Clark University Master of Arts in Teaching Program

Learning Activity Plan 4

I.  Content: Describe what it is you will teach. What is the content?

This lesson will introduce students to Step 3: Build and Step 4: Test of the design process. Students will work in engineering teams to build their paper airplanes and then will test their airplanes. Students will use tape measures to measure how far their airplanes flew and will record their data. Students will then be prompted to think about how their airplanes performed and if they met the design goals.

II.  Learning Goal(s): Describe what specifically students will know and be able to do after the experience of this class.

Students will be able to

·  Articulate what data is

·  Articulate what Step 3 of the design process is

·  Articulate what Step 4 of the design process is

·  Work in teams to build a paper airplane

·  Use a tape measure

·  Record data

·  Think about the results of their data in terms of the design goals

III.  Rationale: Explain how the content and learning goal(s) relate to your Curriculum Unit Plan learning goals.

The content and learning goals of this lesson will push students to collaborate and work as a team to complete steps 3 and 4 of the design process. Students will need to work together to follow their design plans and build a paper airplane. Students will also need to work together to test their airplanes and record their data. This lesson will also prompt students to think about the key idea of the unit: As engineers did we solve the problem and meet our goals?

IV.  Assessment: Describe how you and your students will know they have reached your learning goals.

Assessment for this lesson will be based on students’ ability to collaborate with a partner to follow their design planes to build a paper airplane. Both my students and I will know if this goal has been met if they are able to work together and end the lesson with a completed paper airplane. Assessment will also be based on students’ ability to work together to test their airplane. The final assessment of the lesson will be an exit slip designed to push students to think about how their airplanes performed and what they could improve.

V.  Personalization and equity: Describe how you will provide for individual student strengths and needs. How will you and your lesson consider the needs of each student and scaffold learning? How specifically will ELL students and students with learning disabilities gain access and be supported?

I will consider the needs of ELL students as well as students with learning disabilities in this lesson by creating an anchor chart. This anchor chart will be a place for students to refer to throughout the unit. During this lesson I will record Steps 3 and 4 of the engineering design process. This will be beneficial for students to refer to throughout the unit and will also serve as a reminder of the lesson’s focus. The anchor chart will also be a place where we record important engineering words. During this lesson we will discuss the word ‘data’. After discussing this word I will record the word and the definition on the anchor chart.

I will also consider the needs of ELL students and students with disabilities while reviewing the expectations for the exit slip. I will orally review what the design goals are and write them on the board so students can reference them. I will also review the word ‘improve’. I will explain what the word means, give an example sentence, and write the definition on the board.

VI.  Activity description and agenda

a.  Describe the activities that will help your students understand the content of your class lesson by creating an agenda with time frames for your class. Be prepared to explain why you think each activity will help students on the path toward understanding.

Time / Teacher will / Students will / Assessment
2-5 minutes / Hook: On Friday we built our prototypes. Turn and talk to your partner. Why is it important to make a prototype? / Turn and talk with a partner. / Can students articulate why making a prototype is important?
2-5 minutes / Explain that today we will be doing Step 3 of the design process: Build.
Explain that each engineering team will be building one airplane. Explain that students will need to work together to build their airplane.
Model: One person reads the first direction and the other person folds. Then switch.
Explain that I will be passing out the paper that engineering teams picked.
When students get their paper they can begin building.
Circulate helping as needed.
Write names on airplanes when they are done! / Listen to directions and then work with partner to build the airplane. / Do students work together well?
Can students identify step 3 of the design process?
5 minutes / Second day: Testing
Explain that today we will be doing Step 4 of the design process: Testing
What is data?
Direct students to get their writing folders. Instruct students to write ‘data’ in the box on page 1. Instruct students to divide the box in half and write ‘Design 1’ and ‘Design 2’. / Participate in discussion about what data is.
Prepare their papers for recording data. / Do students know what data is? If not, do they know to look at the anchor chart to remind themselves?
Model how to test.
*Show students where to stand and measure from.
*Show students how to use the measuring tape.
*Show students where to record their data
*Remind students how to throw the correct way
*Explain that teams will get 2 tries: each partner throws once.
*Remind students that when we are watching, we cheer by snapping. / Watch model and ask questions. / Are student’s listening?
Help with testing process as needed.
Closing: Hand out exit slips.
Explain that students need to answer 2 questions: What parts of your airplane design worked well? What could you do to improve your airplane?
*example: Maybe I could try a different kind of paper. Maybe I could fold the creases better so the point is sharper. / Test airplanes! / Are students following the procedure to test their airplanes? Are they recording their data? What do students say about how their airplanes performed?

b.  What particular challenges, in terms of student learning or implementing planned activity, do you anticipate and how will you address them?

