Let’s Think Secondary Science Lesson 1 – The V Word Title Page

Have You Heard About… Optional hook for the lesson related to the reasoning pattern.

What is a variable? What is a value? What is a relationship? The V Word What is a variable? What is a value? What is a relationship? Ask the students for their thoughts. You may want to do this as a “Think, pair and share activity.”

Mobile Phones Over the years, the mobile phone has been made smaller. What are the variables? What are the values? 1994 2006 The relationship is “Over the years, the mobile phone has been made smaller.” The first hand-held mobile phone was demonstrated by John F. Mitchell and Dr Martin Cooper of Motorola in 1973, using a handset weighing around 2.2 pounds (1 kg). In 1983, the DynaTAC 8000x was the first to be commercially available.   In an interview with the BBC in 2010, Mr Cooper said, "Even by 1983, a portable handheld cellular telephone cost $4,000 (£2,600), which would be the equivalent of more than $10,000 (£6,500) today." He also said, "Smartphones will become chips to implant behind the ear.” The picture by Anders (Creative Commons License), shows the development of the mobile phone up to 2006, which the students can use to compare with their current phones.

Laboratory Equipment and the V Word Set A What are the variables? What are the values? Is there a relationship? What is it? Relationships are important because they allow scientists to make predictions. Give out equipment Set A. Groups of 4 maximum. Ask the group to agree an answer before responding. A students in each group draws a two column table with the headings Variables and Values to record their answers. From an imaginary bag pull out a piece of imaginary laboratory equipment made out of glass. What type of equipment must it be. Repeat for measuring cylinder and ask what it is made of. The list of equipment could be replaced by a photograph. Imaginary bag Beaker Measuring Cylinder Small (100ml) glass Small (100ml) plastic Medium (250ml) glass Medium (250ml) plastic Large (500ml) glass Large (500ml) plastic

Laboratory Equipment and the V Word Set B What are the variables? What are the values? What is the relationship? Give out equipment Set B. Same groups of 4 maximum. Ask the group to agree an answer before responding. A students in each group draws a two column table with the headings Variables and Values to record their answers. The list of equipment will be replaced by a photograph. Beaker Measuring Cylinder Small (100ml) plastic Large (250ml) glass Large (250ml) glass Small (100ml) plastic

Coloured Bottles Look at the Bottles What are the variables here? What are their values? What is the relationship? Is there another variable that perhaps we cannot see? What would its values be? Can you predict a relationship using the weight of the jars? Why? Replace the photograph of the bottles with you own photograph. Same groups of 4 maximum. Ask the group to agree an answer before responding. A students in each group draws a two column table with the headings Variables and Values to record their answers. You may want to provide a photograph of your own bottles. One demo set for the class.

Describing Relationships Working in your groups. Work on some of the 5 work cards. Use a two column table to record your results. Identify the variables Identify their values Describe the relationship? Same groups of 4 maximum. A student in each group draws a two column table with the headings Variables and Values to record their answers.

Describing relationships – 5 Work Cards Same groups of 4 maximum. Ask the group to agree an answer before responding. A student in each group draws a two column table with the headings Variables and Values to record their answers. For the quicker groups prompt them to find a mathematical relationship between variables

What were the differences between the relationships on the work cards? Review What were the differences between the relationships on the work cards? Optional. Link back to your hook, comparing similarities and differences to the work card relationships, variables and values. The discussion could lead to categoric and continuous variables.

Crisps Count the number of variables you can think of; Think of a relationship; After you leave the classroom think of a new relationship. A bridging activity for the review and to continue thinking about at home.

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