Topic: Popsicle Stick Bridges Date: April 4 – April 8 Objectives/Intentions/Outcomes: Learning Objectives:
Subject: Science 7 Assessment: This activity will be assessed in four different ways:
- Part One: Students will design a bridge and 1-‐B1:Students will recognize and classify structural forms and materials used in construction hand in blueprint. - Part Two: Students will be graded their ability 2-‐B1: Students will recognize and use units of force and mass, and identify and measure forces and loads to create a bridge after given direction. - Part Three: Students must answer the 3-‐B1: Students will devise and use methods of testing the strength and flexibility of materials used in a structure purposed reflection question and hand in response. ICT Outcomes: C.5-‐3 : Access, retrieve and share information from electronic sources, such as common files Notes: Time: Teaching Points: ANTICIPATORY SET: 10 min Introduce activity and hand out blueprint sheet with picture and rubric of expectations. Show a video of how to build a popsicle stick bridge from youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6Ll9R7JNxE Allow 10 min INPUT: students to -‐bridge, load, gravity, structure, units of: force and mass, measurement, and building define these. Throughout OBJECTIVES: Lesson Students will: understand the concept of structure in a bridge or building and identify Reinforce what makes a bridge good or bad. throughout : discover and recognize the concepts of force, gravity, load, mass and how to use these lesson, Use in to construct a structurally sound bridge. assessment. : work with different materials creatively in order to construct the bridge they want. : test the bridges to gain understanding of strength of the different materials used. : build the bridge at least 10 inches long, 3 inches wide, and 2-‐6 inches tall, must be able to hold weight 10 min CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING: Allow for questions from students to clarify misunderstandings. Do the students understand the purpose of the activity? Are the students engaged in my modeling and the video? Do the students understand what steps and materials must be used to create a bridge? Is grading criteria made clear to the students? Do the students understand how to attain mastery in the project (including the relation to the vocabulary, lessons etc)? 5 min MODELING: I will demonstrate the steps in front of them as we progress through the stages for guidance.
Throughout Lesson Maximum Of 3 Classes 20 min 5-‐10 min
GUIDED PRACTISE: Anticipatory Set: watching a video describing the steps they should do do. Students may refer back to this video at any time during lesson. While working independently I will circulate around class to help with any questions. The class will be able to help one another and interact to help each other build the bridges. INDIVIDUAL PRACTISE: Each student will construct a blueprint or plan for their one bridge. The students will be expected to take from my example and from the video in order to understand the steps they need to take to be successful. The students should demonstrate understanding of the desired input while constructing their bridges. Also they should be following their plan: if modifications are needed it should be represented on their plan. CLOSURE: Once students are finished building, one class period will be taken to test the bridges. Student must then look closely at the top three structurally best bridges and answer this question: (Part 3 of Assessment) Please describe which bridge you believe was the strongest? Why? What aspects did we discover in testing the bridges that proved to make a bridge the strongest? Weakest? Reinforce to the students what was learned and why it was important. Summarize the lesson and bring together the main points of the activity for them: building, forces, mass, gravity and structure. Conclude class by allowing the students to take their bridges home. References: Displays/Materials: -‐popsicle sticks: approx 50 per student http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6Ll9R7JNxE -‐wood glue -‐toothpicks Alberta Education Website: curricular outcomes. -‐scissors -‐straws and string (optional)
Circulate around the class to help students with their projects. Do the questions individually.