A special partnership between the Georgia Department of Education and the Educational Technology Training Centers in support of the 8 th Grade Physical Science Frameworks. Module 1 Science of Toys

Georgia Performance Standards Framework for Physical Science – GRADE 8 Unit: Science with Toys Differentiated Tasks Starting and Stopping Toys This task will focus on motion, force, acceleration and velocity. Note to Teacher: Encourage students to sketch what they are observing with arrows indicating the forces on the object. Students may want to label velocity as a force, which it is not. Subject Area: Physical Science Grade: 8 Content Standard: S8P3. Students will investigate relationship between force, mass, and the motion of objects. a. Determine the relationship between velocity and acceleration. b. Demonstrate the effect of balanced forces on an object in terms of gravity, inertia, and friction.

Characteristics of Science Standards: S8CS1. Students will explore the importance of curiosity, honesty, openness, and skepticism in science and will exhibit these traits in their own efforts to understand how the world works. a. Understand the importance of—and keep—honest, clear, and accurate records in science. b. Understand that hypotheses can be valuable even if they turn out not to be completely accurate. S8CS2. Students will use standard safety practices for all classroom laboratory and field investigations. a. Follow correct procedures for use of scientific apparatus. c. Follow correct protocol for identifying and reporting safety problems and violations. S8CS3. Students will have the computation and estimation skills necessary for analyzing data and following scientific explanations. a. Analyze scientific data by using, interpreting, and comparing numbers in several equivalent forms, such as integers, fractions, decimals, and percents. c. Apply the metric system to scientific investigations that include metric to metric conversions (i.e., centimeters to meters). S8CS4. Students will use tools and instruments for observing, measuring, and manipulating equipment and materials in scientific activities utilizing safe laboratory procedures. a. Use appropriate technology to store and retrieve scientific information in topical, alphabetical, numerical, and keyword files, and create simple files. b. Use appropriate tools and units for measuring objects and/or substances. c. Learn and use standard safety practices when conducting scientific investigations. S8CS6. Students will communicate scientific ideas and activities clearly. c. Organize scientific information in appropriate tables, charts, and graphs, and identify relationships they reveal.

Enduring Understandings: Velocity is speed in a particular direction and can be written as a positive or negative number. Acceleration is how fast velocity changes and can be written as a positive or negative number. Balanced forces result in an object remaining at rest or moving at constant velocity. Essential Questions: How are “going fast” and “speeding up” different when you’re describing your toy car’s movement? Why are stopped cars difficult to move and moving cars difficult to stop?

Pre-Assessment 1.Which will land first if dropped from the same height and at the same time, a bowling ball or basketball? Why? 2.Why do skateboarders have to keep pushing with their feet? 3.Is it easier to start moving a couch or keep it moving? Why?

Basic Performance Task

Make hypotheses about what will happen in the following scenarios. Explain your reasoning. Given two boxes, one empty and one full of paper, which will be easier to start to move? Why? When dropping a basketball from various heights, at which height will the basketball have the greatest speed right before it hits the floor?

Given two boxes, one empty and one full of paper, explain the following in your science journals (the boxes are sitting at rest): 1. What forces are acting on the boxes? (You may want to sketch a drawing with arrows indicating the forces on the object(s).) 2. Are these forces balanced or unbalanced? Explain. 3. What is the box's velocity? Justify your answer. 4. What is the box's acceleration? Justify your answer.

Given two boxes, one empty and one full of paper, move the boxes across the floor. Explain the following: 1. Which is easier to move? Why?

Intermediate Performance Task

1. Given different surfaces (cork, felt, and plastic) and blocks of wood, which material will require the most force to start moving the blocks of wood against the different surface materials? 2. If masses are added to the blocks of wood what will happen to the needed applied force to start motion? Make hypotheses about what will happen in the following scenarios. Explain your reasoning.

1. Given different surfaces (cork, felt, plastic, etc.) and blocks of wood attached to force sensors, measure the force required to start moving the blocks of wood against the different surface materials. 2. Record the force values in a data table.

3. Add masses to the blocks of wood and record the measurements. What happens to the needed applied force to start motion? Record the values in a data table. Record your answers to the following questions in your journals:  Did your values remain the same or change? Why?  Draw a conclusion about the effect friction has on the amount of force needed to start motion. Record your conclusion in your journals.

Advanced Performance Task

Given hoops and disks that are similar in mass and radius, which object would win a race if the objects were rolled down an incline. Explain your answer. Make hypotheses about what will happen in the following scenarios. Explain your reasoning.

1. Given hoops and disks that are similar in mass and radius, roll the objects down an incline. 2. Explain why the object won. Focus on the shape of the objects and the friction involved. 3. Why does a particular shape have a different speed than another shape? 4. Do they have they same acceleration?

1. Use a digital camera to collect images of tires on vehicles on the school campus. 2. Use a photo-editing application to crop images of treads or otherwise highlight and/or analyze how shapes of tires/treads affect performance. 3. Produce a report that discusses how the different shapes are used in manufacturing tires and why they are used. Examples include bicycle speed racing where the wheels are solid or the different composition of rims on cars and bikes. The conclusion of the report should include a discussion on inertia, friction, and shape.

Teacher Reflection What were the "Big Concepts" in each activity? How will students make sense of these concepts? Discuss real-world examples that may reinforce students' understanding. Homework, accommodations for students with disabilities, gifted students, ELL