Green = Behavioural Learning Orange = Cognitive Learning
Session A
Gravity
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Programme of study: Explain that unsupported
objects fall towards the Earth because of the force of gravity acting between
the Earth and the falling object
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Working scientifically
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Take
measurements using a range of scientific equipment
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Resources needed
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Fruit nets/plastic bags, various
objects from classroom, force meters. Access to internet
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Whole class teaching:
On
f/c write the phrase ‘What is a force?’ Take suggestions from the children to
assess their current understanding based on the study of forces in previous
years, record all suggestions even if these are proven to be incorrect at a
later date. Refer back to this list as you teach the strand & add to or
amend the list as relevant.
Encourage the children to think about everyday examples
of forces in action. Forces are powerful and are everywhere – they can start
something moving, stop something moving, speed something up, slow it down,
change the direction of something or even change its shape!
Everything that
moves has had a force applied to it; even objects that aren’t moving are still
under the action of forces!
At
arm’s length hold a fruit net with a small object inside. Ask the children what
will happen if you let go – it will fall
to the floor! Why? The force of gravity
– demonstrate to prove it!!
Ask volunteers to explain what gravity is. Gravity is
the natural phenomenon by which objects attract each other with a force (the
size of the force of attraction depends on: the masses involved – the bigger
the masses the greater the force; and the distance between them - the greater
the distance the smaller the force). The attractive force
of gravity acts between the centres of two objects. For people standing on the
Earth's surface, the effect of gravity is to attract us towards the centre of
the Earth. As a result, no matter where you stand on the Earth, you don't fall
off. Share
ideas for diagrams to show this (see session resources) & other
objects/activities pointing out how arrows are used to show the direction of
the force. [An explanation of the difference between mass
(which we usually refer to as ‘weight’ in everyday life) – the amount of stuff
it contains measured in grams/kilograms, & weight (gravitational force) is
given at http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks3/science/energy_electricity_forces/forces/revision/3/.
Use being on the Moon as an example of mass staying the same & weight being
different. The Moon's gravity is one sixth of the
Earth's gravity. A 120 kg astronaut weighs
approximately 1200N on Earth. On the Moon they would weigh only 200N. The astronaut's mass is 120kg wherever they are – note
use of capital letter for abbreviation of unit’s name. Sometimes
astronauts talk about weightlessness – that is exactly what they are - weight
less, take a look at http://settlement.arc.nasa.gov/Video/freefall.mpg.]
Tell
the children that with all these forces in action (remember we can’t always see
them - only the effect of them!) it is important they know how to measure them.
Show the children a force meter (newton meter or spring balance). Now hang the
bag from the newton meter at arm’s length. What do the children notice now? – The bag hangs in the air. Why? Tell the
children that as the bag is not moving (not being lifted or dropped) the force
of gravity on the object and the force of lifting the object are equal – or balanced!
The measure in newtons (N) shown on the scale on the force meter is the force
needed to hold the object up (its weight, not its mass!) which is equal to the
force pulling it down. Draw this on the board demonstrating how to use arrows
to show in which direction the forces are pulling.
Group activities:
Adult-led activity: Discuss what life would be like without gravity. How would you walk
along the ground? How would you have a shower? Sleep? How would you eat your
breakfast? Point out that astronauts have had to overcome these problems.
Discuss how they manage. Visit http://www.spacekids.co.uk/spacefood/
to find out about food & drink in space.
Independent activity: Chn write a simple
explanation on the provided layout & create a diagram to show their
understanding of what gravity is (session resources). They should
add arrows to show the direction in which this powerful force acts.
Independent activity: Allow the children to
measure the force acting on different common classroom objects by hanging them
in a fruit bag/plastic bag from a force meter. Ask the children to draw one
object being measured complete with arrows and record the force acting on other
objects in a simple table (can use session
resource or draw their own). Compare results, what do they show? Place ten
of the commonly measured items in a line based on how many newtons were
recorded. What does this show?
Support: Children
visit http://www.racemath.info/forcesandpressure/ks2_force_b.htm
& use online force meter.
Independent activity: Investigate the centre of gravity of a ruler at
http://www.askaboutireland.ie/learning-zone/primary-students/5th-+-6th-class/science/gravity/some-ideas-about-gravity/.
Plenary: What
actually is a newton? One newton is the force
of Earth’s gravity on a mass of about 100g (hand around a 100g weight), so a
mass of 1 kg applies a force of about 10N (9.81N) on the Earth’s surface. The
force of Earth's gravity on (= the weight of) a human being with a mass of 70 kg is approximately
686N. A newton is equal to the amount of net force required to accelerate a
mass of one kilogram at a rate of one metre per second squared. Who was Isaac
Newton (that the unit is named after)? Tell the children that he made many
important discoveries and that they will find out more about him and what he discovered
in the next session.
I can:
1. Discuss
every day examples of forces in action.
2. Explain gravity in
simple terms.
