6th Grade
Force and Motion
Unit
Developed in 2010 through the LeaPS project,
a MSP grant through the Kentucky Department of Education.
Administered by the University of Kentucky’s
P12 Math and Science Outreach division of PIMSER
Motion is a topic that is taught from elementary grades through college at various levels of complexity. The concepts we want students to have by the 6th grade level for basic motions are: position, time, speed, direction, and change rate, all with respect to a frame of reference. In today’s activity, students will be challenged to a motion game, in which students themselves generate these concepts, in everyday language, from a perceived need for them. One person will enact a real motion in class, walking or running to produce one of a number of basic motion types (e.g. constant speed, speeding up, or slowing down) and at various rates. Others will observe and produce a written description of this particular motion. Next, a person who was out of the room and did not see the motion has to translate the descriptions back into reenacted motions. This leads students to generate collectively the basic quantities required as motion descriptors in a process of successive refinement in order to get the “blind” person to replicate the motion in question.
Learning Targets:
· I can explain the importance of describing motion accurately.
· I can identify and use a reference point when describing motion.
· I can represent changes in motion in a variety of ways, including words and by acting it out.
Key Vocabulary:
Motion, speed, reference point
Sequence of Experiences
Practice Game One and discussion / /20 minutes
Additional motion match games /
/
10 minutes
Reflection Time and set-up for next day /
/
15 minutes
1. Let’s play a game!
As noted, the essence of the motion-matching activity is the translation of an observed motion into verbal/written descriptions, followed by the translation of the descriptions back into reenacted motions. For this game to run smoothly, a practice round must be conducted. The teacher should prime a student volunteer in order to take full advantage of the game’s instructional potential. The teacher and student agree beforehand on the first motion to be enacted, i.e., walking at a steady speed. This demonstration serves both to show what the activity is about and at the same time start generating motion concepts. (This activity is adapted from an article in The Physics Teacher, Vol 47, October 2009)
Pre-Game Strategy…Activating Prior Knowledge:
· Ask students: What words could you use to describe motion? In what ways can motion be described? Have students to record in their notebook.
Practice Game One:
· The teacher outlines the nature of the game to the class, asks for a volunteer (the student in-the-know), and then leaves the room.
· The student volunteer then enacts a basic first motion by walking at a slow steady pace in the front of the room while the other students observe.
· The teacher is then called back in and students write down instructions for the motion that they observed—allow about 1 minute for this.
· The teacher now has some control of how the game now goes by selecting from the descriptions offered and deciding which to act on first, ready to take advantage of inadequacies in the descriptions by deliberately enacting “wrong” motions allowed by the description.
· Below is an illustration of the kind of sequence and dialogue one hopes for in students’ first encounter with this activity.
o The teacher, pointing to a selected student, asks the person to call out the instruction.
o –“Walk slowly!” [speed]
o Teacher walks slowly but starts from the “wrong” place in the room. Stumbles into a bench/desk.
o –“No, you’re starting from the wrong place! Start at the end of the board!” [initial position]
o Goes to the board but to the wrong end, and starts walking from there.
o –“That’s the wrong end! Start from the other end of the board!” [frame of reference; initial position]
o Goes to the correct end but then climbs up onto a conveniently placed stool. Steps off it with interesting results
o –“No, not from up there. Start on the ground!” [frame of reference; three-dimensional]
o Starts at the correct spot but then walks out into the room, i.e., in the wrong direction. Thus bumps into a person.
o –“That’s the wrong direction – go parallel to the board!” [initial direction]
o Stands at the correct spot, facing along the board ready to walk, hesitates...and then walks backward.
o “Silly, not backward! Walk forward this time!” [initial direction; reference axis]
o Starts by walking forward but thereafter takes a wandering path.
o “No, not curvy ... walk in a straight line all the time.” [straight-line motion]
o Walks in a straight line in the correct direction... but speeds up along the way.
– “No, don’t speed up – walk at a steady speed all the time.” [constant speed]
o Walks at constant speed—but much too slowly.
o –“You’re going too slowly ... move faster.” [speed magnitude; qualitative]
o Walks again but much too fast this time.
– “Not so fast! You’ve overdone it. Move at...um... medium walking pace.” [speed magnitude, refined]
o The teacher moves “correctly,” fully constrained now.
o –“That’s it ... finally!” [accumulated descriptors all in play]
· The criterion for success is that the original motion enactor must agree that the reenacted motion matches the original.
· Next, move on to Game Two, with a new student who is not in “the know”. Repeat basic game steps and re-enter the room ready to follow directions in order to replicate the motion. (Alternative: Once students understand the game, the teacher no longer needs to be the re-enactor; this can fall to another student in class.)
· For each motion act, before going on to the next, it is important to reflect on the concepts that arose and what has been learned and how, such as asking the students what descriptions were used that were helpful. The ultimate message is the motion concepts, not the game.
· How long do you need to play this game? The activity, with successive refinements, goes rapidly in class; students catch on quickly and descriptions soon become tight enough to ensure faithful reproduction. Once you feel that the students’ can accurately describe the said motion, the game can end.
