1. New Mission High Schools Implementation Schedule
Engineering Motion
Boston Public Schools
New Mission High Schools
Bristol E. Konjoian
Action Plan &
Implementation Schedule
Action Plan #1 The Rocket Lab
The rocket lab is the first project of the year, designed to kick start our excitement about physics and lab teams. Students will be building a rocket of their own design. The only constraints be that the rocket fits on the rocket launching stand. They will follow the design process of researching, designing, and building and then we will go outside for our launch day. During this day the “redesign” involves their choice of mass for the rocket by adding more or less water and launching several times. The project culminates with a short lab report that documents all steps of both engineering design and the scientific method along with graphing and writing skills.
Day 1 – building/writing
Day 2 – building/writing
Day 3 – launching (data collection)
Day 4 – writing and poster making
Day 5 - presenting
Action Plan #2 The Rubber Band Car
This project will be the students' first introduction to velocity and acceleration. During this lab students will build a rubber band car following directions from “Design Squad” and then modify their car two times. The first redesign will be merely to make the car work. This may involve altering the placement of parts, or cutting the body of the car, or fixing the rubber band. The second redesign will be to create a car that is "The BEST!" at something. Each team will define what their own "Best" is. Options may be fastest, farthest, lightest, straightest, etc. Along the way, students will test their car 3 times taking data that they choose to be important data. Once students have accomplished this, the final task will be to calculate the velocity of their cars using distance and time. This lab will serve not only as an engineering design tool but also as a measurement, accuracy, and writing tool because students will be writing a 3 paragraph summary of their experience.
This project will last 1 week in early October.
Day 1 – build car and design initial functional modifications.
Day 2 - create a challenge
Day 3 – learn velocity equation and practice
Day 4 - writing poster making
Day 5 - share out
Goal/ objectives
Each year I do a rocket project at the end of the year as a wrap up after the MCAS. This year I am going to use the Rocket Project as an introduction to the Engineering Design Process and the expectations of a lab report at the beginning of the year.
Following the rocket project we will dive straight into kinematics. The concepts of velocity and acceleration are always difficult for students to master. It is is particularly difficult for them to decipher the differences between these two quantities. Currently we use ticker tape timers and motion detectors in separate activities. I am excited this year to incorporate athe engineering of a rubber band car as a tactile representation of these concepts. .
Student Deliverables
Both projects will be run win a similar format which means that students will be able to focus on the design and content of the rubber band car instead of what my expectations are. Therefore, both projects will require:
Completed student worksheets
A typed lab report
A group poster and brief presentation
A physical product
Students will also be required to bring in some basic materials to begin their building:
Action Plan #1: soda bottle
Action Plan #2: 2 CDs
Project Components
Some challenges that I focus on during all projects:
Writing in complete sentences
Recording the WHY – not just the final solution
Knowing which quantities to measure and measuring them accurately
Drawing and Labeling diagrams
Action Plan #1 The Rocket Lab
The Rocket Lab is a great introduction into making measurements and understanding why we make certain measurements. It gives students the opportunity to not only design a rocket but also manipulate and control the launch pad.
By completing this lab, students become aware of error, both human and environmental and redesign with these errors in mind. They develop lab habits they will need throughout the course as we study more rigorous concepts
Action Plan #2 The Rubber Band Car
The Rubber Band Cars will be used as we discover our first kinematic content: velocity. As students design and redesign their cars they will continuously make measurements of mass, distance, and time in a way that they can apply to the velocity equation and have a more foundational understanding of motion.
Teacher deliverables
Action Plan #1
Rocket Materials: launch pad, scissors, glue, tape, bike pumps
Rocket worksheets
Compute lab time for typing
A sunny day!
Rocket Rubric
Action Plan #2
Car Materials: cardboard, duct tape, rubber bands. Putty, washers, track on the floor
Car worksheets
Velocity Practice Worksheets
Computer Lab Time
Rubber Band Car Rubric