Whirligigs Lillian Meyer

Essential Concepts & Skills: Iowa Core/Next Generation Science Standards, Grades 3-5.

Disciplinary Core Ideas:

3-5-ETS1-3. Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure

points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.

Science & Engineering Practices:

• Asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for engineering)

• Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information

21st Century Skills:

Communicate & work productively with others

Demonstrate productivity and accountability by producing quality work.

Use interactive technologies in a collaborative group to produce digital presentations or

products in a curricular area.

Demonstrate initiative, creativity, self-direction, and entrepreneurial thinking

What students will be doing: This activity is designed to teach students all about controlling variables resulting in a fair test. Students will learn about research questions, fair tests, independent variables, dependent variables, and constants by creating and experimenting with Whirligigs. They will reinforce their understanding of claims and evidence as well. Materials: Each student needs: One cut-out Whirligig template, one paperclip, and one thinking log Have several extra papers, templates, scissors, and paper clips for experimentation. Teacher will need: Dry erase markers, Different types of whirligigs (paper, number of wings, size, etc.) Large sheets of paper for classroom signs Teacher Notes: Materials Set-up, Introducing the Activity, Main Concepts and Other Teacher Directions: Materials Set-Up: Whirligig templates will be cut out ahead of time, and placed on trays on a counter (not desks). The trays will also have paper clips and the thinking logs. The teacher will have a dry erase board and markers, for documenting the conversations, as well as sheets of paper to make classroom anchor signs. Introduction: ---“Today, we are going to be discussing motion and experimenting with it. What are some

words that we can use to describe motion?” Collect some of the vocabulary that the students provide, and write it on the board. Make sure that Fall, Spin, Fast, and Slow are included on the board. If the students do not volunteer those words, try moving around the room, demonstrating ways that things can move, perhaps tossing items in the air or spinning them in your hands. ---”The type of movement we will be working with today primarily relies on these words. I would like one person from each table to go get one of the trays from the counter.” Use whatever existing method is usually used in the classroom to retrieve the object, whether it’s by numbers, group roles, etc. ---When all the groups have their supplies, hold up an unfolded whirligig template. “There should be one of these on each tray for each person at your table. Raise your hand if you don’t have one…. Okay, so now we’re going to fold these like this. You fold the bottom half inward,” demonstrate how to fold the whirligig body inward, “and then you bend that part upward at the end, and put a paperclip on it to help hold it in place.” While describing how to fold it, fold along with the directions, showing the class how it looks along the way. ---”Does anybody know what this is called?” If hands go up, call on them to hear their idea, and either confirm or deny. “It’s called a Whirligig. Everybody take one of the Thinking Logs on your trays.” Initial Exploration ---”Everybody look at the first section of the thinking log. I would like everybody, when I say ‘go’ to do some experimenting with your whirligigs. But first, how do we do safe experiments in the classroom?” Take some student suggestions, aiming at an approximation of: -No climbing on chairs and tables -No throwing things at others -Use indoor voices -Stop when the teacher says “1,2,3, eyes on me” or other classroom phrases ---”Okay, everybody clear on the rules?” Take questions if they are asked. “Ready, Go!” As the students begin their exploration, walk around watching the students investigate the whirligigs. After several minutes, stop the group with the classroom phrase and ask them to return to their seats. “Everybody put your whirligigs on the tray, and please leave them there until I ask you to get them again.” ---”Okay, I would like everybody to take some time now and write down 5 things you noticed while exploring with the whirligigs.” Circle around the room, noting students answers. When most of the students have finished, ask for some volunteers to share something they noticed about their whirligig. Have a discussion about the different things students noticed, asking for agreements or disagreements in the class. ---”Okay, now can anybody think of anything we could do to the whirligigs to change how it spins? I want you to take a few minutes, and write down all the ways you can think of to change the whirligig. When you’re done, I’ll call on some of you for ideas.” After giving time, start calling on students. As students respond, begin writing their answers on the board (Example photo above). Create a long list of their ideas. As they discuss, notice when students use varying vocabulary to refer to parts of the whirligig (Wings, flaps, arms, etc.).

