FWISD

Technology Lesson Plan

7^th Grade Science

Unit Topic: Investigating Motion, Forces and Simple Machines

By

Paul L. Chapinduka

Riverside middle School

Stage 1 – Identify Desired Results

Content Standards Addressed-TEKS:

Science Concepts:

• 7.6A Demonstrate the basic relationship between forces and motion using simple machines including pulleys and levers;

• 7.6B Demonstrate that an object will remain at rest or move at a constant speed and in a straight line if it is not being subjected to unbalanced force;

• 7.6C Relate forces to basic process in living organisms including the flow of blood and immergence of seedlings

Students will understand that:

· There is a relationship between force and motion.

· Complex interaction occur between matter and energy.

The essential questions upon which this unit is designed are:

· How would changes in speed or direction of an objects motion caused by unbalanced force be demonstrated?

· Why is the basic relationship between force and motion demonstrated by using simple machines?

The key knowledge and process skills students will acquire are:

Observing, communicating, measuring, collecting data, classifying, inferring, predicting, making models, interpreting data, making graphs, hypothesizing, controlling variables, defining operationally, investigating.

Students will know:

· What is motion and what causes motion to occur?

· How to distinguish between potential and kinetic energy.

· Newton’s Laws of Motion.

Students will be able to:

· Define speed and acceleration.

· Relate acceleration to change in speed.

· Calculate distance speed and acceleration

· Define work and the different types of machines, simple and compound machines.

Stage 2 – Acceptable Evidence

(Evidence that will show that students do understand)

Performance Tasks:

Core Activities: CPO UNIT LABS –

1. Speed Lab: What is the meaning of speed?

2. Acceleration Lab: How do we describe the motion
of the Car rolling down the Ramp?

3. Gravity Lab: What happens to the motion objects of different weights as they fall?

Extended Activities:

4. Build hover craft and allow students to take turns to ride it in the hall ways or GYM. Demonstrate Newton’s Laws of Motion 1st, 2nd and 3^rd.

5. Hover Craft– CD balloon models.

Other Evidence (quizzes, tests, prompts, observations & dialogues)

Students show mastery of vocabulary and terms by:

· Using the interactive activities (Glencoe iText Book) to understand new Vocabulary terms-

· March correct answers by dragging and completing statements,

· Review chapter and take vocabulary quiz from the interactive Text Glencoe Book

Stage 3 – Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction:

The learning experiences designed to support the essential understandings of this unit are:

1. PowerPoint Lecture—Section 1: Motion

Create easy to follow notes for special students using the 7^th Grade Glencoe Chapter Resources. Allow students to fill in the gaps as present the lessons.

Core Activities:

Engage: Hovercraft models, CDs attached to balloons. Let students create their own hover crafts and let them hover them on table , floors or any flat surface.

Explore: CPO Lab-Speed.

Suppose you run a race. How do you describe your run to a friend? Saying that you ran for 20 minutes would not be enough for your friend to tell how fast you went. What you need to tell how fast you went is your speed. There are two things you need to describe your speed: 1. The distance you traveled 2. The time it took you.

Objective:

In this activity you will measure the speed of the Car
as it rolls down the Ramp and the time taken.

• Roll the Car down the Ramp and measure the speed.
• Move the Clamps to a different place and try it again.
• Write your results in a table and
• Use Excel to create graphs and create power point presentations to explain their findings.

2. PowerPoint Lecture—Section 2: Newton’s Laws of Motion.

Create easy to follow notes for special students using the 7^th Grade Glencoe Chapter Resources. Allow students to fill in the gaps as present the lessons.

Core Activities:

Explore: Acceleration Lab

How do we describe the motion of the Car rolling down the Ramp?

Objective:

In the last activity you measured the speed of the Car. You probably discovered that the speed was different in different places. This activity we will look a little closer at what happens to the speed of the Car as it rolls down the Ramp.

• Students should calculate the speed of the Car from the time measurement you get from Clamp A.
• Move the Clamp to another place and measure the distance and speed.
• Repeat the measurements of distance and speed for at least 6 different places
  on the Ramp.

• Use Excel to create graphs and create power point presentations to explain their findings.

Explore:CPO Gravity Lab:

What happens to the motion objects of different weights as they fall?

In the last activity you discovered that the Car accelerated as it moved down the Ramp. This acceleration was due to the effect of gravity pulling the Car down. Gravity pulls all objects towards the center of the earth with a force we call weight.

Objective:

This activity we will learn that acceleration was due to the effect of gravity pulling the Car down. Gravity pulls all objects towards the center of the earth with a force we call weight.

• Students should calculate the speed of the Car from the time measurement you get from Clamp A.
• Change the number of weights on the Car and roll it again.
• Repeat the measurement of speed for at all four possible combinations of weight
• Use Excel to create graphs and create power point presentations to explain their findings.

Extended Activities:

· Build hover craft and allow students to take turns to ride it in the hall ways or GYM. Demonstrate Newton’s Laws of Motion 1st, 2nd and 3^rd.

3. PowerPoint Lecture—Section 3: Work and Simple Machines.

Create easy to follow notes for special students using the 7^th Grade Glencoe Chapter Resources. Allow students to fill in the gaps as present the lessons.

Core Activities:

Engage: Let students see ‘work’ using a simple “Wave Machine”.

Explore: CPO Lab-Ropes and Pulleys.

How can we use the Ropes and Pulleys to lift large weights with small forces?

Ropes & Pulleys

Would you believe that a small child could lift an elephant with just muscle power? It's true! You could do it by building a simple machine with some rope and pulleys.

Objective:

In this experiment you will learn how to build machines which allow you to lift large weights with small forces.

· Measure the force it takes to slowly lift the bottom pulley block.

· This arrangement has one strand supporting the bottom pulley block.

· Record the force needed in the table in the row corresponding to one strand.

· Move the marker and measure the force it takes to slowly lift the bottom pulley block.

· Record this force in the row for two supporting strands.

· Rearrange the yellow strings so that you get 3,4,5, and 6 supporting strands.

· Measure and record the force it takes to lift the bottom pulley block for each new setup.

· Use Excel to Create graphs demonstrating mechanical advantage.

· Create Power Point Presentation of Data.