South Carolina ETV

South Carolina ETV
1101 George Rogers Boulevard
Columbia, SC 29201-4761
Phone: 803-737-3545

Extreme Acceleration (Grades 7-8)

Master Teacher

Karenanne Koenig

Overview

In this lesson the students will explore the concept of acceleration. Students will use inquiry skills to determine the acceleration rate of a roller-blader. Pupils will graph the acceleration rate.

SC Science Standards Met

Areas:

I. Inquiry—A. Identify the process skills that can be used in scientific investigations (a, c, d).

IV. Physical Science: Forces and Motion

A. Forces and Motions—The motion of an object can be described by its position, direction of motion, and speed, and can be measured and represented on a graph (a, b).

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

operationally define acceleration
use stopwatches to measure elapsed time
use inquiry skills to record and determine the acceleration rate of a roller-blader
observe patterns of events
plot and graph a distance-line graph
make inferences based on data

Materials

For each partnership:

Extreme Acceleration Experiment sheet
Focus for Viewing sheet
stopwatch
a pair of roller blades
masking tape
metric measuring tape

ITV Series

Eureka, Lesson 4, "Acceleration"

Previewing Activity

Write the word acceleration on the board and ask students, "What do you think the word acceleration means?" Mindmap with the students the word acceleration.

Next ask the students what the word rate means and mindmap their feedback on the board.

Focus for Viewing

Now say to the students, "So you think that we can determine the acceleration rate of a roller-blader in this class?" Hand out the "Focus for Viewing" activity sheet. Review the sheet with the students and instruct them to look and listen for four elements in the video:

"Which bike would you choose?"
two factors that slow down the speed of the biker
the definition for acceleration
the formula for acceleration

Viewing Activity

Start the Eureka video. Allow the film to run until you hear the voice cue, "Which bike would you choose to ride?" Pause the video and ask the students to write their choice on the Focus for Viewing sheet and to provide an explanation for their choice.

After students complete their answers, start the tape until you see Force = mass x acceleration. Stop the tape and say, "Please write the definition for acceleration and the formula for acceleration on your Focus for Viewing sheet." When the students have completed the task, start the tape and let it run until the segment ends.

Post-Viewing Activities

Step One

Review the Focus for Viewing sheet by asking the students:

1. Which bike did you choose to ride and why?"

Answer: Answers may vary, but students should indicate that the racing bike was the preferred choice because less force is needed to move a lighter mass.

2. What two factors slowed down the biker's speed?

Answer: The two factors were wind resistance and bumpy roads. Friction instead of bumpy roads is an appropriate
answer.

3. What is the definition for acceleration?

Answer: Acceleration is a rate of change of speed.

4. What is the formula for acceleration?

Answer: F = m x a

Step Two

Provide students with a copy of the Extreme Acceleration Experiment. Review the procedure and direct the students to conduct the experiment.

Action Plan

1. Require the students to average the acceleration rates for all of the rollerbladers in class.

2. Begin a new tradition. Record the average acceleration rate/class to determine which class had the fastest acceleration rate. Publish this number on the class Web page. Make sure to date the year. Challenge each class, each year, to beat the record-holding class' acceleration rate.

3. Share the Extreme Acceleration lesson with another teacher. Collaborate by challenging another school beyond, or in the district to beat your class's record rate.

4. Host an Extreme Acceleration Competition within the school district or across the
Internet.

Extensions

1. Technology: At the Extreme Acceleration Challenge held by the class, use a digital camera to record the event and download pictures to share with parents, community, teachers, and other students.

2. Reading/Language Arts: Students look up the following Web site address and write an article for the student newspaper about rocketry and Newton's Laws of Motion. (See Web site address #1 below.)

3. Technology/Engineering: Students use a plastic sheet to build a model that simulates acceleration forces on a space vehicle. (See Web site address #2 below.)