Problem-Based Learning - Fisher Sci

Newton's Council

Middle School

Physical Science

SC11606

Problem-Based LearningProblem-Based Learning

Wake Forest School of Medicine Problem-Based Learning

Newton's Council

Middle School

Physical Science

OverviewYou are a member of Newton's Council, and the Prime Minister of Earth has just given you a new assignment! Students will explore concepts related to motion and stability.

Standards/ObjectivesMS-PS2-1 MS-PS2-2 MS-PS2-4

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Table of Contents


PBL Problem Guide 4

PBL Resources 5

Student Problem 6

Key Facts 7

Need to Knows/Learning Issues 8

Additional Information 9

Hypotheses 12

Learning Issue Resource Guide 13

Final Product/Writing Guide 14

Rubric 15

Newton's Council

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PBL Problem Guide FOR FACILITATOR USE ONLY


TimeframeThis lesson plan will take approximately 4 hours.

Step-by-step guide• Put students into teams of three to five

members.

• Ask for a volunteer to read the STUDENTPROBLEM aloud [page 6].

• As a whole group, ask students to list What WeKnow [FACTS, page 7].

• Have each team create a list of What We Needto Know [NEED TO KNOWS & LEARNINGISSUES, page 8].

• Have each team begin a list of POSSIBLEHYPOTHESES [page 12].

• Provide ADDITIONAL INFORMATION for NEEDTO KNOWS, allow teams to research LEARNINGISSUES [pages 9, 10 & 13].

• Teams re-evaluate POSSIBLE HYPOTHESES[page 12] and determine one DEFENDABLESOLUTION for Final Product [page 14].

• Teams create and present DEFENDABLESOLUTION and individual students writeACTION PLAN [page 14].

Newton's Council

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PBL Resources FOR FACILITATOR USE ONLY


Newton's Council

Resources to assembleYou may wish to assemble the following resources ahead of time:

•

Resources providedIncluded with this case are:

The Science ChannelTM: Laws of Motion website

Make Me GeniusTM: Laws of Motion website

•

•

•

Sir Isaac Newton: Using the Laws of Motion to Solve Problems by Kerri O'Donnell Eyewitness: Force & Motion by Peter Lafferty

•

•

Physics textbooks

Calculators

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Student Problem FOR STUDENT USE


It is the year 2075. You are a member of Newton's Council on Earth Travel. Flying cars are now a reality - but without roads to guide traffic, accidents have increased 500% since the year 2000. Also, since cars fly hundreds of feet off of the ground, traffic fatalities occur in 90% of accidents.

The Prime Minister of Earth has proposed outlawing flying cars. Instead, she wishes to design an infrastructure of tracks on which all vehicles would operate. The Minister for the Department of Travel disagrees - he believes that flying cars simply need new safety features!

Your council has been asked to file a report for both proposals.

• What are your initial thoughts?Consider:

Newton's Council

• What other information would you like to have?

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Key Facts FOR FACILITATOR USE ONLY


• It is the year 2075.

• You are a member of Newton's Councilon Earth Travel.

• Flying cars are now a reality.

• Without roads to guide traffic, accidents haveincreased 500% since the year 2000.

Newton's Council

• Traffic fatalities occur in 90% of accidents.

• The Prime Minister of Earth wants to outlawflying cars and design an infrastructure oftracks on which all vehicles would operate.The Minister for the Department of Traveldisagrees - he believes that flying cars simplyneed new safety features.

•

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Need-to-knows / Learning Issues FOR FACILITATOR USE ONLY


NEED TO KNOWS• What, specifically, is the Prime Minister

of Earth's proposal?

• What, specifically, is the Minister for the Department of Travel's proposal?

LEARNING ISSUES• Would collisions be less dangerous on tracks?

•How could we make flying cars safer?

NEED TO KNOW ANSWERS• Provide teams with the Additional

Information for Students, pages 9 & 10.

LEARNING ISSUE RESOURCES• Students will investigate using the Learning

Issue Resource Guide, page 13.

Newton's Council

• What are Newton's Laws of Motion?

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Additional Information FOR STUDENT USE


Prime Minister of Earth's Proposal:

"Flying cars are too dangerous! What we need are tracks along which our vehicles can travel - that way, cars can't crash into each other. I propose that we build tracks between all major cities on Earth. Cars can hook onto the track and I think we could safely allow them to travel at 150 mph. I guess at intersections they could slow down to 50 mph. How bad could a crash be at that speed?

I guess I haven't worked out all the details. However, our Newton's Council on Earth Travel studies all things related to motion, and they are working hard on a report! I know they can solve our traffic problems by designing a system of tracks."

