Aim for It

• This lesson explores how kinetic energy relates to speed and mass. Your pupils will perform an experiment focusing on measuring the distance that’s been travelled over time. They’ll use wheel rotation as input. Using a graph that shows a wheel’s rotations over time, they'll trace a graph showing the distance that’s been travelled over a period of time, and then try to graph the speed over time. Finally, they'll use the maximum speed value to calculate the kinetic energy using this formula: E_k = ½mv² m = 305 g
• Use various materials to engage your pupils on the topic of kinetic energy.

Ignite a Discussion
Start a discussion by asking questions related to the lesson. Here are a few suggestions:

• What does the graph showing the distance that was travelled over time look like?
• What does the graph showing the speed over time look like?
• What does the graph showing the kinetic energy over time look like?

Have your pupils write down their thoughts as a hypothesis.

• Have your pupils build a vehicle with free-moving wheels. It must also be able to count wheel rotations. They can create their own models or follow the building instructions in the app to build the Street Curling Rock model.
• Ask your pupils to try out their models using the suggested program.
• Have them trace a graph of the distance that’s been travelled over time, and describe what they see:
  • What do the spikes in the graph represent?
  • Why does the space between the spikes increase as time goes by?

• Have your pupils continue the experiment by:
  • Converting the rotations per seconds into distance
  • Converting the distance that’s been travelled over time into speed
• Allow your pupils some time to adjust their programs to improve their performance.
• Encourage them to record as much data as possible during their experiments.
• Have them export their data as a CSV file so that they can manipulate it using other software if they wish.

• If your pupils still have access to their SPIKE Prime Sets, have them complete the tasks given in the SPIKE App. This will help them to elaborate on their learning with a bit of hands-on activity. Here are some examples:
  • Have your pupils play a game while logging the performance of their throws. Tell them to push their street curling rocks, attempting to have the front of the model stop as close to the centre of the target as is possible. Explain that each pupil or team has 3 goes. They must measure the distance the centre of the target to the front of their model after each attempt. The pupil or team with the smallest cumulative distance after 3 goes wins the game!
• If your pupils don't have access to their sets, have them complete their Inventor Notebooks, or assign one of the extension activities that’s been suggested below. Most of the extension activities can be done using the data that was collected during the hands-on session
• Facilitate a sharing session in which your pupils exchange information. This can be done using whichever method/tool is the most efficient (i.e. in-person or online).

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

Teacher Observation Checklist
Establish a scale that suits your needs, for example:

Partially accomplished
Fully accomplished
Overachieved

Use the following success criteria to evaluate your pupils' progress:

• The pupils are able to program a device that logs data on a line graph.
• The pupils are able to interpret the values coming from the line graph.
• The pupils can explain kinetic energy in relation to speed.

Self-Assessment
Have each pupil choose the brick that they feel best represents their performance.

• Blue: I’m able to graph data using the program that’s been provided in the app.
• Yellow: I’m able to create my own line graph and explain my results.
• Violet: I've created new experiments on my own.

Peer Feedback

Encourage your pupils to provide feedback to one another by:

Having one pupil use the coloured brick scale above to score another pupil’s performance.
Asking them to present constructive feedback to one another so that they can improve their group’s performance during the next lesson. This is an excellent opportunity to use videoconferencing tools or blog posting tools in a blended learning scenario.

Simplify this lesson by:

• Limiting the lesson's focus to variations in the distance that’s been travelled over time

Take this lesson to the next level by:

• Asking your pupils to design and build their own freewheeling vehicles and curling rocks, repeat the experiment and compare their data to another model’s performance (e.g. a classmate’s model)
• Having your pupils design and build their own pushing devices that can provide more regular throws, and document the design process

Building Tips

Coding Tips

This lesson is designed to be played while the hub is connected through USB or Bluetooth. While connected, the data collected by the Hub is streamed directly to your device, and traced in real-time on the Line Graph.

Main Program

Solution Program

Science Data Tips
Here’s an example of the data your pupils can expect from this experiment.

Maths Extension

To incorporate the development of maths skills:

• Have your pupils explore what happens when they change their curling rock's mass by adding elements (e.g. motors) or a heavy object (e.g. a water bottle). Ask them to update their models, rerun the experiment and compare the graphs showing the speed over time for the different masses.

Note: This will require additional time.

Literacy Extension

To incorporate the development of literacy skills:

• Ask your pupils to create a marketing campaign promoting the key features of their models. Tell them to include the model's technical characteristics and use scientific facts related to the concepts of speed and energy to highlight their benefits.

Note: This will require additional time.

Career Links

The pupils who enjoyed this lesson might be interested in exploring these career pathways:

• Education & Training
• Health Science