You may save this lesson plan to your hard drive as an html file by selecting
"File", then "Save As" from your browser's pull down menu. The file name extension
must be .html.
Total Duration:
31 to 60 Minutes
Materials and Resources:
Per group of four students:
small water basin filled with 2-3 inches of water
pipette
marble
ruler
cup of water
Technology Resources Needed:
Tablet with video capability in slow motion (one per group)
Think/Pair/Share - Students will discuss the following questions:
What is going on in this video?
How is the water moving? (Many students will say that the water is moving side to side, but it is actually moving up and down. This misconception will be addressed during the water wave model activity.)
What is causing the water to move?
Explore:
Distribute materials to each group.
Allow the students to predict in their science notebooks what they think will happen if we drop one drop of water into the water basin and why.
Have one student video in slow motion the surface of the water as another student drops one drop of water into the basin from 3 inches above the water.
Give the students time to watch the video and answer the following question in their notebook: What happened to the surface of the water when one drop of water was released from 3 inches?
The students will repeat steps 3 and 4 for 6 inches and 12 inches.
Explain:
Guide a class discussion using the following questions:
What happened to the surface of the water when the drop of water was released at 3 inches? 12 inches?
Were the waves the same or different? How?
What caused the waves?
Where did the energy come from and where did it go?
Students will draw a model of a wave in their science notebooks labeling amplitude and wavelength.
Elaborate:
Repeat the above experiment using a marble instead of a drop of water. Students should drop the marble from 3 and 12 inches, and then compare the slow motion videos of the drop of water and the marble.
Discussion questions:
Did the marble disturb the surface of the water in the same way as the drop of water?
How did the marble affect the amplitude, wavelength, and frequency of the water compared to the drop of water?
Assessment Strategies
This is an introductory lesson so ongoing formative assessment should take place throughout the student discussion time.
The science notebook answers and drawings can be used as an assessment to ensure the standard has been met.
Here is another formative assessment that can be used:
Students will answer the following questions in their science notebook: What causes the ripples in a lake when a rock is thrown into the lake? What will happen to the ripples if a larger rock is thrown?
Acceleration:
Provide students with a variety of objects that they could test using the procedures from the Elaborate portion of the lesson (penny, nail, golf ball, etc.).
Intervention:
It may be helpful to preview the vocabulary that will come up in the lesson. Providing the terms on cards would help them to visualize the word as they hear you say it during the lesson (amplitude, wavelength, and frequency).
Students may also draw what they see instead of writing to answer the discussion questions.
View the Special Education resources for
instructional guidance in providing modifications and adaptations
for students with significant cognitive disabilities who qualify for the Alabama Alternate Assessment.