3rd Grade Scientific Inquiry Performance Task DRAFT- Balloon Rockets Science Standards: 3.2! Interaction and Change: Living and non-living things interact with energy and forces. 3.2P.1! Describe how forces cause changes in an objectʼs position, motion, and speed. 3.3! Scientific Inquiry: Scientific inquiry is a process used to explore the natural world using evidence from observations and investigations. 3.3S.1! Plan a simple investigation based on a testable question, match measuring tools to their uses, and collect and record data from a scientific investigation. 3.3S.2! Use the data collected from a scientific investigation to explain the results and draw conclusions. 3.3S.3! Explain why when a scientific investigation is repeated, similar results are expected. Learning Targets: I can explain how changing the force on an object affects itʼs motion. Language Target: I can use cause and effect words to analyze how an event occurred. Language Vocabulary: Cause and Effect connection words: led, result, effect, since, resulted in, led to Sentence Frames (examples): Prediction/Hypothesis: If the balloon length is, then the distance will. Results: Increasing the length of the balloon the balloon moving a greater distance. the length of the balloon the balloon moving a distance.
Literature Connection: Treasures (Unit 5, Week 3) Key Vocabulary: Force a push or pull Motion - changing position Distance the amount an object changes position Gravity - force that pulls objects toward Earth Friction - force that goes against the motion of an object Newtonʼs Third Law of Motion - for every action (force), there is an equal and opposite reaction (force) Materials: balloons (sausage-type), straws, tape, fishing line (or string), ruler, tape measure Teacher Background: Forces are acting on objects at all time. When there are unbalanced forces acting on a object, the object will move. This motion is affected by the magnitude of those unbalanced forces. Some forces such as gravity tend to increase an objectʼs motion. Other forces such as friction tend to cause an objectʼs motion to decrease. Motion can be quantified by measuring the distance an object travels or the time it takes for an object to move. Isaac Newton explained the motion of objects. In his 3rd Law of Motion he explained that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. In the case of balloon-powered vehicles, the action is the air being pushed out by the balloon. The reaction is the motion in the opposite direction. The bigger the action, the bigger the reaction. Scientific Inquiry Defined: There are four components to the inquiry cycle, and it is important that students see this cycle as a process for doing science.! 1." Forming a Question or Hypothesis 2." Designing an Investigation 3." Collecting and Presenting Data 4." Analyzing and Interpreting Results During initial student experiences, the individual parts of the inquiry cycle need to be explicitly taught and modeled by the teacher. As students gain experience, teachers will gradually release control and move to a model of more learner self-direction.
Forming a Question or Hypothesis: 1." Demonstrate Newtonʼs Third Law of Motion using a balloon rocket. Have two students hold the fishing line or string parallel to the floor. Roll out a tape measure on the floor between the two students. Thread the line through the straw. Blow up a balloon, keeping the open end pinched, and tape it parallel to straw with the open end near one of the students. Make sure the students are holding the line tight and release the balloon. It should move quickly down the line. Ask the students why the balloon moved the way it did. Use a pictorial input chart to explain Newtonʼs 3rd Law of Motion. 2. Tell students that they are going to do an investigation about what effect changing the amount of action force will have on the reaction motion. We will do this by changing the length of the balloon and measuring the distance it travels. Tell students to write the question in their Scientific Inquiry Work Sample template: How does the length of a rocket balloon affect the distance it travels? Ask them to write a hypothesis or prediction that describes what they think will happen in this investigation by completing the sentence frame: If the length of a rocket balloon increases, then the distance it travels will because. As a class, brainstorm some background that supports the studentsʼ predictions/hypotheses. Designing an Investigation: 3. Revisit the question, How does the length of the rocket balloon affect the distance it travels? Ask students to think privately about how they could test this question. Then have them share their ideas with a partner or small group. 4. Ask groups to share their ideas. As a class, write a procedure for testing the question. Make sure to emphasize the importance of only testing one thing (variable) at a time and doing the test multiple times (trials). Have students record the class procedure in their Scientific Inquiry Work Sample template and draw pictures to represent each step.
Collecting and Presenting Data: 5. As a class, create a data table. Have students create this table in their Scientific Inquiry Work Sample template. See the example below to guide your class. Balloon Rocket Length (cm) Distance Traveled (cm) trial 1 trial 2 trial 3 Average 6. Have students work in groups of 2-4 to collect their data or collect the data as a class. Help students as they are collecting data to make sure they are accurately measuring the distance that the balloon rocket travels. 7. When students are done collecting, discuss how best to graph the results. Show how to set up the graph and have students do this in their template. Analyzing and Interpreting Results: 9." Have students read their information from the Forming section, paying close attention to their original question and hypothesis. 10." With that in mind, did their results support their hypothesis? Why or why not? Students should refer to specific information from their investigation to support their answer. You may want to provide some sentence starters or frames to help guide studentsʼ thinking. Have them complete the Analyzing section in their template. 11. Students will struggle when their results do not support their hypothesis, often wanting to erase and rewrite their hypothesis. It will be crucial for the teacher to create a safe learning community where reluctant learners feel safe to take risks and value mistakes as part of the learning process. 12. It is important that students see inquiry as a cycle. To that end, students should be thinking about one additional question they would like to explore on this topic.
F D C A Name Teacher Forming a Question or Hypothesis (F) Date SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY WORK SAMPLE: Balloon Rockets Write a QUESTION that can be scientifically investigated. (TEACHER DIRECTED) How does the length of a balloon rocket affect the distance it travels? Write a HYPOTHESIS that predicts the answer to the question. (TEACHER SUPPORTED) If the length of a balloon rocket increases, then the distance it travels will because!!!!!!!!!!! Explain your hypothesis by writing BACKGROUND INFORMATION.
DESIGNING AN INVESTIGATION (D) (TEACHER SUPPORTED) Write the MATERIALS needed for your SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION. Write a LOGICAL PLAN for your SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION. Add diagrams to make the procedures clear.
Collecting and Presenting Data (C) Record OBSERVATIONS by writing and drawing information you noticed while collecting data. Record DATA in the TABLE. (TEACHER SUPPORTED) diagram or picture Length of Balloon Rocket (cm) Distance Balloon Rocket Traveled (cm) trial 1 trial 2 trial 3 Average Complete a GRAPH to show your data. (TEACHER SUPPORTED) Average Distance Balloon Rocket Traveled (cm) Length of Balloon Rocket (cm)
Analyzing and Interpreting Results (A) Use your DATA to EXPLAIN your RESULTS.! When the balloon rocket was it traveled cm. When the balloon rocket was it traveled cm. When the balloon rocket was it traveled cm. State your CONCLUSION(S) and how it relates to your QUESTION. As the length of the balloon rocket increased, the distance it traveled. This happened because!!!!!!!! cm, cm, cm, Describe some possible ERRORS in your data. Write a NEW QUESTION.?!
increased decreased stayed the same varied
force motion distance Newton s Third Law of Motion
gravity friction