Design for Learning

Instructor: Abby Johnson

Lesson Title: Speed and Moiton
Curriculum Area: Science

Grade Level/Cooperating Teacher: 4th/Brown

Date: 4/8/16
Estimated Time: 1 hour

Standards Connection: 1.) Use evidence to explain the relationship of the speed of an
object to the energy of that object.
Learning Objective(s):
When given a lab report, students will determine how speed relates according to a
teacher-made rubric, scoring at least a 10 out of 12.
Learning Objective(s) stated in kid-friendly language: Today, we are going to learn
how we can look at the motion and speed of an object to determine its energy.
Evaluation of Learning Objective(s): Students will determine the relationship between
speed and energy through participation in an experiment. After making their
observations from the experiment, students will record their findings in a lab report. They
will record their observations and develop their conclusion using the guided format. The
teacher will assess the students using a teacher-made rubric, and the students will be
required to make a 10 out of 12.
Engagement:
Today, we are going to learn how we can look at the motion and speed of an object to
determine its energy. Before we begin though, I have a Flocabulary video for you to
watch on motion! The teacher shows the students the video
(https://www.flocabulary.com/unit/forces-and-motion/). Do you all like that video? Are
you ready to learn about motion?!
Learning Design:
I. Teaching:
The teacher will begin the lesson and have the students remain in their seats at
their tables. Today, class, we are going to learn about motion, speed, and energy. When
I say the word motion, what do you think of? Teacher gives the students time to think.
Turn and talk with your neighbor about what you think of. Teacher gives the students
time to talk to their partner. Can some people share their ideas with the class? The
teacher calls on several students. You all showed some great thinking! For some, you
thought of something moving like a car going down the street or a ball rolling. Motion is
when something moves from one place to another. Would someone like to add the word
motion to our science word wall? The teacher calls on one of the students to write the
word motion and put it on the wall. Now, how can we know if an object is moving?
Teacher listens to student responses. We can tell if an object moves based on its
position. Position is where something is located compared to another object. For
example, I could say if I was trying to describe that backpacks position, I would say,
The backpack is under the table. The teacher puts a pencil on top of a desk at the front
of the classroom. I could also say, The pencil is on top of the desk. The teacher pushes
the pencil off of the table. If the pencil rolls off the table, how would I describe the
pencils new position? Teacher lets student respond. Correct! I could say, The pencil is
under the desk. What did we use to compare the pencils position? Student responds.
Very good! We used the desk. Teacher calls on one of the students to come to the front
of the classroom. Think for just a moment about how you could describe his position.
Teacher gives students time to think. Who can describe his position? Teacher calls on
student. She says, He is standing behind the desk. Give me a thumbs up if you agree
and a thumbs down if you disagree. If you disagree, why did you say that? Teacher
listens to student response. If you agree, why do you say that? Teacher listens to

student response. Does anyone want to change their thinking? Why? Teacher calls on
students. I think that is a great statement! We are comparing his position to the desk.
The teacher asks the student to move. Now, I want you to think for just a moment and
decide if he moved. Then support that answer with a statement about his position.
Teacher gives students time to think. If you think that he moved, give me a thumbs up. If
you think he did not move, give me a thumbs down. Can someone give me their
statement about his position to support your answer? Teacher listens to responses. She
responds based on their answer. If there is something missing from the students
statement, she will ask the class if anything is missing and why. If the student has the
correct statement, she will continue. Do you all think that this statement about his
position supports the fact that he moved? Teacher listens to student response. Why do
you think that? Very good! She said, He is standing in front of the desk. We know he
moved because we looked at where he is standing based on the desk. Teacher
dismisses the student back to his seat. If I set this book on the table, is it in motion? No,
it is not. Can anyone tell me why? Teacher listens to responses. Lets add the word
position to our science word wall. Teacher calls on a student to write the word and post it
to the word wall. We learned that we can describe motion based on position, and
another way we can describe motion is based on the direction. Direction is the course
on which something moves. This can be in a straight line, in a circle, or even zig-zaged.
I want you to pay attention carefully as I move and tell me what direction I am moving in.
Teacher moves in a zigzag pattern towards the back of the classroom. The teacher calls
on one of the students to answer. Great! I moved towards the back of the room in a
zigzag pattern. Can someone come to the front and move in a different direction? The
teacher calls on a student to come to the front of the classroom. What direction did she
move? Students respond. Great job!
Another way we can describe motion is by its speed. When you hear the word
speed, what do you think of? Teacher allows time for student response. Those are good
thoughts! Speed tells you how the position of an object changes during a certain amount
of time. We can say something is fast or something is slow. We would say a runner is
fast. We would say a sloth is slow. What are some of your ideas about things that are
fast or things that are slow? Take a few seconds to think of two examples. The teacher
creates a T-Chart of things that are fast or slow. Great job giving examples of speed! In
order to find the speed, you need to measure two things. I want you to think for just a
minute about what you think those two things are. Teacher gives students wait time.
What do you think we would need to measure? Teacher listens to student responses.
We would measure distance and time! What is distance? Teacher listens to student
responses. Distance is how far the object travels. When we measure time, we measure
how long it takes the object to travel a certain distance. If we were comparing the way
that an ant moves to the way a cheetah moves, what would we say when we are
comparing their speed? Teacher waits for student response. Correct! We would say the
cheetah has greater speed. What evidence do we have to support this claim? Teacher
waits for student responses. The cheetah travels more distance than the ant does in the
same amount of time. If we had an airplane and a bicycle, how could we describe their
speed? Teacher waits for student responses. Very good! We would say the airplane is
fast and the bicycle is slow. The airplane has more speed because it can travel more
distance in the same amount of time as the bicycle.
II. Opportunity for Practice:
Now that we have learned all about motion, speed, and energy, we are going to
put our learning to practice. You are going to work in groups of three or four on this
experiment. Every group is going to get a ping pong ball, a ruler, and masking tape. You
are also going to get a worksheet that guides you through this experiment. It is going to
have questions for you to think about when doing different tasks with the ball. I want you
to discuss these questions with your partner. This is the worksheet you are going to be
given. The teacher will show the students the worksheet. The first step you are going to
do in this experiment is to place a piece of tape on the ground. Then place the ball on
the floor on the piece of tape. You are going to do three trials. For each trial, we are
going to push the ball with different amounts of force. Each time we are going to count
One Mississippi, Two Mississippi. The time will stay the same but the distance will

