Tammy Mitchell GDIT 708: Backward Design Assignment Using the Backward Design Model on an Elementary Science Curriculum

Unit Desired Results (Standards) What State Standards will be addressed? ~3.2 Inquiry and Design (3.2.4A,B,C,D) ~3.7 Technological Devices (3.7.4A,B,C,D,E) What overarching understandings are desired? ~ Use scientific thinking processes to conduct investigations and build explanations ~ Observe, communicate, compare/contrast, organize information, apply knowledge, and transfer knowledge What are the overarching "essential" questions? ~ How does sound originate from a source? ~ What factors make pitches higher or lower than other pitches? What will students understand as a result of this unit? ~ Sound is caused by vibrations ~ Pitch is how high or low a sound is ~ Differences in pitch are caused by differences in the rate at which objects vibrate ~ Long objects vibrate slowly and have a low pitch ~ Short objects vibrate quickly and have a high pitch ~More tension on an object causes faster vibrations and a higher pitch ~ Less tension on an object causes slower vibrations and a lower pitch What "essential" and "unit" questions will focus this unit? ~ How are sounds made?

~ How are high and low sounds made? ~ How does length affect the rate of vibration and therefore pitch? ~ How does tension affect the rate of vibration, and therefore pitch? Evidence of Learning What evidence will show that students understand (Performance Tasks, Projects, Tests,) Big Picture... ~ Unit assessment performance assessment o Students will demonstrate how to make a high and low pitch with a cup and several rubber bands vocabulary o Students will correctly use vocabulary terms when answering questions Scenarios o Students will respond to scenarios about sound and pitch ~ Unit Project from a list of choices (design your own instrument from household materials, research how bats use sound, research and compare animals ears, record and describe sounds in everyday life, create a podcast using and describing properties of various sounds, create a VoiceThread using and explaining photographs from real life experiences with sound, etc.) Quizzes, Tasks, Academic Prompts Throughout Unit... ~ Promethean flipchart to guide and document hands-on investigation processes ~ Promethean ActivVote questions to check periodically for understanding ~ Performance observations of investigations ~ Science notebook/investigation log ~ Contributions to class Science Blog ~ Response answers to given scenarios

Other Evidence (e.g. observations, work samples, dialogues) ~ Performance observations of student-student dialogue of investigations ~ Dialogue/discussion after trade book reading ~ Application to other subject areas Student Self-Assessment ~ Self assessment of student notebook/investigation log ~ Self assessment of productivity in investigation groups Learning Experience and Instruction Given the targeted understandings, other unit goals, and the assessment evidence identified, what knowledge and skills are needed? Students will need to know... ~ Vibration causes sound ~ Frequency of vibrations cause difference in pitch ~ Faster vibrations cause higher pitch ~ Slower vibrations cause lower pitch Students will need to be able to... ~ Work cooperatively in groups of 2-4 students ~ Organize thoughts and record observations in notebook ~ Use scientific terms in dialogue What teaching and learning experiences will equip students to demonstrate the targeted understandings? ~ The following investigations: 1. Vibration and Pitch (using a door fiddle, sound generator, and tuning fork)

2. Length and Pitch (using door fiddle, string beam, tongue depressor, xylophone, Kalimba, and water phones) 3. Tension and Pitch (using cup-phone and mini-gutbucket) ~ Reading "Sound Stories" and answering comprehension questions ~ Flipchart instruction, interaction, and assessment ~ ActivVote quiz questions both multiple choice and open-ended for discussion and debate

References Pennsylvania Department of Education. (2002). Academic standards for science & technology. Retrieved, April 21, 2010 from, http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/state_board_of_educatio n/8830/state_academic_standards