. But before I do this experiment I want you to predict what you think will happen and record this prediction in your notebook for question 11.” Allow students time to make their predictions and then have one student share what they think and why. After have the rest of the class vote if they agree/disagree with the student’s prediction using thumbs up/thumbs down. Set the two balls at the top of the ramps and release the balls at the same time. In the actual column of question 11, record which set-up made the ball hit the ball stop board first. Fill in the result of trial 1 on the example notebook under the document camera. Repeat the process two more times for trials 2 and 3. Ask the students if run material affects the time the ball takes to hit the board? Students should respond yes. Have the students circle “yes” for question 12. Have students write a sentence explaining the relationship between run material and how fast the ball hits the board. After students have attempted this on their own have a few students share their sentences with the class and write one of them down on the example notebook. See example student work below.

Explain to the students that the material objects travel over has a large effect on the motion of the object. The smoother the material the faster an object will move. The resistance the object encounters when


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moving is called friction. Have the students rub their hands together and ask them what they feel (heat). This is also because of friction. The resistance that they feel when they rub their hands together is the friction. Tell the students that even when a ball is thrown through the air it encounters friction from the particles like oxygen in the air (air resistance). This is why eventually a thrown object will fall to the ground. (Teacher/Lead note: Gravity also plays a role but the ball would travel much farther if there was no air resistance/friction). Ask the students if there would be friction if a ball was thrown in outer space. Outer space is a vacuum (no air) so there would not be friction (no air resistance). Ask the students what would happen if you throw a ball in outer space. Tell students that the ball would just keep going in the direction that you throw it forever because there would be nothing to slow it down.

Teacher/Lead Note: Effect of Ramp Length Only address ramp length if a student asks a question about the effects of ramp length. This variable is the hardest for students to understand and is contrary to what simple Newtonian physics predicts.

In theory ramp length should not affect the time it takes for the ball to hit the ball stop or the speed of the ball. The stored energy of the ball only depends on the original height and mass of the ball. Since the same ball was used for all the trials (therefore the mass of the balls are the same) and the balls all started at the same height, all balls have the same amount of stored energy. Since the balls all have the same amount of stored energy the balls should all have the same final speed. However, experimentally students will see that the balls hit the board stop in slightly different amounts of time. They will find is the smaller the angle between the table top and the ramp (resulting in a less steep slope) the faster the ball will travel (the sooner it will hit the ball stop). When a ball is released from the top of the ramp the ball has velocity in the z (downward) and x (direction towards the run) directions. The steeper the ramp, the larger the z component of the velocity and the smaller the x component of the velocity. As the ball comes off the ramp the ball hits the run. If the z component of the velocity is large the ball hits the run more forcefully and transfers a large percentage of its energy into the run. This energy is no longer available to propel the ball down the ramp. The extreme of this phenomena can be easily observed if the ramp is at a 90˚ angle. When the ball is released the ball falls and hits the run and essentially does not roll down the run.

Motion Predictability (5 minutes)

Ask students if they think motion is predictable. Have a few student share their answers with the class. Tell the student that you want to design a set up in which the ball travels as fast as possible. Ask students, does this mean that the ball would hit the ball stop in more or less time? Students should respond less. When designing this set-up there are only a few variable that you can choose from and you would like their help to identify the variables that you should use. Have students individually go through the variables in question 14(a) and circle each variable that would allow the ball to travel the fastest. After they have filled out the question, have one student share each variable that they chose and ask the class if they agree/disagree with thumbs up/thumbs down. An example of student work can be seen below.


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Repeat the above procedure for question 14(b), however this time students need to determine the variable that would allow the ball to travel the slowest. An example of student work can be seen below.

Tell the students that you have enjoyed working with them and you have learned a lot about motion from them. You now know that motion is predictable and the ball mass does not affect the speed of the ball but that ramp height, ball circumference and run material will affect the speed. Tell them before you leave there is one last thing that they need to do.

Content Assessment (10 minutes – Full Class – SciTrek Leader):

Tell students to close their SciTrek notebooks and to place the notebook in the corner of their desk. Pass out the Content Assessment to each student. Tell students to put their name, teacher’s name, and date on the top of their paper. During the assessment remind students to work by themselves. Read each of the content questions to the students and have them select/fill out the correct answer. When students are finished collect the assessments and verify that they have written their name on the assessment. Tell the students that they can keep their SciTrek notebooks and that you have enjoyed working and learning with them and that you hope they continue to see themselves as scientist and explore the world around them.

Clean- Up:

Bring all materials back to UCSB.

module 2: motion - scitrek · 3. module 3 (year 2) a. classroom teacher runs group and starts...

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