Technology Based Lesson Plan (10)

Technology Lesson Plan for the Chemistry Classroom

Potential and Kinetic Energy in the Energy Skate Park

GOALS

Standard 1 - Students will use mathematical analysis, scientific inquiry, and engineering design, as appropriate, to pose questions, seek answers, and develop solutions.

Standard 2 - Students will access, generate, process, and transfer information, using appropriate technologies.

Standard 6 - Students will understand the relationships and common themes that connect mathematics, science, and technology and apply the themes to these and other areas of learning.

Standard 7 - Students will apply the knowledge and thinking skills of mathematics, science, and technology to address real-life problems and make informed decisions

*Standards from http://www.p12.nysed.gov/ciai/mst/pub/phycoresci.pdf

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES

Condition - Class set of computers, internet access for linking to Energy Skate Park

Expected Behavior - Students will use the Energy Skate Park simulator to create basic ramp designs for the virtual skater, and through the available graphs within the program, observe the changes in potential and kinetic energy as the "object" moves. They will do so by turning off friction and viewing the graphs. Students will also be encouraged to view the effects of friction by re-enabling friction and viewing the amount of thermal energy that steadily increases as the "object" slows down. The instructions will be accompanied by a series of questions to be answered about the moving "object's" kinetic and potential energy, as well as the changes in the two that occur as it moves. Students will have to answer these questions in order to show their understanding of the basic workings of these two types of energy.

Criterion - Students will be considered to have an acceptable grasp of the concept if they have answered 90% or more of the questions correctly. (9/10 = 90%)

MATERIALS

A class set of computers is required for this lesson, so either a computer room must be booked, a computer cart requested, or the class must have their own computers.

INTRODUCTION

Review - The instructor will introduce this activity as a method of building on the prior introduction to potential and kinetic energy. The activity itself also draws connections to weight and friction - two prior topics of force that the students have already done extensive work with.

Focus/Attention Grabber - The promise that students will have time in which they can experiment how they want after finishing the primary activities should grab student focus well. They can use their creativity to it's fullest, as the Energy Skate Park program actually allows for a great deal of customization and experimentation.

Anticipatory Set - The anticipatory set will be a short instructional demo on how the program works, in which the instructor will indicate the different functions of the simulator, as well as point out where the check boxes to show the different types of graphs are located. Students will then be asked to think about how friction will have an effect on the various energy types after they apply it, and to share their answers. The instructor will take note of these on the board to compare their later observations to, and see if their hypotheses were correct.

Advance Organizer - The instructor will notify the students that today will be their chance to visually experiment with kinetic and potential energy hands on. They will first go through some basic patterns and answer questions on how potential and kinetic energy changes as an object travels along the track given. Then they will follow instructions to create a more complex track and observe the energy changes along it. Finally, after finishing the activity, they will be free to experiment with the program as they choose, and see what sorts of interesting interactions they observe.

Purpose From Student View - This is a fun activity in which students have a chance to see the exchanges between potential, kinetic, and thermal energy with a visual aid. It is a hands-on activity as well, in which they have the opportunity to experiment and potentially answer some of their own questions about the subject.

DEVELOPMENT

Instructional Model - Inquiry

Teacher - The teacher will provide the materials and questions, as well as the initial objective.

Students - Students will be free to answer the questions provided through experimentation, come up with questions of their own to experimentally answer, and discuss findings among one another.

Interaction - The instructor initiates the activity, then addresses students individually to provide guidance.

Main Points -

• Enables student creativity
• Distinct guidelines and requirements, while still allowing freedom in achieving them
• Adds a visual aspect to a concept that is normally abstract and difficult to visualize

GUIDED PRACTICE

Guided practice is a short overview of how the skate park program functions. The instructor will explain how to adjust the various settings, enable the graphs, and add and adjust new slopes.

ACCOMMODATIONS AND MODIFICATIONS

The instructor will be available to give personal assistance as needed to any students with learning disabilities. This will allow for more thorough instruction and guidance as needed by students.

SUPPLEMENTARY PRACTICES

The class has previously been introduced to the basics of energy, as well as the first equations related to potential and kinetic energy, relating them to mass, velocity, and height. This activity is meant to build on the previous lesson(s) and help to make the concept less abstract by providing more visual aid.

CLOSURE

At the end of class, the instructor will gather student attention, then review the basics of what the students should have learned in the lesson. The teacher will collect the question sheets, then go over the answers to the questions with the class -- allowing students to share their own answers. After reviewing the questions, the instructor will assign the additional independent practice activity to be done before the next class.

INDEPENDENT PRACTICE

Students will be asked to asked to come up with their most interesting designs before the next class -- they will be asked to include certain components, such as a spot where the skater has only kinetic energy, a spot where they have only potential energy, and that their creation work in forward and reverse without friction applied.

EVALUATION

The questions that are to be answered for the activity are to be the main evaluating tool. Since the instructor is free to circulate the room and address students individually, while doing so, the teacher will also observe student responses to questions and give guidance as needed to those having difficulty.

The lesson should, of course, be followed by a critique and self-evaluation, along with plans for improvement.

Energy Skate Park can be found on the University of Colorado's site where they link all of their simulations: https://phet.colorado.edu/