3.
Use a force meter to measure force acting upon an object.
_______________________________________________________________________________
The learning points that result in the student learning knowledge that is to be remembered and recalled falls under the cognitive learning and hence is in orange. The Knowledge that involved good working practice, in this case working with scientific diagrams and newton-meters, is a behavioural change and is highlighted green. These are only my opinions based on the readings I have undertaken in previous blog posts.
Below here are the sections I have taken in an attempt to gamify the content to improve motivation and engagement within the classroom. I will colour code once more, this time to link the sections together across my proposed changes. (like colours will attempt to elicit the same outcome)
- Encourage the children to think about everyday examples of forces in action.
- Explain that even objects that aren’t moving are still under the action of forces!
- Ask the children "what will happen if I let go of an object"
- Ask volunteers to explain what gravity is
- Show how arrows are used to show the direction of the force.
- Allow the children to measure the force acting on different objects with a force meter.
- How would we function without gravity?
- What actually is a newton?
- Include the information on the moon and how mass stays the same but weight changes.
- (The Inciting Moment) I propose that upon entering the class, students are immediately met with a model of a car hanging off the edge of a desk suspended by a ruler and counterbalanced with your hand.
- Tell the children that George and Mandy were going on holiday in this car, and George took a wrong turn and ended up on this ledge.
- Ask the children "what will happen if I let go" - They will fall to the floor and their holiday will be ruined.
- Ask why and ask what gravity is?
- Ask the children why they are not falling when your hand is holding it down and explain that gravity is still acting on the car pulling it down at the same time you are exerting a force on the other end to counter the force. The ruler is stopping the car from falling but gravity is holding the car down to the ruler.
- Tell the children that George and Mandy don't understand why they are not falling, Ask the children to explain what is happening using every day examples of forces in action. Include Isaac Newton's apple for cognitive and potentially tangential trivia.
- Then inform the children that George and Mandy still dont get the concept so they must be shown. Introduce the use of arrows in diagrams to depict forces. Larger forces are larger arrows and smaller forces are smaller arrows.
- Introduce the Newton meter and explain how it is used. Show the children how much force the car requires to be held up and then ask the children how much is the minimum force required to keep George and Mandy from falling? Challenge the children to find objects in the class room that can save George and Mandy from having their holiday ruined and have them measure the objects force with the meter. Challenge the children to find the closest match to the cars force.
- (The Reversal (Turning Point)) Describe how George and Mandy arrive at their destination safely and as it happens, all of the children are there too waiting to catch their flight. Their holiday is on the moon! Tell the children that while they are all on their way to the moon, they will have no gravity. Ask them how they will do basic things like eat, sleep and move around without gravity.
- (The Resolution) After the children have finished with their discussion, Explain that when they reach the moon they find that they feel light because the moons gravity is lower than Earth's, because it is smaller.
- Inform the students that the Moon's gravity is one sixth of the Earth's gravity. A 120 kg astronaut weighs approximately 1200 N on Earth. On the Moon they would weigh only 200 N. The astronaut's mass is 120 kg wherever they are.
- At this point children can be either set homework or be set a personal study task to go onto the internet and find out what a Newton is. Open the next session discussing what gravity is and what a newton is.
- One newton is the force of Earth’s gravity on a mass of about 100g, so a mass of 1 kg applies a force of about 10 N (9.81 N) on the Earth’s surface. The force of Earth's gravity on a human being with a mass of 70 kg is approximately 686 N. A newton is equal to the amount of net force required to accelerate a mass of one kilogram at a rate of one metre per second squared.
Tangential Learning can be inserted into the homework freely and via use of websites and links. There are many opportunity for competition in this worksheet which I will revisit when I come to structural gamification, at which point I may add a form points system in to the model.
At the end of the session are the following outcomes achieved?
- I can discuss every day examples of forces in action?
- Yes
- I can explain gravity in simple terms?
- Yes
- I can use a force meter to measure forces acting upon an object?
- Yes
I believe that all worksheet outcome have been met. Some further work will need to be undertaken but this will come with further iterations to the materials. Please feel free to comment on this post as feedback at this stage is at its most valuable.
Thank you for reading!
References
Forces (Year 5) | Hamilton Trust. 2015. Forces (Year 5) | Hamilton Trust. [ONLINE] Available at:https://www.hamilton-trust.org.uk/browse/science/y5/forces-year-5/86859. [Accessed 27 November 2015].
Structural gamification. 2015. Structural gamification. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.lynda.com/Higher-Education-tutorials/Structural-gamification/173211/197011-4.html. [Accessed 27 November 2015].
Kapp, K. M. (2012) The Gamification of learning and instruction: Game-based methods and strategies for training and education. 1st edn. San Francisco, CA: Wiley, John & Sons.
Brathwaite, B., Schreiber, I. and Media, C. R. (2009) Challenges for game designers. 1st edn. Boston, MA: Course Technology/Cengage Learning.
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