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Overview: Children
construct rolling objects from paper or plastic cups of varying
sizes to determine how far they roll, test the rolling distances
on different surfaces, and investigate the effects of added
weights in the cups to the distances rolled.
Objective: Children
will use and describe processes of science and design technology
to build and test simple wheel and axle devices made of
disposable cups.
Science Processes and Content: Processes-observing,
predicting, measuring, communicating, formulating hypotheses,
experimenting, recognizing variables, interpreting data, and
formulating models. Content-design-redesign technology,
properties of objects, position and motion of objects, simple
machines, gravity, momentum, friction, and potential and kinetic
energy.
National Science Education Standards: Unifying
concepts and processes, (1) Science as Inquiry, (2) Physical
Science, (5) Science and Technology
Materials: Assorted
paper, plastic, and/or Styrafoam cups of varying sizes as
wheels, masking tape, measuring tapes or metersticks, materials
for an incline, e.g. large books, boards, cardboard, etc.
Procedure:
1. Assemble the materials at various stations-a cup station, a
tape station, a measurer station-so that children can access the
materials to construct various kinds of rolling objects
throughout the investigation. Five or 6 rolling ramps can be
placed around the classroom.
2. Make a demonstration roller. Select 2 cups of the same kind
and size. Place the bottoms together and use one piece of
masking tape around the bottoms to hold them together. Now tell
the children you are going to roll your wheels down a ramp
(inclined plane). Show them how to release the wheels without
pushing them (gravity will do the job for you), but first have
them predict how far the wheels will roll. You might ask them to
put their name on a small piece of paper and place it where they
think the wheels will stop.
3. After the first roll, you can discuss their predictions, and
tell them without changing your wheels in any way, you are going
to roll your wheels again. Have them again predict the stopping
point. Discuss the findings.
4. You may wish to show them bigger and smaller wheels and ask
them to predict which will roller farther. But don't test them.
Rather, invite the children to make and test their own wheels,
making several different kinds and sizes. Encourage them to
predict, measure, collect data, and use other processes as
appropriate. Invite them to construct wheels in different ways
to make them go farther.
5. At some point you will want to get them back together to
describe and discuss their findings. Divergent questions such
as, "What did you find out?", "How would you change your wheel
design?", and "What other objects could you use to make
wheels?", will help them think about design-redesign processes
they used in their construction and testing.
6. You may introduce other variables that students can
investigate: Using the same wheels, will different surfaces
(wood, carpeting, concrete, blacktop, tile, etc.) have an effect
on the rolling distance?, How would the steepness of the incline
ramp affect rolling distance?, How would pennies or other
objects as weights taped to the inside of the wheels affect
roll? Student should be encouraged to do experiments of their
own using problem statements, formulating hypotheses, and so on.
You may wish to have them work in groups or individually.
7. Finally, when students have had lots of experiences, you may
want identify some of the processes they used (prediction,
measuring, etc.) and some of the concepts (potential energy-the
wheel poised at the top of the ramp, kinetic energy-the wheels
in motion.
Rollin', Rollin', Rollin' provides an excellent opportunity to
engage children in processes of science, apply concepts, and use
design-technology as a problem-solving technique.
Safety: Rolling objects are safe to work with. Remind them that they
should never use glass containers at any time nor should they
push or throw wheels down the ramps. Children will be moving
about during these activities and they may need to be reminded
to walk carefully and slowly so other children's investigations
are not disturbed. Congestion may be avoided by assigning
equally-sized groups to the 5 or 6 ramps that are placed about
the room. |
