And Theyre Off!

A Lesson on Newtons First law of Motion

Materials: Two Plastic Jars with Lids o You can substitute these jars with one full can of soup and one empty can o Stay away from glass jars for safety reasons Flour or Sand to Fill One of the Jars Two Empty 3-Ring Binders at least 25 in width A Yard Stick Where Materials Can Be Found: These materials can be purchased at Wal-Mart or any other department store. Procedure: 1. As a class, the students and the teacher will brainstorm out loud about what they know Newtons laws, specifically the first law (the law of inertia), while I ask engaging and meaningful questions about the topic. We will engage in conversation for about 10 minutes. 2. I will then read the book, Newton and Me, by Lynne Mayers to the class. This book can be used for grades K-5, but is a great book, written in rhyme, that easily explains Newtons Laws to any grade level. 3. We will begin the lesson by filling one jar with flour or sand, packing it in tightly. The other jar will be left empty. The lids should be secured strongly. 4. From there the students will place both of the three-ring binders next to each other on a carpet or tiled floor. They will then place each jar on its side and release both from the top of the binder ramps at exactly the same time. 5. In the table provided, the students will record how far each jar rolled using a yard stick. The distance should be measured by the end of the binder to where the jar actually stopped. This data will be recorded in the table. 6. Steps three through four should be repeated for each of the surfaces listed on the table.

7. In small groups the students will then talk about their recordings and discuss trends they found in their data. They will be asked to answer questions such as, Did one jar always roll farther than the other?, which jar rolled furthest on what surface?, did the results depend on whether the jar was filled with flour/sand or if it was empty? If so, in what way?, and did the results depend on the kind of surface you used? If so, in what way? 8. We will close up the activity in a whole group discussion about the students results and the answers to the questions above. Safety Precautions: If using glass jars for this activity, make sure the students know that if they drop the glass or use the glass improperly, it could break and shatter. The teacher needs to make sure he/she is supervising the students who are handling the glass jars. Make sure to have each student wear safety goggles just in case the glass breaks or the sand or flour comes out of the jar to ensure it wont get into the students eyes. Teacher Information: According to Newtons First Law, each jar will roll in a straight line at a constant speed unless a force acts on it. In this experiment, the jars roll in straight lines because there is no force making them turn to the left or to the right. However, because of friction, they do slow down. Students will make an important observation as they conduct the race on different surfaces and will be able to understand the role of friction. Smoother surfaces create less friction and it is the force of friction which eventually stops objects from continuing to roll forever in a straight line, this was found by Gailieo. To explore inertia the students race the jar full of flour against an empty jar. When the race begins, the filled jar moves down the ramp faster than the empty jar. This happens because its weight is evenly distributed throughout its volume. The empty jars weight consists only of the jar itself, so it doesnt roll quite as fast. Therefore, the empty jar has a greater moment of inertia than the filled jar. On a tile surface, the filled jar will roll further than the empty jar. However, when the students roll their jars on rough surface such as a carpet, the greater weight of the filled jar causes greater friction between the jar and floor. The filled jar will slow down much faster, allowing the lighter, empty jar to roll farther. Subject Integration: Language arts: The students will write in their science journal a couple of paragraphs reflecting on the activity. They will write about what they learned, why they liked or didnt like the activity, and what they know about Newtons First law. Math: This activity is a great integration into measuring. Depending on the grade level the students can measure the distance the jars travel by either inches or

centimeters. To further integrate the activity the students will be asked to convert centimeters into inches. Extend or Elaborate Material: To elaborate on this activity the students will try rolling off of different size binders at home. They can also stack their textbooks up and put a piece of cardboard against the books creating a ramp and use a ruler to find the angle of ramp. Nevada Sate Earth Science Standard: P.2.B.1 Students know the position of and motion of an object can be changed by pushing or pulling. P.5.B Students understand that forces can change the position and motion of an object. P.5.B.1 Students know that, when an unbalanced force is applied to an object, the object either speeds up, slows down, or goes in a different direction. P.5.B.2 Students know that the strength of a force and mass of an object influence the amount of change in an objects motion. Sources: http://swift.sonoma.edu/education/newton/newton_1/html/newton1.html Data Table for Jar Races Race 1 2 3 4 Surface Tile Carpet Wood Floor Other How far did the filled jar travel? How far did the empty jar travel?