--- ”I think we need to decide some definite terms for the parts of the whirligig.” Draw a whirligig on the board. “So, we have these bits up top, the floppy bits. What should we call those?” Come to a consensus quickly, and label the name on the board (I will call them wings, here.) “What about this long bit in the middle?” Do the same, coming to a consensus, (I will call it the body), as well as the bottom folded part (the foot). ---Refer back to the list that the class created; “Now, we’ve created a list of things we can change about the whirligig. Science has a special word for things we can change. The word is Variable.” Write Variable up on the board, and draw a matrix around it. “If you all will turn the page, we have some vocabulary matrixes. We’ll fill out the first one together. The top left corner will be our definition, which is ‘The things we can change in an experiment.’ The top right corner will be examples. You can choose any of the examples we’ve written on the board, but I’ll pick wing length and the number of paperclips. The bottom left corner is to use the word in a sentence. Who has an idea for a sentence?” Call on a student, hopefully get an answer like The variable I changed is… or wing length is the variable of the experiment, etc. “The bottom right square is for important information. I don’t have anything for that right now, but you can fill that in if you want to.” Give the students time to finish writing in their matrix. Discussion of Dependent Versus Independent Variables --- “There are two kinds of variables. Does has anybody heard of the different kinds? Does anybody know any of the names?” Take student’s responses, looking for dependent or independent. ---- Use the examples on the board, say “We’ve been discussing variables, who can remind me what a variable is?” looking for “something we can change in an experiment.” “There are ways that we can change things. One way is something we change on purpose. That’s like, making a little whirligig, changing the type of paper, adding wings, folding it differently, things like that. The things we change on purpose are called Independent Variables. There’s a vocabulary matrix for that, let’s fill that out now.” Fill out the matrix on the board – Definition – Variable I choose to change Example – Length of winds, type of paper, etc. Sentence – student’s suggestions, something like “The independent variable is…” --- “Now, what do you notice when we change different independent variables? ” Have the students experiment with the whirligigs a bit, seeing if they can figure out what changes (how quickly it falls.) After they experiment, call the class back to order. Find a group that had a very clear difference between their whirligigs, “What did you guys notice about your independent variable affecting your whirligig?” Hopefully they’ll say something like ‘this one fell faster, etc.’ --- “So, when we change an independent variable, that affects how the experiment plays out. Usually, that is the part you measure. So it sounds like your group was measuring (how quickly it fell, how much it spun, etc.) This variable is called the dependent variable. There is another matrix for that. Let’s fill that out.” Definition – Variable I measure in an experiment Example – Number of spins, time to fall Sentence – student example, “Our dependent variable is…” --- “Great job. Okay, now let’s change gears a bit…” Hang Time and Fair Tests ---“Who thinks they have the best whirligig?” Look for students to volunteer, if none do, continue with “Who thinks their whirligig is the best, better than any other in the room?” If that doesn’t work, just call on somebody who seemed confident with their whirligig during the experimenting phase. ---”Why is yours the best?” Listen to their answer. Either call on another student who had “the

best” whirligig, ask the class, “How can we find out who’s whirligig is the best?” Call on students, who will hopefully volunteer racing them. Race the whirligigs, then ask “Which one is better?” Students may answer the one that fell the fastest, or the one that spun the most, but try for the one that stayed in the air the longest. Work with the class to develop a term, Hang Time. If nobody volunteers the term, pretend somebody in the back of the room said it. --- Pick somebody else’s whirligig, say “So let’s say we want to know which of these two whirligigs are better. Would this be a fair test?” Hold the whirligigs at different heights “Would this be a fair test?” Take student’s responses, provide several more examples, with whirligigs with different wings, papers, and sizes, some fair tests and some not fair. --- “Now, science has a term for this, which is a fair test. There’s a spot for this in your thinking log, let’s fill it out together” Fill out a vocabulary matrix on the board or overhead. Definition – Three trials, one independent variable, one dependent variable, and recording your data. Sentence – Take a student’s suggestion, “I want to have a fair test between…” “Would this be a fair test…” something like that ---“Alright, so in a fair test, you can have one independent variable, so let’s say I wanted to change the size of the whirligig, and the amount of wings. Would that be a fair test? What about if I held one here (high) and one here (low)?” Students respond. “No, because I would be changing two variables. The variables I wouldn’t change are called Constants, because you are keeping them the same. Let’s fill out that matrix quick.” Definition – All of the things you keep the same in an experiment Examples – Height of the whirligig, fan on/off Part 2 ---"Okay, let’s practice doing a fair test. On the next page of your thinking log, there’s a practice experiment. We’re all going to do the same experiment, and then later we’ll have the chance to all have different independent variables.” Have the students fill out the Names, Independent variable, and dependent variable. “Look on the next page, the table is already filled out, you’ll be having one whirligig with no paperclips, one with one paperclip, and one with three paperclips. Take some time to draw your whirligigs in the box on your thinking log, and when you’re done, name two or three constants in this experiment.” Walk around the class to monitor their progress. --- Once they’re done with the drawing and the constants, walk them through how to do the experiments, taking suggestions and writing them on the board – Whirligigs should be held at the same height Three trials for each set Write down the results each time If questionable, it’s okay to do a trial again (if it hits something, if your hand gets stuck, etc.) When you’re done, write down the winner --- Let the students begin their experiment, walking around to monitor the class, asking questions and providing guidance. --- When the students have finished their experiments, say “Alright, who can tell me which whirligig had the best hang time?” Take a student’s response, “Okay, so now we’re going to go back and look at something we failed to fill out before we started. Look back where we wrote the independent and dependent variables, do you see the spot under that which says “Research Question?” That’s our last vocabulary term. Let’s fill out that matrix together. The research question is what we write when we want to know what’s going to happen. We phrase it “How does (independent variable) affect (dependent variable)?” That can go in the bottom right corner of your matrix.” Definition – Has an independent variable and dependent variable; The question you ask before you do the experiment.

