Pass the Ball

• Review the online pupil material. Use a projector to share this material with your pupils during the lesson.
• Make sure that you have covered the relevant concepts (i.e. cause and effect, systems, inputs, processes and outputs) in an earlier lesson.
• Consider the abilities and backgrounds of all your pupils. Differentiate the lesson to make it accessible to everyone. See the Differentiation section below for suggestions.

• Watch the pupil video here or access it via the online pupil material.

• Facilitate a quick discussion about the forces that help football players pass the ball from one player to another.
• Ask questions like these:
  • What skills do footballers need to pass a ball around the pitch? (The 2 most important skills are passing and receiving the ball.)
  • What force is required to make the ball move? (Footballers use a push force with their foot to generate forward momentum to kick the ball. They also use their foot to slow and stop the ball when they receive it.)
• Tell the pupils that they are going to build a mechanism that can pass a ball, and then work together as a team to pass a ball from one side of the room to the other.
• This can be done as a whole class or smaller groups.
• Explain that they will not be given building instructions but should instead use the pictures on pages 2 - 3 in their building instructions books to guide them. Explain that each group:
  • Can copy the models that are shown in the pictures on pages 2 - 3 of building instructions book, embellish them, or invent their own designs.
  • Each group should aim to make at least two ball passer and catcher models.
• Distribute a set to each group.

• Have the pupils work in pairs to build a mechanism that can pass and catch a yellow ball.
• There are not specific building instructions for this lesson. However, the pupils can refer to the pictures on pages 2 - 3 of building instructions book for inspiration. They are also welcome to design their own models.
• You can find building help in the Tips section below.
• Once the pupils have finished building, ask them to test their models.

• Gather your pupils together to share what they have built.
• Ask questions like these:
  • What did your model have to do to make the ball move to the next player? (It had to have a mechanism that could make the ball move in a straight line.)
  • Which of the inspiration models helped you to create an effective mechanism?
  • How did it work?
  • How did the mechanism pass the ball?
  • How did it slow the ball down?

• If time permits, ask your pupils to try combining two mechanisms to make a more complicated ball passer.
• Allow time for the pupils to disassemble their models, sort the bricks back into the trays and tidy up their workstations.

• Give feedback on each pupil's performance.
• Facilitate self-assessment.
• To simplify the process, you can use the assessment rubrics that have been provided.

Observation Checklist

• Measure your pupils’ proficiency in describing the forces that are at work in their models.
• Establish a scale that suits your needs. For example:
  1. Requires additional support
  2. Can work independently
  3. Can teach others

Self-Assessment

• Have each pupil choose the brick that they feel best represents their performance.
  • Green: With some help, I can describe the forces that are at work in my model.
  • Blue: I know I can describe the forces that are at work in my model.
  • Purple: I can describe and explain the forces that are at work in my model.

Peer Feedback

• Encourage your pupils to assess their peers by:
  • Using the brick scale above to score each other's performance
  • Presenting their ideas and giving constructive feedback

MODEL TIPS

• The inspiration pictures on pages 2 - 3 of the building instructions book show eight models that can be used as inspiration. Note: There are not enough elements to build all these models at the same time. Building on one of the blue panels will help the pupils to scale their models.

  1. Gear train
  2. Rack and pinion
  3. Four-bar linkage
  4. Bevel gears
  5. Ratchet lever
  6. Worm gear
  7. Universal joint
  8. Scissor mechanism

Simplify this lesson by:

• Assigning each group specific obstacles to build
  • Suggest starting with the four-bar linkage or scissor mechanism; these mechanisms can easily push something to make it move

Increase the difficulty by:

• Having the pupils try to make their ball move in a curve
• Choosing a random element and challenging your pupils to find a way to use it in a model

(Note: This will require additional time.)
To incorporate the development of maths skills, ask your pupils to calculate the gear ratios, measure the linkage movements or perform other calculations to help them to understand how one force translates to a different force.

ACMNA173
Recognise and solve problems involving simple ratios

Download the Personal Learning Kit lesson plan from the hybrid learning resources.