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Notes for Teachers

The drinking straw can be any size as long as the rope will fit through it.
Sometimes the tapes need reinforcement as students make adjustments to their design, so I provided students the paper tapes so that they can easily tear it off.

List of Materials

balloons
picture cut outs of Rabbit and Turtle
rope that will fit through the drinking straw
drinking straws
double sided tapes/tape dots
clothesline clips
scissors
blocks

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Standards

Core Ideas for Knowing Science:

P3: Changing the movement of an object requires a net force to be acting on it.

Science and Engineering Practices:

● ask questions and define problems

● plan and carry out investigations

● construct explanations and design solutions

Standards

ELA:

1.RL.1

Ask and answer questions such as who, what, where, why, when, and how about key details in a text.

1.RL.2

Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their main idea, central message, or lesson.

1.RL.3

Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.

Math:

1.MD.A Measure lengths indirectly and by iterating length units.

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Objectives:

Today we are going to:

understand basic concepts of speed, distance, and force.
apply the knowledge of these concepts to conduct a simple experiment using balloon rockets.
make predictions, observe outcomes, and draw conclusions based on our observations.

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Agenda

Introduction

Story Time and Discussion after Reading:(15-20 minutes). This can be day 1 if you have short Science period.

Topic Discussion about speed (10 minutes)

Balloon Rocket Experiment (20 minutes)

Analysis and Conclusion (10 minutes):

Gather the students together to discuss the results of the experiment.
Compare the distances traveled by each balloon rocket and discuss any patterns or differences.
Help students draw conclusions about which balloons traveled the farthest and why, relating their observations back to the concepts of speed and force.

Reflection (5 minutes):

Have students reflect on their predictions and compare them to the actual outcomes.
Ask questions such as, "What did you learn from this experiment?" and "How can we apply what we learned to other situations?"

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Intro/Driving Question/Opening

During Story Time

Begin the lesson by reading the story "The Rabbit and the Hare Race" to the students. Discuss the main characters, the race, and the concept of speed.
Ask questions to ensure comprehension, such as "What happened in the story?" and "How did the characters feel during the race?"

STEM Time

Introduce the concept of speed by asking students if they know what it means to go fast or slow.
Lead a discussion about different ways things can move quickly or slowly. Use examples from the story and real life.
Introduce the idea of distance, asking students if they know what it means for something to be close or far away.
Connect the concepts of speed and distance by asking, "If something is moving fast, will it go far or stay close?"

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Hands-on Activity Instructions

Balloon Rocket Experiment (20 minutes):

Explain to the students that they will conduct an experiment to see how far balloons can travel when attached to a string.
Divide the class into small groups and distribute materials.
Guide students in constructing their balloon rockets by inflating balloons and attaching them to a straw on the string/rope using tape. The string can be tied to the legs of the tables.
Encourage students to decorate their balloons with markers for extra fun or you can print pictures of the characters of the story previously read and place it on the balloons.
Before launching the balloon rockets, have each group make predictions about which balloon they think will travel the farthest and why.
Encourage students to think about the size of the balloon, the amount of air inside, and other factors they've learned about. They will clip the balloon with clothespin after blowing.
Allow each group to take turns launching their balloon rockets along the string "race track."
Have students observe and measure the distance traveled by each balloon rocket from the starting point to the stopping point. They can connect blocks together to measure the distance.
Assist students in recording their observations and measurements.

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Assessment

Criteria	Excellent (4)	Good (3)	Fair (2)	Needs Improvement (1)
Understanding of Concepts	Demonstrates thorough understanding of speed, distance, and force. Provides accurate explanations and connections to real-life examples.	Shows good understanding of speed, distance, and force. Offers mostly accurate explanations with some connections to real-life examples.	Shows partial understanding of speed, distance, and force. Explanations are somewhat accurate but lack clear connections to real-life examples.	Demonstrates limited understanding of speed, distance, and force. Explanations are unclear or inaccurate, with minimal connections to real-life examples.
Data Collection and Analysis	Collects accurate data and makes detailed observations. Analyzes data effectively, identifying patterns and drawing clear conclusions.	Collects mostly accurate data and makes reasonable observations. Attempts to analyze data but may overlook some patterns or draw vague conclusions.	Collects incomplete or inaccurate data. Observations are limited in detail. Attempts to analyze data but struggles to identify patterns or draw conclusions.	Fails to collect or record accurate data. Observations are minimal or non-existent. Unable to analyze data or draw meaningful conclusions.

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Differentiation

Modified Experiment: Modify the balloon rocket experiment to accommodate different learning needs. For example, provide pre-built balloon rockets or simplify the setup to focus on specific aspects of the experiment, such as measuring distance or observing forces in action. There are students who have difficulty blowing the balloon, have them use a manual balloon pump.

Peer Tutoring: Pair struggling students with peers who have a strong understanding of the concepts. Encourage peer tutoring sessions where students can explain concepts to each other, work collaboratively on activities, and provide mutual support.

Guided Experiment: Provide extra support during the balloon rocket experiment by guiding struggling students through each step. Offer personalized assistance and prompts to help them understand the process and concepts involved.

Visual Aids and Demonstrations: Offer additional visual aids or demonstrations to reinforce understanding. Use diagrams, models, or interactive simulations to illustrate concepts like speed and force in a more tangible way.

Remediation

Extension/Enrichment

Encourage students to think of ways to modify the experiment, such as using different sizes of balloons or changing the amount of air inside.
Discuss how changing these variables might affect the distance traveled by the balloon rockets.
You an also talk discuss with them another way of measuring using ruler especially those who are advance.
You can also modify the angle of the strings and see if it affects the speed of the balloon if it’s sliding up or down the string.

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