Example – “How does the type of paper affect the hang time?” Big Ideas (not sentence) – Not a Yes/No question, Names both variables --- “The last thing you have to write is your claim. This is just a sentence that answers your research question. So , our claim for the paperclip experiment could be ‘The whirligig with zero paperclips had the best hang time. Take a minute to write down your claim on your thinking log.’” Part 3 --- “Now it’s time to do your own experiment. I’ve given each table/group a different independent variable. You can decide how to do your experiment, and if you need more supplies, they are on the counter. Let me know if you have any questions.” Let the students begin their experiments, monitoring their progress and understanding, answering questions, and providing guidance. When they are done, have them write down their claim. ---When most of the students are finished, have them create their presentation using popplet. “Everybody create a presentation using popplet. Make sure to include your group’s names, your research question, your independent and dependent variables, your claims, and a picture of your whirligigs. During your presentation, make sure that every group member has something to say.” ---When the class has created their popplets, have them present them to the class. “Everybody make sure to write down your classmate’s discoveries on the space in your thinking log.” **If possible, have a guest come visit the classroom to see who can create the best whirligig, maybe an engineer. If that’s happening, mention it before the presentations start, to give the students a reason to be invested in the results**

Whirligig Thinking Log

Student’s Name: __________________________________

Part 1: Whirligig Exploration Play with the Whirligig for a few minutes to see if you can discover how it works.

Describe at least 5 things you notice:

1._____________________________________________________

2. _____________________________________________________

3. _____________________________________________________

4. _____________________________________________________

5. _____________________________________________________

Think about all of the important variables that might affect how much the Whirligig spins.

Write a list of important variables, including as many as you can think of.

____________________________ ____________________________

____________________________ ____________________________

____________________________ ____________________________

____________________________ ____________________________

______________________

______

______________________

______

Drawing of a Whirligig and the names of its parts:

Vocabulary Matrix: Complete one matrix for each of these new vocabulary words. Fair test, variable, independent variable, dependent variable, constant, and research question.

Part II - Whirligig Fair Test Practice Experiment - Number of Paperclips

Scientists Names: ________________________________

Your independent variable: _____________________________ Your dependent variable: _______________________________

Research question: How does the affect the ______________ of the whirligig? independent variable dependent variable

Draw and label the three different whirligigs you create and will test:

Name everything you will keep constant:

________________________ _________________________

________________________ _________________________

________________________ _________________________

________________________ _________________________

________________________ _________________________

________________________ _________________________

Name your 3 test whirligigs:

zero paperclips one paperclip three paperclips

Test results:

Table: Whirligig Number of Paper Clips and Hang Time

Independent variable tests

Last to Land

1st trial

Last to Land

2nd trial Last to Land 3rd trial

Winner

0 vs 1 v

0 vs 3 v

1 vs 3 v

My Claim: Which whirligig did you discover had the best hang time?

___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________

Part III: My Own Whirligig Experiment Choosing your Own Whirligig Variables to Test

What will you test? Design and carry out a FAIR TEST on one of the variables in the list of independent variables your class made. For wing and tail length, you must do some measuring with a metric ruler and record these values as part of your data.

What is your independent variable? __________________________________________

What is the dependent variable? _____________________________________________

Research Question you will test: _____________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

List all of the other variables you will keep constant in your experiment.

____________________________ ___________________________

____________________________ ___________________________

____________________________ ___________________________

____________________________ ___________________________

____________________________ ___________________________

Outline your procedure (Exactly what will you do?) Be detailed.

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

Name your 3 test whirligigs:

_________________ _________________ ________________

Test results:

Table of Whirligig Data

Independent variable tests

Last to Land

1st trial

Last to Land

2nd trial

Last to

Land 3rd trial

Winner

______ vs ______

______ vs ______

______ vs ______

My Claim: Which whirligig did you discover had the best hang time?

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________ Make a list of all of the discoveries your classmates made about whirligig variables.

1. _______________________________________________________

2. _______________________________________________________

3. _______________________________________________________

4. _______________________________________________________

5. _______________________________________________________

6. _______________________________________________________

7. _______________________________________________________

8. _______________________________________________________

iPad Summary: Use your ipad to prepare a slide to share with the class that includes all of these components.

● Name of your group members ● Research question ● Picture of your test whirligigs ● Independent variable ● Dependent variable ● Answer to the research question

Be prepared to share your summary with the class. Every team member must have a speaking role during the presentation.

Sample Answers with Sample Data (complete the Thinking Log)

Sample iPad Presentation: (Insert a completed popplet here)