Day 3 – Falling Objects Experiment                                                                                  

LESSON OVERVIEW

In this lesson, the students actually take part in an experiment to collect and record data on falling objects.

INSTRUCTIONAL GOALS

Students will be able to collect and record data from an experiment.  They will be able to follow instructions in order to perform an experiment.

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT

Teacher observations will the major assessment tool in this activity.  No formal assignment will be made for the class, but students should be made to understand that their data will be needed for future classes and assignments in both math and science class.

LESSON ORGANIZATION

Opening the Lesson:
 10    minutes

     Science:  Students are given a description of the experiment to be done.  They are given a data sheet, (Link to the data page) and students are assigned tasks to perform during the experiment.

Developing the Lesson:
 35    minutes

     Science:  Students measure the distance from the top of the stadium (building, walkway, etc.) to the ground.  The first mass is dropped from the stadium and 7 students (each equipped with a stopwatch) measure the time it takes for the object to hit the ground.  All students record these 7 times in their table of data.  The above steps should be repeated for all ten objects.

Closing the Lesson:
 5    minutes

     Science:  All equipment is collected and returned to its proper place.  Students hand in their table of data before leaving class.

TEACHING RESOURCES

Students will be provided with an instruction sheet for the experiment.  Students will be provided with the data sheet in order to record their findings.  Stopwatches must be made available.  A measuring device must be available to the students to use to measure the height of the building where the objects will be dropped.

LAB SAFETY

Make sure that students understand the hazards involved in working from dangerous heights.  Appropriate objects must be chosen to be dropped, making sure that none can fragment or break and cause injury to persons on the ground below.  Students must be made to stand well clear of the drop zone.   Caution students that they are not to be climbing on the stadium fence.  All students must keep both feet on the top seat of the stadium.  Students on the ground should wear goggles to protect their eyes in the event of breakage from the falling objects.

ACCOMMODATIONS FOR SPECIAL LEARNERS

Students unable to climb the stadium steps will be given a stopwatch and will measure the times for the objects to fall.

ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES

Students might be asked to investigate the causes for some objects falling faster than others.  They could be asked to determine the factors that can affect the rate of fall for different objects.  (i.g., Does shape make a difference in fall rate?, Do objects fall faster if they are different colors?, etc.)