Bumps and Buckles: A Lesson on Motion

This activity is designed for students to discover different ways to produce rotational motion. They will also explore and describe some variables that influence the movement of objects.

This activity can be taught in small groups, one on one, or to a whole class. How you choose to divide up your class depends on how many supplies you have. It would be recommended to have pairs or small groups of four students to do this activity.

Materials:
-Small car
-Clay
-Rubber band
-Straw
-Ruler
-Tape
-Ramp

After students have rolled many different types and sizes of wheels down a ramp, they will see what happens when speed bumps are introduced. After many different trials of speed bumps at different lengths away from the base of the ramp, the students will have a clay figure sitting on top of the car to see what happens when the car hits the speed bumps. Later the students will have to figure out how to keep the figure with the car.

Students will set up a ramp like they have been for the past few days from the FOSS science kit. If you do not use FOSS, use a couple of books stacked up with a length of cardboard at least four by twelve inches taped to the top book in the stack to form a ramp. Students will observe a toy car, like a Matchbox or Hot Wheels size moving down the ramp. Introduce students to a speed bump which will be in the form of a drinking straw. Encourage the students to place the bump different lengths away from the base of the ramp. They can measure their lengths and record what happened to their car on a piece of paper or in a science journal. Meet as a whole class and discuss your findings. Next, introduce a passenger to their car in the form of a clay figure. Making a snowman type figure with two small clay balls the size of two dice stacked one on top of the other. Flatten the bottom of the clay figure and set it on the hood of the toy car. Have students observe and record what happens to the clay figure at the different speed bumps lengths. Gather together again as a group and discuss the findings. The last part of this activity is to ask the students how to keep the figure with the car. Record their ideas on the board or on a big piece of paper. Have them brainstorm how to do this. Form a hypothesis together. Have them test the hypothesis with many different supplies; I'm sure they'll let you know what they would like to try. Once again, gather students together and have them present their ideas to the class. This should be done informally. This lesson would need to be completed in a large time block or it could be split into at least three days. A twist on this activity would be to try different cars, different size figures, and different heights in the ramp.

I have never tried this activity with my second grade classroom and look forward to doing it this 2008-2009 school year. I am going to VERY briefly tell the students that the activity of just going down the ramp is Newton's First Law, No Force - No Change. The class will also be told that the speed bump aspect relates to Newton's Second Law, Force Causes Change.

The assessment will be informal. Student pairs or small groups will share and demonstrate how their clay figure stayed on their car with their "seat belt" creation.

Grade 2

II Physical science

D. Motion

They student will know that objects move in various ways.