Week 9 Blogpost

 

1. The big question addressed in the lab, and a description of what you did.

• Big question: What affects how long it takes a swing to go back and forth?

In the lab today, we began by watching a YouTube video comparing the rates at which a bowling ball and feathers fall. I noticed that when the two objects were falling through the air, the feathers fell at a slower rate than the bowling ball, because the air resistance force was acting upon the gravity. Then, the two objects were dropped in a completely vacuum-sealed room with no air, and we observed that gravity acted upon both objects at the same rate, resulting in the objects falling at the same speed. We then looked at the week 8 homework and had a text rendering discussion. We picked a sentence, phrase, and word that had meaning to us individually, and then shared the ideas with my table group. Then, as a whole class, we discussed every group's list, revealing the core ideas we took away from this article. 

As a table group, we began designing an investigation to answer the big question: What factors affect how long it takes a swing to go back and forth? We investigated the length of the chain variable. Our hypothesis before our investigation was: If the length of the swing is shorter, it moves faster because there is a shorter distance to move. As a group, we decided to build a model out of a wooden stick tied to a string that had a weight on the end of it to simulate a rider on a swing. We then tested 2 different lengths and made sure each length started from the same distance. Then we timed each length by how long it took to take one swing. We found that the length of the chain did affect the speed of a rider, because the longer string had an average time of 1.53 seconds, and the shorter string had an average time of 1.075 seconds. This proved are hypothesis to be true because our graph explained that the longer the distance of a chain, the farther it has to cover, causing it to affect how long it takes a swing to go back and forth. The investigation we created helped me understand that the length of the chain on a swing does affect the time it takes for a swing to go back and forth. 

2. What I learned in the Lecture.

I learned that the period of a swing is the time it takes to go back and forth. In the lecture, we discussed 2 of Newton's Laws of motion. The first Law of Motion states that a force (push/pull) is required to speed up, slow down, or turn, having to be acted on by a force of some kind, which = acceleration. Then we discussed Newton's Second Law of Motion, which is Force = Mass x Acceleration. What this states is that the larger masses are harder to accelerate. So when we have an equal force on a heavier object and a lighter object, the acceleration of the lighter object will be greater. I learned that when we step on a scale, what's happening is the scale is measuring the force of the scale pushing up on us and the force of gravity that's pushing us down into the scale. I learned more about energy and how energy can never be created or destroyed, but energy can be transferred from one system to another. Energy is important in science

Answer questions about the weekly textbook reading

What did you learn?

I learned that DCIs, SEPs, and CCs are beneficial because they work together as one, instead of being taught one dimension at a time. I learned that DCIs shift the ways science is taught to help students understand the core ideas in order to explain phenomena. I learned that SEPs emphasize the practice and process of science, which is shifting from regular inquiry-based practices towards engaging students in more realistic ways of developing knowledge, acting more like scientists. I learned that CCs provide students with a set of lenses, helping students connect ideas across different scientific fields and explore/explain phenomena.

What was most helpful?

Understanding the scaffolding approach within these three dimensions and how that collaborative approach helps build culture within our classroom community. How the NGSS curriculum focuses more on the core main ideas, which help students understand and learn the ideas/concepts that teachers want students to walk away with. Understanding that with students, less can be more, especially when the depth of the learning is being obtained.

What do you need more information on?

Honestly, I walked away from reading this article feeling good. One thing that I would like to receive more information on is understanding better how to effectively implement the NGSS model in our science curriculum. 

What questions/concerns/comments do you have?

I question the assessment portion of NGSS and how schools and districts are going to adapt assessments to match the three-dimensional model. I also wonder how hard it will be for teachers to handle making these valuable lessons because there is a large demand for professional development and curricular overhaul to be able to teach this effectively, benefiting student learning outcomes