Liz+Looten

​__** Final Unit Plan: **__



This unit will address the 3rd grade objectives for force, motion, and simple machines. Students will learn about a specific simple machine and will be responsible for explaining to the rest of the class why their simple machine is the most helpful/useful for humans. They will attempt to convince their classmates using a commercial or other advertisement (brochure, presentation, skit, etc.).
 * __Unit Description:[[image:http://www.fi.edu/qa97/spotlight3/inline/simplemachines.gif width="255" height="167" align="right"]]__**

Which simple machine is the most important/useful? || What is force? What are the simple machines? How do the six simple machines (lever, wheel & axle, inclined plane, wedge, screw, pulley) work? How does each simple machine make work easier for us? How do simple machines impact the amount of force needed to do work? ||
 * Curriculum-Framing Questions ||
 * || Essential Question || How can we make work easier? ||
 * || Unit Questions || How do simple machines make work easier?
 * || Content Questions || What is work?

Tools

Teacher Name: llooten Team name: Whole Class Password: wholeclass

Team Name: Levers password: levers

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**Carla: The difference is the student skills are what your students may need to practice and the Habits of Learning Taxonomy will be for this lesson.** Being out of the classroom the hardest part was coming up with a unit plan. I had one good idea that would make good use of the Visual Ranking tool, but it wasn't a very long or complex lesson, and I couldn't find a way to make it logistically work. So I went back to a unit (Simple Machines) that was not so interesting for me, and not very technology-based, when I taught in the classroom, and thought about what I could do with that one. Now that I've settled on an idea, I think I have a better start on my project. My basic project outline:
 * __Question:__** On the unit plan template, there is a place for Habits of Learning Taxonomy, but also for Student Objectives/Learning Outcomes that is for "a list of thinking skills or habits that are targeted for your classroom." What's the difference between those two?

 What if we brainstormed ideas of what makes a tool useful?? Make a visual ranking tool for that, use that to help them pick a simple machine instead of assigning the simple machine **Carla: That would make it more student driven.**

Basic info on all of the simple machines Assigned a simple machine · Learn more about it · Use Intel Tool- Reasoning to organize thinking about simple machine · Create a persuasive commercial for why their simple machine is the best · Watch videos · Use Visual Ranking tool to have groups rank what tools they think are the best/most useful/etc… compare

Might work...

How to make them do something new with the tool/learning??? Essential questions:??? · How can we make life easier? Unit Questions: · How can we make work easier? · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Which simple machine is the most important/useful/helpful? How do simple machines make simple work easier?

Content Question: What are the simple machines? How does each simple machine work? How does each simple machine make work easier for us? How do simple machines impact the amount of force needed to do work?

Brainstorming what makes tools useful to access/assess prior knowledge Rubric for videos/commercials- revise together, give in the beginning, include planning, storyboard Short quiz for simple machines/force Checklist for parts of project (Reasoning tool, commercial script/plan, storyboard, commercial finalized, visual ranking tool) Visual ranking tool- look at reasoning for understanding of simple machines, concepts​
 * __Assessments__**

Updated thinking- 2/23/10, Lesson Activities: __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Cummulative Assessments: __ · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Quiz over simple machines, force & motion · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Commercial promoting their simple machines · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Report on simple machine __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Activities: __ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Plan for 15 days! J · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Introduction: 1 day o Seeing Reason tool?? Do I want to add in using the seeing reason tool to show relationship between different factors and the amount of force required to do work? (i.e. gravity, friction, etc. etc.) Second thought: what about doing one of these as a whole class activity, as an introduction/engage activity?? Teacher could pre-populate the factors to make it a quick activity, but it would be a good way to access prior knowledge and get them thinking. o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Brainstorm a list of tools o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Brainstorm what makes a tool a good tool/useful o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Visual ranking tool: rank importance of useful traits o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Choose/group according to simple machines · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Research/Information Gathering: 4 days- 2 days research, 2 days for report o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Rubric for report o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Students use books, websites, etc. to become an expert in their simple machine o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Keep notes on details (need to specify areas?) o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Write report · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Convincing: 6 days- 1 day for showing evidence tool, 2 days for storyboard, 3 days for creating? o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Use Showing Evidence tool to figure out reasoning o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Storyboard/plan o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Create movie in WMM or Photostory · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Finishing: 2 days o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">View Videos o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Visual Ranking tool to rank tools as most important/useful/helpful, with reasoning o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Short quiz <span style="color: #800080; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">
 * Carla: You might want to consider the showing evidence tool in its simple form. Once the students chose which simple machine they felt was most important, they would then make a claim and find evidence to prove or disprove their claim.**

Planning on using it twice- once to have them rank a list of brainstormed characteristics of good tools at the very beginning. I will use this to help divide the class into groups and assign them tools. They'll use it again at the end to rank the tools as most important and include their reasoning.
 * __Visual Ranking Tool Thoughts:__**
 * Prompt one:** <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Look at the list of characteristics of good tools below. Which characteristics are the most important? Put the characteristic/trait you think is the most important at the top, and the one that you think is the LEAST important at the bottom. Include your reasoning for the FIRST and LAST one.
 * Prompt two:** <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Look at the list of 6 simple machines. Rank them from the most useful (top) to the least useful (bottom). Include your reasoning for EACH simple machine. What characteristics does that simple machine have that makes it the most useful?

I'm not sure whether it is worth it to back up my whole unit and add in those other experiments/lessons just to add this tool. Maybe I can mention it as a transition tool from those experiments to applying what they learned from the experiments to the tools we'll study next... it would be a good transition lesson...
 * __Seeing Reason Tool:__** Would be good as part of the introductory lessons that will happen before this part of the unit starts- what impacts the amount of force it takes to do work... would work well as a beginning activity for this lesson, before even the listing of characteristics- would access their prior knowledge from experiments, and get them thinking about the factors that affect the amount of work/force required to move an object before they start brainstorming.

Keep in mind that some teachers may not have a great deal of time to apply to science. - Ruth However, science is one of the areas teachers feel freer to do more with the kids because there is often no prescribed instruction. Especially next year as you lose the specialists. Teachers may want some ideas. - Craig

__**Showing Evidence Tool:**__ I plan to use this tool to help students organize their persuasive case before they write their commercial scripts. Since it's 3rd graders, the simplified version will be best. I think for the evidence I will populate some choices with the list they brainstorm at the very beginning about what makes a tool a good tool. They can also add their own reasoning (and I'm thinking they will be required to add at least one or two of their own).
 * Prompt:** Think about the research you have done with your simple machine. What case can you build for your simple machine being the most helpful?

Liz- I thought your use of tools was excellent. I love the final project, too. What a great way to show what they've learned about their simple machines!--Janet