FAU LESSON PLAN FORMAT

Teacher ______Date ______

Subject ___Science__ Grade Level ___5____ Length of Lesson ___50 minutes__

I. Instructional Objective(s)/Outcomes:

Specific Lesson Plan Objectives

ХAt the end of this lesson, the studentswill be able to discover how to mathematically measure the Force of Friction and determine relevant factors that affect it.

Next Generation Science Standards

Х3-PS2-1. Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object.

Х3-PS2-2. Make observations and/or measurements of an object’s motion to provide evidence that a pattern can be used to predict future motion.

Goal 3 Standards

ХThe students will be critical and creative thinkers as they try to comprehend what determines the force of friction and are able to measure it quantitatively.

II. Subject Matter Content:

Content: Friction is a contact force that opposes the motion of an object.

Force: A push or pull on an object.

Contact force: A force that acts when one object is pushing against another object.

Opposes: Acts in the opposite direction.

Motion: The change is position from one place to another.

Object: Something with a definite (constant) shape, volume, and mass.

III. Instructional Procedures:

Lesson Initiating Activity (5-10 minutes)

1. Show picture of the tractor pull.

2. Discuss friction.

a. Tell me what this is trying to show?

b. Have we ever experienced the force of friction?

c. How did we know that it was the force of friction?

d. In what direction does the force of friction act?

e. Does anyone know what causes the force of friction?

3. State objectives

Today we will be learning about the force of friction, and you will try to measure it with a spring scale. Then we will try to determine what causes it.

4. On the whiteboard, draw a diagram of a block being pulled at constant speed across a level surface by a force exerted parallel to the surface. Label with arrows, all the forces acting on the block. Tell the students,

“Notice that the force of friction is in a direction opposite the motion of an object. It acts along the surface upon which the object is in contact. We will now try to determine what causes it.”

Core Activities (25-30 minutes)

1. Cover the bottom of a brick with white paper. Wrap a string around the brick and attach the other end of the string to a spring balance. Make sure that the spring balance reads zero to start.

2. Pull the brick at constant speed across the table with a force parallel to the table. While the brick is being pilled, read the force on the spring balance. Have the students record in their notebooks the type of paper used and the force reading of the spring balance. Record as before.

3. Now remove the white paper and replace it with the brown paper. Again, find the force required to pull the brick across the table at constant speed.

4. Perform two more trials using waxed paper, and then the plastic wrap. Record all data.

5. Cover the bottom of a brick with the white paper. Pull it across the table once again using the spring balance. This time record the number of bricks and the force. Stack a second brick on top of the first brick. Pull at constant speed and record the number of bricks (2) and the force. Put the third brick on top, and again pull while recording the number of bricks and the force.

Closure Activity

1. Ask the students to look at the first data table containing the type of paper and the amount of force needed to move the brick. Have them determine whether the force varied with the type of paper. This will show that one of the causes of friction could be surface conditions, rough vs. smooth.

2. Then have the students look at the second data table in which the surface conditions were kept constant but the weight of the brick was increased. This will show that the force of friction increases with the weight of the object.

3. Now with the completion of this inquiry activity we seem to have determined that two of the causes of friction are surface conditions, and the weight of the object being moved.

4. Ask the students to give examples of how friction helps, and then how friction hinders. Typical answers are, it helps to keep objects in place, helps us write, and walk. Friction hinders when we try to slide heavy objects, operate machines with moving parts, and when skiing or skating.

Connection to other disciplines:

Language arts: Students will be improving language arts skills as they critically listen and comprehend a method of inquiry to determine the causes of the force of friction.

Visual arts: Students will use their visual arts skills as they construct a diagram of the brick being pulled across a surface, carefully labeling the forces involved.

Websites/Technology:

A website can be used that allows students to interactively determine the force of friction.

Diverse Learners:

Accommodations for students with special needs include a table placed in

front of the room that a wheelchair can slide under, increased font size of text for handouts, computer with Adobe™ using “Read Aloud” function and headset, and a classroom “buddy” as a helper.The school has a number of foreign language facilitators and dictionaries on hand that are available for classroom use. Modifications and accommodations will be made for ESE students based on student’s IEP’s. Gifted students will be asked to determine 3 ways in which friction is a help, and 3 ways in which friction is a hindrance.

IV. Materials and Equipment:

  • 3 bricks
  • String
  • Spring balance
  • 4 types of paper (white, brown, waxed, plastic)

V. Assessment/Evaluation:(20 minutes)

Students will be given a diagram of a piece of furniture containing drawers, and will be asked to draw and label the forces that are present as the furniture is pulled across a level floor. They then have to write down what they would do to minimize the force of friction on the piece of furniture in order to make it easier to move.

VI. Follow-up Activities:

Students will be asked to notice other examples of the force of friction in the natural world. They can list 5 different applications of the force of friction that they noticed in school or at home.

VII. Self Assessment:

Make sure you have done the lab activity on your own ahead of time and are able to assist and answer questions before you attempt this lesson. Observe all aspects of lab safety. Know your content ahead of time. Write a critique in your plan-book of the lesson as soon as possible after it is completed.

References:

The website:

and .