NAME__________________________ DATE____________ NEVADA STATE COLLEGE Lesson Topic: Oil Pollution Description of Classroom: 3rd grade elementary school class, age ranges from 7 to 8 year olds, 9 males and 11 females, urban setting, diverse in ethnicities, English is the first and predominant language of each student. Background: Students are currently in the middle of a unit based on the ocean. This part of the lesson will

inform students about how oil pollution can affect the environment and will also teach them ways to properly dispose of and recycle oil. Content Objective(s): 1. Students will compare the differences between oil polluted water and clean water. 2. Students will be able to describe the effects of oil pollution to wildlife. 3. Students will come up with a variety of possible solutions to prevent oil pollution. Language Objective(s): Students will write a letter to the local newspaper about oil pollution and demonstrate their knowledge on the subject through their ideas and thoughts on the subject. Nevada Standards: (3)4.6 investigate and describe how changes to an environment can be beneficial or harmful to plants and animals [L5C3] Key Vocabulary: Pollution, oil spill, recycle Best Practices: (put an X next to those that you address in your lesson) Preparation Scaffolding X Adaptation of content X Modeling X Links to background X Guided practice X X Links to past learning X Independent practice X Strategies incorporated X Verbal scaffolds X X Procedural scaffolds Integration of Processes Listening Speaking Reading Writing Application Hands-on Authentic (Meaningful) Linked to objectives Promotes engagement

Grouping Options Whole Class Small groups Partners Independent

X X X X

X X X X

X X X X

Assessment Individual Group Written Oral

Teaching Strategies: I will mix cooperative and individual teaching strategies. The students will have a balance between group activities and individual work. Warm Up Activity: I will start off the beginning of the lesson by reading the book Oil Spill, by Melvin Berger, to the class. This will introduce the topic of the lesson to the students and give them a little bit of background information on oil spillages. We will then have a classroom discussion about the book and I will ask my students what they know about oil pollution and its affects on animals and the environment. After that I will begin the hands-on activity. Lesson Sequence:

9. As a class, the students and the teacher will brainstorm out loud about what they know about oil pollution. While I ask engaging and meaningful questions about the topic. We will engage in conversation for about 10 minutes. 10. The students will complete the hands on activity. 11. We will begin the lesson by each putting on a raincoat. The raincoat will be used as an example of human waterproofing, which will introduce students to the topic of birds and how their feathers are a waterproofing tool also. 12. Students will then be given one cup of water, an eyedropper of oil, and a couple of paper towels each. 13. Students will then submerge a feather into water and then dry it off. This will illustrate a bird's weather proofing system. 14. Finally, the students will place a drop of oil into the water. They will then place the feather back into the water and try to dry the feather again, however, the students will not be able to dry the feather, therefore demonstrating how oil spills affect birds. 15. After the hands on activity the students will discuss, in their groups, what resulted after feathers were placed in the oil and how other wildlife can be impacted by oil pollution and they will discuss the proper technique for disposing of and recycling oil. 16. In closing, each student will write a letter about oil pollution and proper recycling and send it to the editor of a local newspaper. In their letters, students may describe the hazards associated with oil spills and im proper oil recycling. Accommodations: The students will be placed in small groups in the beginning of each class, according to the level each child is at (i.e. a student having difficultly will surely be placed with a student of mastery), and will be able to ask for peer assistance. I, the teacher, will be available before and after school if help is needed. Homework will also allow for parental guidance. Supplementary Materials: Feathers Paper Towels Cups of Water Motor Oil Eyedroppers Raincoat Review/Assessment: Each student will write a letter about oil pollution and proper recycling and send it to the editor of a local newspaper. In their letters, students may describe the hazards associated with oil spills and improper oil recycling. I will assess the letters according to the students' knowledge of material and content, along with proper letter writing format.