change. At Two Mississippi, pay attention to which tile the ball stops at. The first trial
will be slow. The second trial will be slightly faster. The third trial will be the fastest. Once
you find how far the ball traveled, you will measure the distance with your ruler. Does
anyone have any questions? The teacher will allow the students to ask questions and
will clarify any uncertainties. Now that we all understand what we are going to be doing,
we are going to get started! I am going to give each person a number. There will be 5
groups. Teacher gives each student a number. Ones raise your hands. Find each other
and stand in a group. Twos raise your hands. Find each other and stand in a group.
Threes raise your hands. Find each other and stand in a group. Fours raise your hands.
Find each other and stand in a group. Fives raise your hands. Find each other and stand
in a group. Can I get one person from each partner pair to come and get your ball, ruler,
masking tape, and worksheets from the front of the classroom? After you have your
materials, you may begin! The teacher will walk around the room listening to the
students discussions. After the students have completed the experiment, they will come
together as a class to discuss what they discovered. The teacher will walk through the
worksheet with the students allowing them to explain their findings. Has everyone
completed the experiment? Great! Lets regroup and discuss what we discovered. What
did you find about the speed of the objects for the different amounts of force? Teacher
gives time for the students to respond. You all have some very good thinking taking
place right now. Do you all feel more confident about motion, speed, and energy? All of
you worked very hard on this experiment and seem to have a good understanding of
why the ball did what it did!
III. Assessment
To end our lesson and show our understanding of what happened during the
experiment, you are going to individually fill out a lab report of what occurred during that
experiment. On this lab report, you are going to see a question that says How can you
determine an objects speed? What did you notice about the ping pong ball in different
situations? Did anything surprise you? What did you observe throughout this process?
Finally, you are going to write down your conclusion. Okay class, I think we are ready to
complete our lab reports! I am going to pass out the lab reports, and then I want you to
begin filling them out with your own thinking! The teacher will pass out the lab reports to
the students. She will walk around the classroom while they are working, observing what
is taking place. She will collect the reports when everyone has finished.
IV. Closure:
To close the lesson, students will write an I Am poem from the viewpoint of
motion, speed, or energy. They will choose one variable to write from the perspective of,
but they will be asked to include at least one sentence about each of the variables in the
poem. You all did a wonderful job today learning about motion, speed, and energy! To
close our lesson today, we are going to write an I Am poem! You are going to choose
either speed, direction, or size to write from the perspective of. The poem will be about
the variable you choose. Somewhere in the poem, you will include a sentence about
each of the other 2 variables as well. Be creative with your poem, and show your
understanding of what we have been learning about these variables and how they affect
an objects motion! After we finish writing the poems, we are going to share them with
the class. Is everyone ready to write their poem? Okay, class, lets put our poets brain
on and begin writing. The teacher will walk around the room as the students are creating
their poem. After they have written their poem, they will read them to the class. I am so
proud of all of your hard work today! You all learned so much!
Materials and Resources:
Flocabulary Video
Computer
Promethean Board
Powerpoint
Lab Report
Rubric

I Am Poem
Tape
Ruler
Ping Pong Ball

Differentiation Strategies (including plans for individual learners):

Green: Students will choose other objects to test the speed and motion of, designing and
implementing their own experiment.
Red: Students will be given a graphic organizer to create visual representations of the
material.
Data Analysis:
After analyzing the data, I found that fourteen out of the twenty-four scored
proficient. Out of the ten that did not answer correctly, eight of them were incomplete.
They did not answer each question in the conclusion. Part of this may be that all the
questions were listed together. Next time, I would reorganize this so that each question
had space under it for an answer. Additionally, some students wrote very little and then
sat in their desk doing nothing. I need to find a way to motivate students to complete
their work.
Reflection:
This lesson was the first one I taught at my urban placement. I expected the
students to respond to activities like collaborative learning in the same way as the
students at Trace. Through this lesson, I realized how important classroom management
is. I think this lesson would have been much more successful if I had given expectations
more explicitly and been more clear in directions. The students remained engaged
throughout the entire lesson. They loved the hands-on aspect of it and enjoyed
participating in an experiment. The examples connected to their everyday life and made
the abstract concept more personal and relatable. Next time, I would like to give clearer
directions.
Samford University
Design for Learning

Name_________________

Motion and Speed Lab

Question/Problem: What amount of force will result in the
most speed?
Hypothesis: I think the
_________________________________________ will have the most
amount of speed.
Results/Observations:
Trial:

How far the car traveled:

One
Two
Three
Conclusion:
What did you see? Was your hypothesis correct or incorrect?
Why do you think this happened? Explain. Make sure you
include the words motion, speed, and energy.