Newton's Council

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Additional Information FOR STUDENT USE


Newton's Council

Minister for the Department of Travel's Proposal:

"Flying cars can be perfectly safe with the right safety precautions! They just need some kind of force field to surround them that prevents other cars from hitting them. Perhaps some kind of wrapping to reduce the impact would work?

I suppose I haven't worked out all the details either, but our Newton's Council on Earth Travel studies all things related to motion, and they are working hard on a report! I know they can solve our traffic problems by making flying cars safer!"

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Additional Information FOR FACILITATOR USE ONLY


Present teams with the Student Problem, page 6. Teams will list facts and need to knows.Ensure that each team asks what each proposal contains.

Provide teams with each proposal. After reading the proposals, teams will be ready to research Learning Issues related to forces and interactions.

Provide resources listed on the Learning Issue Resource Guide, page 13. Teams should now decide whose proposal they will support and begin to generate hypotheses.

Newton's Council

Teams may support the Prime Minister of Earth's proposal. They must suggest possible speed limits and address how to regulate intersections.

Teams may support the Minister for the Department of Travel's proposal. They must make safety feature recommendations.

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Hypotheses FOR FACILITATOR USE ONLY


• Hypotheses will vary by the recommendations that teams make for suggested speed limits and how to address intersections if they support the Prime Minister of Earth's proposal.

• Hypotheses will vary by safety featurerecommendations if they support theMinister for the Department of Travel'sproposal.

Newton's Council

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Learning Issue Resource Guide FOR FACILITATOR USE ONLY


Newton's Council

WEBSITES

The Science ChannelTM: Laws of Motion

TEXT RESOURCES

Sir Isaac Newton: Using the Laws of Motion to Solve Problems by Kerri O'Donnell

Physics textbooks

Eyewitness: Force & Motion by Peter Lafferty

www.sciencechannel.com/games-and-interactives/newtons-laws-of-motion-interactive.htm

Make Me GeniusTM: Laws of Motion

www.makemegenius.com/video_play.php?id=175&type=0

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Final Product and Writing Guide FOR FACILITATOR USE ONLY


Team• Each team will make a presentation to the

ministers stating which proposal they endorse and provide supporting evidence.

Individual•Each student will write a report to be

released to the public outlining the problem, both proposals, and the proposal they endorsed with an overview of their findings.

Newton's Council

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Rubric FOR FACILITATOR USE ONLY

24 – 27 Points = Above Average 15 – 23 = Average 6 – 14 = Below Average 0 – 6 = FailingWake Forest School of Medicine Problem-Based Learning

AREA ABOVE AVERAGEThree points each

AVERAGETwo points each

BELOW AVERAGEOne point each

NO EVIDENCEZero points each

POINTS

Final Product• All Learning Issues

addressed• Three or more hypotheses

present• High quality final product

• Most Learning Issuesaddressed

• Two hypotheses present• Roles somewhat defined• Fair quality final product

• Few learning issuesaddressed

• One hypothesis present• Low quality final product

• No learning issuesaddressed

• No hypotheses present• No final product

Writing Assessment

• Problem Summary,Learning Issues/NewInformation Integratedwell presented

• Hypotheses wellpresented

• Solution and Defensewell presented

• Problem Summary,Learning Issues/NewInformation Integratedpresented

• Hypotheses presented• Solution and Defense

presented

• Problem Summary,Learning Issues/NewInformation Integratedpoorly presented

• Hypotheses poorlypresented

• Solution and Defensepoorly presented

• Problem Summary,Learning Issues/NewInformation Integratednot presented

• Hypotheses notpresented

• Solution and Defense notpresented

Collaboration• Individual works well with

group members• Individual communicates

well with group members• Individual carries out their

individual responsibilities

• Individual worksacceptably with groupmembers

• Individual communicatesacceptably with group

• Individual mostly carriesout their individualresponsibilities

• Individual does not workwell with group members

• Individual does notcommunicate well withgroup members

• Individual attempts butfails to carry out theirindividual responsibilities

• Individual interferes withgroup members

• Individual does notcommunicate at all

• Individual does notattempt to carry out theirindividual responsibilities

Newton's Council

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Wake Forest School of Medicine

Problem-Based Learning


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United States. These cases help support problem-based

learning enrichment programs to focus on implementing

Common Core State Standards. Access useful and easy-to

implement case studies on Math, English Language and other

STEM topics online at www.wakeproblembasedlearning.com.

Problem Based LearningMedical Center BoulevardWinston-Salem, NC 27157336-713-7723

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