· It should be highlighted that in science there is a need to describe things accurately, precisely, and completely. You may want to ask students if there are any other ways to represent motion other than verbally or written---such as graphs or pictures and how these might be helpful in order to guide students towards the next activities.
Reflection:
· What words could you use to describe motion? In what ways can motion be described? You will want to create a Word Wall that students can refer to and add to through out the unit. Be sure to differentiate Essential Words, Important Words and Procedural Words. Colored sentence strips have been included to help you color code these words. This Word Wall will be utilized through out the unit as students are asked to describe what they are learning and observing either via conversation or writing. The Word Wall is built as you go, meaning you will add the words as they are needed or introduced. Eventually, the words below will be the words that comprise your Word Wall.
o Green Words---These are words that students need multiple exposures to within the grade level.
o Red Words—These are words that are important to help students make meaning. These words may have been addressed as an essential word in an earlier grade level.
o Blue Words—These are words that are procedural or general science vocabulary.
Essential Words / Important Words / Procedural Wordsposition / Motion / Experiment
One dimensional motion / Speed / Average
Force / Reference point / Examine
Balanced force / Speeding up / describe
Unbalanced Force / Slowing down / Collect
Friction / Steady speed
steep
interaction
Changing direction
Also, a Personal Glossary has been included in the Appendix. This is a vocabulary strategy where students construct their own meaning of key words. This is a build as you go glossary meaning students will add a word(s) as the need for that word arises. By the end of this unit, their glossary should be complete. This strategy is being utilized 6th -8th grade.
· Complete with students a “What we Did vs What we Learned” chart. Let the students generate this chart with guidance from you. After each investigation, complete one of these charts in which students write down all the things they actually did on the left side (made a chart, drew a graph, collected data, had a discussion, etc) and what they learned as a result of this ‘doing’ on the right side (runners are faster than walkers, constant speed is a straight line, etc). Save each chart to use as review and to show students how things connect together between lessons. This can be done with chart paper, Promethean Board Flip Charts, or SMART Board files, etc.
2. Set-Up for Next Day (10 minutes)
As an exit slip, have students complete the probe, “Following Jack: Part 1”, page 23 in Uncovering Student Ideas in Physical Science by P. Keeley. Be sure to have students explain their thinking on the probe. After you examine student responses, save the probe for use in tomorrow’s activity.
Motion can be described in a variety of ways. Students have begun to do this verbally, in writing, and by acting out various motions through the motion match game from yesterday. Today, students will still use these descriptions but progress on by using diagrams or pictures and graphs. Additionally, quantitative descriptions will begin to be used as well.
Learning Target:
· I can represent changes in motion in a variety of ways, including words, motion arrows, and graphs, and by acting it out.
Words for the Word Wall:
Sequence of Experiences
Explanation of Kick-Dis activity; completion of prediction sheet. / /10 minutes
Check of predictions and observations of actual /
/
15 minutes
Whole class discussion on representations created for Kick-Dis /
/
15 minutes
Re-visit of probe from yesterday / /
5 minutes
Materials whole class:
1 Kick-Dis (Charge the day before)
1 stop watch
Meter Tape Roll
Masking tape (optional)
Document Camera
1. What will happen?
· Show students the Kick-Dis. Demonstrate how it moves so that students can get an idea of the motion it may demonstrate.
· Tell the class that they are going to make predictions and check them out about the motion of the Kick-Dis.
· Hand out WORKSHEET 1
· Explain to students that the Kick-Dis will be pushed and RELEASED using medium force down the hallway (or some other open space).
· Have them complete the worksheet on their own. Be sure to encourage students to use words like steady speed, speed up, slow down, change direction, etc. in their descriptions.
· Have students turn worksheet 1 over; they will look at this once the actual has been performed.
· Pass out WORKSHEET 2
· Take students into the hall way along with Worksheet 2 and a pencil:
i. Lay down meter tape in order to measure the needed distance.
ii. Have students stand along side of the meter sticks down the hallway.
iii. Appoint a timer—this student will need to count aloud following the stopwatch.
iv. Appoint a “pusher”—this student will start the Kick-Dis by applying a medium force and letting go.
v. Instruct other students to use their foot to mark the Kick-Dis location at every second as called by the timer. The pusher should push at 0 time and 0 position---the start will have to be on the timer’s signal—such as “Go!” or by countdown “3, 2, 1..push.”
vi. This may require a few practice runs to get the timing down in order to have accurate results.
· Once the timing is sufficient, have ONE student record the time and distance for the motion of the Kick-Dis.
· Return to the classroom, make a master chart of the data, and have students complete their sheet.
· Have students compare to their prediction sheet.
i. What is the same? What is different? Are any results surprising?
· Next, have students share how they represented the motion (in box 2—not the graphs box) using a document camera. Discuss these representations. Tie back to yesterday but pointing out accuracy and clarity in these descriptions: Would someone else be able to examine their representations and accurately describe the motion?
2. What about Jack?
· Pass back student probes from yesterday.
· Ask them to examine their response and allow them to make changes if needed. Instruct students NOT TO ERASE their thinking, but to mark a line through things they no longer want to say. This will enable you to follow their thinking and how it has changed.