I anticipate that there might be challenges in terms of engineering teams working together to build and airplane. I will address this challenge by modeling how to work with a partner. I will discuss how to pass the paper back and forth to partners can take turns folding. I will also model how students who are not folding can check their partner’s work and help if needed.

VII.  List the Massachusetts Learning Standards this lesson addresses.

SL.2.1 Language Arts, Speaking and Listening - Comprehension and Collaboration

Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups

a. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics under discussion).

b. Build on other’s talk in conversations by linking their comments to the remarks of others.

c. Ask for clarification as needed about the topics and texts under discussion.

Students will practice taking turns speaking and listening to each other in our class discussion. Students will have an opportunity to ask for clarification about the lesson’s topic.

K-2-ETSI1-3 Engineering Design

Analyze data from tests of two objects designed to solve the same design problem to compare the strengths and weaknesses of how each object performs.

Students will think about their data in terms of meeting the design goals. Students will be prompted to think about the strengths of their airplane and what they could improve.

2.MD.A.1 Measurement & Data – Measure and estimate lengths in standard units.

Measure the length of an object by selecting and using appropriate tools such as rulers, yardsticks, meter sticks, and measuring tapes.

VIII.  Reflection

a.  In light of all areas of planning, but especially in terms of your stated purpose and learning goals, in what ways was the activity(ies) successful? How do you know? In what ways was it not successful? How might the activity be planned differently another time?

This lesson was successful in terms of students working together in engineering teams to build their model airplanes. I was glad that I modeled how to work as a team because my students worked together far better than I had anticipated. I saw every single engineering team passing their airplanes back and forth and helping each other fold. I was also glad that I had taken the time in a previous lesson to help students build prototypes. While it was still challenging for students to follow the design steps, it was a far easier procedure because they were already familiar with the folding process. This prior knowledge combined with wonderful teamwork made Step 3 of the design process run very smoothly.

Step 4 for the design process was successful in terms of meeting the learning goals, but did not run as smoothly as I had thought it would. Students were very excited to be testing their airplanes and articulated an understanding of data: “It’s what you measure”, “It’s the info we are collecting”, “We are getting data on how far the airplanes fly”. Students also showed an ability to use a tape measure correctly. When the airplanes flew further than the reach of the tape measure, students worked together to mark where tape measure ended and move the tape measure up, then add up all the numbers to find the total distance. However, because moving the tape measure while collecting data took a while, it took a long time for everyone to test their airplanes (students were testing one at a time). Students who tested last had to wait a long time and were getting antsy by the end of the lesson.

However, students did a wonderful job reflecting on their airplane designs. Students were able to identify which parts of their airplane helped their airplane fly far. For example, students wrote about how having a pointy tip helped their plane fly far, or how the wings helped the airplane fly, or how the way they folded the plane helped it fly far. Students were also very reflective about ways they could improve their airplane. Some students wrote about making their creases sharper or making the tip pointier. Overall, I was very pleased with my student’s ability to reflect on how effective their design was.

b.  What did you learn from the experience of this lesson that will inform your next LAP?

I thought that my students would be engaged by watching the airplane tests, but I quickly realized that they needed an additional assignment to keep them engaged. As I continue to teach this unit, I keep thinking of things I should have done in previous LAPs that would help tie everything together. For example, if students had previously decorated their airplanes (which would meet Rosie’s requirement of the airplane “looking cool”) then students could be recording scores of how “cool” the airplane looked while other students were testing. This would keep the excitement up and would keep students engaged in watching the tests. I would also alter the way we measured how far the airplanes flew. I had not anticipated that the planes would fly so far! Rather than using a measuring tape, I would lay a piece of tape down across the entire length of the floor. This tape could have inches already written on it. This would make the process of measuring take less time.