ALEX Learning Activity

  

How Far Will It Go?

A Learning Activity is a strategy a teacher chooses to actively engage students in learning a concept or skill using a digital tool/resource.

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  This learning activity provided by:  
Author: Dawn Deputy
System:Mobile County
School:W H Council Traditional School
  General Activity Information  
Activity ID: 1602
Title:
How Far Will It Go?
Digital Tool/Resource:
Forces in Action
Web Address – URL:
Overview:

The Forces in Action interactive simulator utilizes a truck,  a sloped track, weights and parachutes to allow students to conduct an investigation of how the forces of friction, gravity, and mass impact the distance the truck will travel. The students follow the directions at the top of the activity window to explore the different activities utilizing parachutes for friction, weights for mass, and slope for gravity.

The students record the distance for each run the truck makes down the track, with the different objects in and on the truck, in the included results table. The students will analyze and interpret the data from their table and share the results with the class.
  Associated Standards and Objectives  
Content Standard(s):
Science
SC2015 (2015)
Grade: 3
1 ) Plan and carry out an experiment to determine the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object using one variable at a time, including number, size, direction, speed, position, friction, or air resistance (e.g., balanced forces pushing from both sides on an object, such as a box, producing no motion; unbalanced force on one side of an object, such as a ball, producing motion), and communicate these findings graphically.

NAEP Framework
NAEP Statement::
P4.13: An object is in motion when its position is changing. The speed of an object is defined by how far it travels divided by the amount of time it took to travel that far.

NAEP Statement::
P4.14: The motion of objects can be changed by pushing or pulling. The size of the change is related to the size of the force (push or pull) and the weight (mass) of the object on which the force is exerted. When an object does not move in response to a push or a pull, it is because another push or pull (friction) is being applied by the environment.

Unpacked Content
Scientific And Engineering Practices:
Planning and Carrying out Investigations
Crosscutting Concepts: Cause and Effect
Disciplinary Core Idea: Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students:
  • Planned an experiment to determine the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object using one variable at a time.
  • Carried out an experiment to determine the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object using one variable at a time.
  • Collected data from experiment to serve as the basis of evidence for how balanced and unbalanced forces on an object determines an object's motion.
  • Communicated evidence and findings from experiment graphically.
Teacher Vocabulary:
  • Experiment
  • Variable
  • Motion
  • Force (push and pull)
  • Balanced forces
  • Unbalanced forces
  • Cause and effect
  • Number
  • Size
  • Direction
  • Position
  • Friction
  • Air resistance
  • Communicate
  • Graphically
  • Net force
  • Sum
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • Each force acts on one particular object and has both strength and direction.
  • An object at rest typically has multiple forces acting on it, but they add to give zero net force on the object.
  • Forces that do not sum to zero can cause changes in the object's speed or direction of motion.
  • Objects in contact exert forces on each other.
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • Collaboratively plan an experiment to determine the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object using one variable at a time.
  • Carry out an experiment to determine the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object using one variable at a time.
  • Collect and record data from experiment.
  • Describe how the investigation plan addresses the purpose of the investigation.
  • Communicate findings graphically.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • Cause and effect relationships provide evidence when investigating balanced and unbalanced forces.
AMSTI Resources:
AMSTI Module:
Forces and Investigations
Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
SCI.AAS.3.1- Identify the effect of a force (e.g., push, pull, gravity) applied to an object.
Learning Objectives:

The student will be able to carry out an experiment to determine the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object using one variable at a time.

The student will be able to collect and record data from the experiment.

The student will be able to recognize the impact of the forces of friction, gravity, and mass on an object's movement.

The student will be able to measure the motion of an object.

The student will understand that cause and effect relationships provide evidence when investigating balanced and unbalanced forces. 
  Strategies, Preparations and Variations  
Phase:
During/Explore/Explain
Activity:

The teacher will introduce the Forces in Action interactive simulator to the class and demonstrate the parts of the activity: release button, reset button, gradient selector, the object selector, and table button. The teacher will run one truck down the track and highlight the table where the distance traveled for each run is recorded.

The students will be divided into groups of 2-4.

Have students use the simulator to carry out an experiment to determine the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object using one variable at a time.

The students will take turns investigating the forces that act on the truck and record the results of their investigation into their science notebook.

Each group of students will share their results with the class and explain their analysis of their data.
Assessment Strategies:

Utilize the included quiz to evaluate student recall and understanding of the concepts.

Evidence of student attainment of the selected standard:

The student:

  • Planned an experiment to determine the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object using one variable at a time.

  • Carried out an experiment to determine the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object using one variable at a time.

  • Collected data from the experiment to serve as the basis of evidence for how balanced and unbalanced forces on an object determines an object's motion.

  • Communicated evidence and findings from experiment graphically.
Advanced Preparation:

The teacher should complete the activities contained in the interactive simulator prior to introducing it to the class.

The interactive simulator requires the use of Adobe Flash.

Free Graph Paper Generator http://www.printfreegraphpaper.com/
Variation Tips (optional):

Each group utilizes graph paper to create a bar graph of their results.

Free Graph Paper Generator http://www.printfreegraphpaper.com/
Notes or Recommendations (optional):
 
  Keywords and Search Tags  
Keywords and Search Tags: