Assessing Student Learning

Newtons Laws of Motion Pre-Post Lesson Quiz

Click here and select open to view interactive powerpoint quiz

What are you assessing? Where does it fit in your project?

This quiz is to be utilized both before and upon conclusion of the lesson on Newton’s Laws of Motion. It will assess students knowledge and understanding of the three laws through technical vocabulary, formulas, and working examples.

How students will demonstrate their knowledge?

Students will demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of Newton’s Laws of Motion through answering the multiple choice questions presented in the quiz.

How does this assessment inform your instruction for the next step of your project?

As a pre-assessment this quiz is to be used as a tool for determining the base knowledge students are bringing to the classroom. In addition, the assessment introduces ideas for future study while peaking student interest and inquiry.

As a post-lesson assessment, the quiz acts as a gauge of student comprehension of the lesson for the teacher as well as an indicator of items which may need to be revisited. For students, the post-lesson assessment provides an opportunity to measure and observe the learning which took place when compared to the pre-assessment.

FLIGHT Game Worksheet

What are you assessing? Where does it fit in your project?

This worksheet is to be completed by students as they explore concepts of flight in the interactive web-based game: FLIGHT. The worksheet will assess student’s ability to relate their observations to the principles of flight and Newton’s Laws discussed previously during lecture.

How students will demonstrate their knowledge?

Students will demonstrate their knowledge by making, recording, analyzing, and drawing conclusions from observations as they complete the Flight Game Worksheet.

How does this assessment inform your instruction for the next step of your project?

This assessment is meant to identify areas of weakness to the teacher so they may further demonstrate and explain concepts which will be crucial to the success of the final game-based activity, the model aircraft construction and competition.

Aircraft Model Competition

What are you assessing? Where does it fit in your project? 

This competition is the final activity to be held at the conclusion of the project based learning unit. The competition will be used to assess the students understanding and practical application of flight physics.

How students will demonstrate their knowledge?

Students will demonstrate their knowledge of flight physics through the design, construction, and performance of their model in an effort to achieve a maximum distance traveled, altitude attained, and time aloft. Groups will present the logic and rationale behind their designs and launch techniques while summarizing the principles which make flight possible for their model.

How does this assessment inform your instruction for the next step of your project?

This assessment serves as an indicator of the project’s cumulative success or failure throughout the project based learning unit. The conclusions drawn from the assessment will be utilized by the teacher to edit instructional materials and techniques, allowing for even greater success among future classes.

Differentiated Content Lesson

Unit: Flight Physics

Lesson: Newton’s Laws of Motion Applied to Flight

Objective: At the conclusion of the lesson students will be able to:

• State Newton’s Three Laws of Motion
• Explain and interpret the physical concepts behind the three Laws of Motion.
• Define inertia, mass, force, acceleration, and free body diagram.
• Apply Newton’s Laws to explain how various modes of flight are possible

Activities For Whole Group Instruction:

In a 20 minute interactive lecture students will be introduced to Newton’s Three Laws of Motion and observe demonstrations and videos exhibiting them in action. Utilizing Newton’s first law, students will be asked to draw a force body diagram of an airplane in flight. Students will indicate all forces that act upon the airplane in flight to include thrust, drag, gravity, and lift to understand the concept of balanced and unbalanced forces and how they influence the motion of the aircraft. Incorporating Newton’s second law, students will visit the following website and observe how mass and force affects the acceleration of an object through the interactive demonstration. Lastly, students will pair up to inflate and release balloons to observe how Newton’s third law of action reaction applies to the flight of the balloon and relate it to that of a rocket.

3 Ways to Differentiate for 3 Different Classified Students:

Disability 1: Visual Impairment

These students will be seated towards the front of the class where they can best observe the presentation, videos, and live demonstrations. Presentation slides and class handouts will be made available electronically as well as through enlarged printouts, allowing students to best view the resources. Force body diagrams will be drawn with help of a partner on a large-scale whiteboard. Additionally, the balloon release experiment will be video taped and available to play back enlarged and in slow motion.

The adaptations for this disability are Level of Support and Input. Level of Support was utilized by allowing another student or teacher aide to draw a large scale force body diagram and record the balloon release demonstration. This was important in that it provided appropriate visual aids to be utilized. Input was used by allowing students to be seated at the front of the classroom and view materials electronically or in large printouts. This was important once again, in that it provided appropriately sized visual resources for learning.

Disability 2: Orthopedic Impairment

Students in wheel chairs will be provided an alternate task for Newton’s second law. The teacher will demonstrate to them how the force applied to the wheelchair affects their acceleration and similarly how acceleration varies by mass when an equal force is applied to both.

The adaptation for this disability is Size/Quantity. In modifying the task, students in wheelchairs were given the opportunity to hear Newton’s second law explained, see it in action, and actually feel it at work. This was important because it took advantage of a so called “disability” and turned it into a valuable asset to enhance the learning experience.

Disability 3: Hearing Impairment

Students with hearing impairments will be permitted to sit at the front of the classroom to best hear instruction. All material coved during instruction will be made available through handouts to compensate for anything that may have been missed. Video demonstrations will include closed captioning with volume set to the highest comfortable level. Headphones will also be made available for all videos and while exploring Newton’s second law on the website.

The adaptation for this disability is Input. By providing accommodations through seating arrangement, handouts, speaker volume, and headphones the risk of something being missed due to a hearing impairment is greatly mitigated.

Media and Game-Based Lesson

Objective: To learn the fundamental principles which make various modes of flight possible.

Media Piece #1: Moving Picture

Bernoulli’s principle is the principle by which all winged aircraft operate. Faster moving air over the top surface of a wing creates low pressure while slower moving air under the bottom surface creates high pressure. Pressure moves from high to low, resulting in a net force upward known as lift. Below is a moving image of Bernoulli’s principle applied to air molecules as they flow over an airfoil.

The anticipated learning outcome for this moving picture is that students will fully comprehend Bernoulli’s principle by seeing it visually. Air molecules are invisible, however this representation allows one to visually observe the theory in action.

Media Piece #2: Web-Based Game

Fly around the world with this web based game which explores the physics of flight.

The anticipated learning outcome for this website is to allow student to investigate how variables such as velocity, airfoil shape, thrust, weight, and more effect flight path.

Media Piece #3: Video

The following video investigates the future of aviation.

The anticipated learning outcome for this video is to inspire students to think critically and creatively as to how the principles of flight can be applied to future aviation technology.

Game-Based Activity

In a single culminating game-based activity, students will be given the opportunity to showcase and apply their knowledge of flight concepts. Students will be divided into three lab groups to design and construct model aircraft demonstrating three modes of flight (fixed-wing, rotary-wing, and propulsion). Groups will present the logic and rationale behind their designs and launch techniques while summarizing the principles which make flight possible for their model. A competition will be held to determine the winners in three categories, maximum distance traveled, altitude reached, and time aloft.

Asset Map

Asset Map

Project Sketch

In twelfth grade physics, students will learn about the fundamentals of flight. We will investigate the concepts that make flight possible (Bernoulli’s Principle, Lift, Airfoils, Propulsion, Density, etc.) and relate them to Newton’s Three Laws of Motion. Instruction will be given formally through interactive lectures as well as differentiated through demonstrations, experiments, competition, and game-based activities. Students will be divided into lab groups to choose a mode of flight to research (fixed wing, rotary-wing, or propulsion). Similarities and differences will be explored as groups present the theories which lie behind their chosen mode of flight. Working demonstrations will be constructed to further exhibit flight concepts and a competition will be held to determine the winning models in three categories, distance traveled, altitude reached, and time aloft.