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Teaching with TrueFlix
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| The school year is winding to a close, but the summer presents endless opportunities to explore new ideas and make new discoveries. And because the summer is also a time when we go-go-go, why not seize the chance to talk about the laws of motion and their effects on our everyday lives? Riding bikes around the neighborhood? What a perfect opportunity to experiment with inertia! Plotting a homemade water slide in the back yard? Understanding a little science can help you go a long way across the yard! The TrueFlix unit on Experiments with Motion in the Experiments category introduces students to the laws of motion and provides several opportunities for exploring these big ideas through experiments that incorporate familiar household objects. And once students see the laws of motion at work in the world around them, the opportunity for experimentation may entice even the most hesitant of would-be scientists! |
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A Multitude of Media
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| One of the most exciting places to explore the laws of motion is at an amusement park, but it's easy to take for granted the planning that goes into ride designs in order to maximize the experience for the park attendees. Annenberg Learner's Amusement Park Physics, found in the Explore the Web section, is an interactive website where students can explore and, in the case of the roller coaster, experiment with ride design in order to see how little changes in design can affect the outcome for the rider. There are five different rides to explore including the Pendulum, Free Fall, Bumper Cars, Roller Coaster, and Carousel, and though only the roller coaster and bumper cars have an interactive element, the information provided in each is thought-provoking and considerate of the audience for which it's intended. |
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Project Idea
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The water balloon toss is a favorite outside game of picnics and field days. The basic principle is that two people stand facing one another and toss a water balloon back and forth, trying not to let the balloon pop from one transfer to the next. Players move further apart as the game progresses until eventually someone misses a catch and the balloon pops. Have students consider how a popular sport would change if the ball used in the sport was replaced with a water balloon. How would this change affect how the game is played? What new rules or equipment would have to be incorporated in order to make the game playable? Would the field or field markings need to change in any way? Have students work in small groups to reconceptualize a sport as played with a water balloon in replacement of the traditional ball. Create a new set of guidelines describing how to play the game and, for those bold enough, try the game out yourself.
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Matthew's Tip of the Month
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 Devote a space in your classroom to the exploration of the laws of motion. Set up an incline and provide a number of different toys with wheels so that students can explore which toys roll the furthest and how to increase or decrease resistance in order to affect distance. Provide rulers and plenty of loose leaf paper so that students can record their observations, or create a table using poster paper and record the various attempts of different students over the course of a week. Discuss the results with students and draw conclusions about the characteristics of the toys that traveled the greatest distances compared to those that traveled the least. Invite students to bring toys with wheels from home in order to increase the sample size of the experiment. Send a note home with students inviting families to explore the laws of motion through this and other experiments. Include a link to the Experiments with Motion video and eBook and provide a means for students to share their findings with the class, whether through photos brought in to share, testimonies and stories shared during a designated class time, or perhaps even a class blog or webpage devoted to exploration of the laws of motion. |
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- Matthew Winner -
Library Media Specialist & TrueFlix Ambassador
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UPCOMING WEBINAR DATES
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Learn more about getting the most out of TrueFlix by attending one of our monthly online training sessions.
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We'd Love to Hear From You!
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We'd love to hear what you think of the TrueFlix newsletter! Please email us your thoughts or ideas on how we can make it even better!
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