Jasenka Memisevic November 30, 2006 4th and 5th grade Robotics Lesson Using the 5E Lesson Plan Format
Goals: Teach students how different gear ratios, tire sizes, and motor powers change the speed of the car. Students should also be able to estimate the approximate time it should take a car to get to a certain destination. Ideas: Bigger tires, more powerful motor, and less mass should make the car go faster. Recording data for test trials can help estimate time to get to a certain destination. Science GLEs: Strand 2.1.A (Grade 4) The motion of an object is described as a change in position, direction, and speed relative to another object (frame of reference). Scope and sequence: Laws of motion – a. Classify different types of motion (straight line, curved, back and forth); b. Describe an object’s motion in terms of distance and time – Racing cars to see which is faster. Following a straight line, moving around in circles. Strand 2.2.A: (Grade 4, 5) Forces are classified as either contact forces (push, pull, friction, buoyancy) or non-contact forces (gravity, magnetism), that can be described in terms of direction and magnitude. Scope and sequence: laws of motion – a. Identify the forces action on the motion of objects traveling in a straight line (racing their cars and commenting on why some are faster than others; should recognize mass, tire size, motor power); b. Recognize friction as a force that slows down or stops a moving object that is touching another object or surface (what would happen with a car that does not have front tires, like the ones they built in the beginning of club) Strand 2.2.D (Grade 4,5) Newton’s Laws of Motion explain the interaction of mass and forces, and are used to predict changes in motion. b. Describe how unbalanced forces acting on an object changes its speed (faster/slower), direction of motion, or both; d. Explain how the mass of an object (e.g. cars) affects the force required to move it; e. Explain how the speed of an object (faster, slower, remains the same) is affected by the amount of force applied to an object and the mass of the object. Strand 7.1.A Scientific inquiry includes the ability of students to formulate a testable question and explanation, and to select appropriate investigative methods in order to obtain evidence relevant to the explanation Grade 4, 5: a. Formulate testable questions and explanations (hypotheses); c. Conduct a fair test to answer a question. Grade 5: d. Make suggestion for reasonable improvements or extensions of a fair test. Strand 7.1.C Evidence is used to formulate explanations (Grades 4,5) a. Use quantitative and qualitative data as support for reasonable explanations; b. Use data as support for observed patterns and relationships, and to make predictions to be tested.
The degree to which students have understood the goals of the lesson will be assessed by observation of the methods in which students attempt to increase the speed of their cars. It is anticipated that the students should know that bigger tires, more power, and less mass would increase speed. It may take some clues from me to make them think of increasing power and tire size. Some out-of-school experiences that pertain to this lesson are playing with toy cars (girls maybe less than boys), riding in different sized cars, heard of powerful motors, and riding bicycles. Activity: Three cars have been built in a previous class, all of which have the smallest available tire size. Students have made programs before so should know how to do that quickly. I will give them a program to reproduce that will have the lowest possible power assigned to the motor. The lesson will start with a race between all cars before any modifications are made. The, several possibilities of increasing speed will be discussed, after which the students will be asked to attempt to increase the speed in several trials and record what they changed. There will be three groups of ~4 students and each will have one car robot and a computer. I will have the Smart Board where I will show them my program. This structure was chosen because the students will be able to share ideas. It is also easier for me to keep track of their progress during the lesson, as well as fix programming problems.
5Es: Engage: list ideas about car racing, what is faster motorcycle or car, why are race cars faster than regular cars, talk about what they observed in the previous class with their cars and the changes they made. Who walks faster, child or adult? Test ideas with volunteers. Relate length of legs to size of tires. Explore: Test different tire sizes, motor powers and masses. Have them record what they observe. Make sure that they test different motor powers for one tire size and different tire sizes for different motor powers. Explain: Statement and evidence sentences. Come up with two and share with the rest of the class. Elaborate: Give them problems within a different context: Ex: What would be faster, a bike with larger or smaller tires?
Evaluate: observe the changes made in attempt to increase speed
Team Work and Real-World Relevance: The lesson required students to work in 3-4 groups, with each group consisting of approximately 4 students. This encouraged the students to work together on a problem-solving task. They collectively made decisions that affected the outcome and overall performance of the team as a whole, and were aware that their individual contributions would be recognized as the
entire team’s success. The lesson was also relevant to the real world. The students have previously encountered speed and size in various ways. For example, they have ridden bicycles and in their parents’ cars. Those experiences have shown them that a bigger bike or car can go faster. This lesson serves to explain what specifically is the reason for the speed differences, such as the tire size and motor power.