This post was edited by Sue Fortin on Jan, 2008
Here's an activity that gets the kids to explore the creation of speed graphs using toys and then to interpret the graphs.
I will be conducting this investigation in the next two weeks.

Here are the instructions I give the kids to get started

Here is the rubric I use to grade their work.

Sue:

Very cool. The wind up mouse graphic sends such a fun message, but there's some very serious learning to be done here too!

Delighted smiles,
LuAnn

Sue-

This looks fun and educational! We are doing speed graphs in a couple of weeks and I think I might try this. Two questions: how did kids accurately mark the distance every second, and 2) what type of wind up toys do you use and where do you get one? I wonder how this would work with just rolling a ball, which I do have.

Tracy

Tracy,
I-Party has a few wind-up toys, but I bought mine on the Internet. Can't remember the site, but they came in all designs - cows - pigs -dogs, etc.
To measure the distance, I have the kids place a long piece of blue painter's tape on the floor. They wind up their toy and place it at the starting point. One student has a stopwatch and the other person as a marking pen. When the person lets the wind-up toy go, the person with the stopwatch starts the stopwatch. Everytime the stopwatch gets to a second, they tell the person with the marking pen to make a mark on the tape at the position of the toy. This continues until the toy stops moving. Then the kids measure the distance at each mark that correlates to each second. They repeat this two more times, then graph out the results. The toys are pretty consistent trial after trial. Kids have a great time - they are all sprawled out on the floor - forget they are in class and forget they are learning and doing work - Nothing better when that happens!