Motion in the Real-World

What could be more engaging for students than starting a lesson with a skateboard activity? That is just what this article describes but it is the beginning of a very interesting approach t... See More

What could be more engaging for students than starting a lesson with a skateboard activity? That is just what this article describes but it is the beginning of a very interesting approach to incorporate fun, calculations and best of all argumentation into the science classroom. Day one starts this four day mini unit and provides an opportunity to gather real data. Day two provides a day of content review and data crunching. Day three to five involves reading an article about speed both pros and con’s and then formulating teams to debate the issue. All aspects of this week long event are provided in the article and would be an awesome approach to introducing the physics of motion.

Debates in the classroom about speed limits

Using skateboards to collect data, this article is completely developed to explore the concept of speed. The first day is used to collect student’s data with skateboards. The second day is u... See More

Using skateboards to collect data, this article is completely developed to explore the concept of speed. The first day is used to collect student’s data with skateboards. The second day is using a provided worksheet, with mathematical conversions-from pounds to kilograms, to calculate velocity and momentum. Students are also provided a worksheet that is divided into two parts; the first part is done on day two after collecting data and reading a short paragraph provided in the second worksheet. The second part of the worksheet is completed on the following day. Day three is delegated to research (using internet links) on the pro’s and con’s of speed and its effects on society. Students then participate in initial debates, with one group supporting and one group opposing a law to reduce speed. Day four is for additional research on the social and ethical issues. The final day is structured for student argumentation and discussions of scientific concepts involved in the activity. If time is not an issue, this activity is fully developed and challenging for the students.