By Krissy Venosdale, 4Th Grade

A Huff and a Puff of Force

By Krissy Venosdale, 4th grade

Standards (Performance, Knowledge and NETS-S)
Missouri State Grade Level Expectations for 4th grade:
Explain how increasing or decreasing an amount of force on an object affects the motion of the object
Explain how the mass of an object affect the force required to move it
NETS-S

• Technology research tools: Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources.
• Technology productivity tools : Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity.

What concepts do you want students to understand after completing this
lesson?
I want students to understand that forces in our world are real and can pose a danger, but with the help of science we are able to prevent many of these dangers through creating structurally sound buildings and homes.
Essential Question
How do force and motion affect our world?
Criteria for Success (How will you know students have gained an
understanding of the concepts?)
Students will complete a summary of “Pig Improvements” to be made to their homes after the activity. I will look to see if they have a clear understanding of the powerful force that has taken toll on their home and if they have made improvements that would help to withstand force.
Resources (What resources will you and your students use?)

• Force and Motion Websites
• Tornado Websites
• Force and Motion Chapter in Text Book
• Homebuilding and Construction Websites about techniques used to strengthen homes to withstand weather-related concerns.
• Library Resources

Management (How will students share technology resources? How will
you break up the lesson into segments—the number of hours or days?)
The lesson will be done in groups of three. Each student will represent one of the three little pigs. Each student will be assigned a job. The lesson will take one day to research, one day to construct the houses, one day to test, and one day to finalize results or “catch up” as needed. The final test will come when the Big Bad Wolf (a set of hairdryers and a powerful leaf-blower) take on the homes the pigs worked so hard to create.
Learner Diversity (What diverse learner needs do you need to consider
when selecting resources, grouping students or planning the culminating
project? Are there any special considerations such as assistive
technologies or second-language learning to take into account?)
Balancing groups as appropriately as possible.
Use of sound bag as needed.
Allowing some students to review the tape a second time or third time to be sure they have gotten all information needed.
Engage
Capture the students’ attention, stimulate their thinking and help them access prior
knowledge.
We will be reading the “True Story of the Three Little Pigs” in class and have been learning about force and motion in science. Students have a background of the vocabulary words. To capture their attention, I will show a few photographs on the smartboard of storm damage and discuss the powerful forces of the weather in our world. We will determine the power of the force of a hairdryer and a leaf blower.
Explore
Give students time to think, plan, investigate and organize collected information.
Students will work in research teams to gather information before building their houses. They will have time to bring materials from home, make a plan for how to structure their house, and the internet will serve as an important research tool as students investigate how to build a house that could withstand the Big Bad Wolf.
Explain
Involve students in an analysis of their explorations. Use reflective activities to
clarify and modify their understanding.
As we test the stability of each house and it’s ability to withstand force, students will analyze what has worked well on their houses, and what areas were weak an unable to withstand the force of the Big Bad Wolf. Videotapes will be reviewed in slow-motion to determine the exact point on the homes where the first breakdown occurs.
Elaborate
Give students the opportunity to expand and solidify their understanding of the
concept and/or apply it to a real-world situation.
We will research what things can be done to create stronger buildings that can withstand tornados and other strong winds. Students will examine their own houses and what type of damage the Big Bad Wolf created. Students will create a PowerPoint slideshow called “Pig Improvements” that would inform the little pigs how to build their homes to withstand force.
Evaluate
Evaluate throughout the lesson. Present students with a scoring guide at the
beginning. Scoring tools developed by teachers (sometimes with student
involvement) target what students must know and do. Consistent use of scoring
tools can improve learning.
Students will be evaluated on their plan for building the house, the way they carry out the plan, and their summary and recommendation for “Pig Improvements” PowerPoint that could be made on the house.

Personal Reflection:

The lesson was developed as we were studying “Force and Motion” in Science. It came about along with our reading series story about the Three Little Pigs. The lesson became part of a comprehensive unit based on the pigs. Students were required to determine how their home was affected by the force and tell about it, both on the video and in writing.

This particular lesson addressed the state standards in Science Grade Level Expectations for Fourth grade of:

Explain how increasing or decreasing an amount of force on an object affects the motion of the object

Explain how the mass of an object affect the force required to move it

The lesson used technology to support learner-centered strategies because we digitally photographed, digitally videotaped, and used the internet for research. Students were able to review the tapes in slow motion to see exactly what was taking place as the forces took their toll on the homes. This allowed students to watch the video as many times as needed. Students with diverse needs were able to consult their groups and discuss the video and really get a deeper understanding of the forces taking place than if we had just watched the houses fall once and moved on.

The lesson was inquiry based and used higher level thinking skills because students built their own homes and developed their own techniques that they thought would withstand the forces. Students then reviewed their work after the Wolf had huffed and puffed on their home. Students then compared and contrasted the parts of all the homes in the class and determined what they saw as the most effective building and the least effective building. In the past, students in my class would have simply answered questions about force in a text book. This would have meant there was likely just one right answer. With this inquiry based project, there was not one correct answer I was looking for, but rather to see that my students were engaged, thinking, and discovering about force and motion. In the end, they had more fun and learned a great deal more than I ever thought possible.

The learning was managed through the videotaping, internet use, and student reporting on a teacher-made document where they recorded their research. Without the technology, we would have gotten to see the houses blow down one time and had to try to research tornadoes with our two sets of classroom encyclopedias. The use of technology allowed me, as the teacher, to monitor students and review the process, and truly, in the end really feel like I knew exactly what they had learned. Additionally, reviewing their PowerPoint recommendations after the activity, was a great way to see what they had learned from the destruction of their homes.

Additional Unit Information: