Thursday, March 13, 2014

Friday Class

Potential, Kinetic, and Waves: Oh My!

It's centers day in science! We have three centers that will be happening in different parts of the room. While Coach Malefyt, Coach Wandel, and I will be around to help with questions about each of the centers, our first question for you is always going to be: did you take a look at the blog first?

I want this blog to be a resource for those times when the directions go in one ear and out the other, you just don't quite get the big picture the first time, or you just need a quick refresher. So use it as the great resource it is!

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Today you will be traveling around the room to our three centers: Slinky Waves, Potential vs. Kinetic, and Roller Coaster Ride.


Center #1: Slinky Waves

At this center, you will be using slinkies and your journal. There will also be directions taped to the table where the slinkies will be. The directions are as follows:

  1. With a partner, have one person stretch the slinky out on a hard surface. It should be stretched enough so that there is space between the rings, but not so much that it is all tight. We don't want to break our slinkies and it will be harder to see what you need to if it is too tight!
  2. The person who is stretching the slinky should move only ONE hand back and forward on the table. Let the rest of the slinky move.
  3. The person who is not holding the slinky should draw what they saw the slinky do when they moved it. Do your best to represent the motion in your journal on a fresh page.
  4. Switch your role with your partner. If you were the person who stretched the slinky, you are now going to be the one to  draw. If you were the person who drew, you are now stretching the slinky for your partner.
  5. Copy the labeled diagram of the parts of a wave on the lab table into your journal to try and label parts of your slinky drawing with the labels on the diagram. Do the best you can to match vocabulary with your drawing. 
  6. Answer these questions about your slinky and the diagram: 
    1. Did what you see in your slinky look like this diagram? 
    2. How did the slinky move when you let go? (Did it stop right away?)

Center #2: Potential vs. Kinetic

This center expands and continues our discussion on Potential and Kinetic energy from yesterday.

  1. Read through the site at this link: Potential and Kinetic Site
  2. Compose a Tweet in your journal that summarizes the differences between potential and kinetic energy. *Remember, a tweet is only 140 characters (including spaces) long!
  3. I will be looking through journals at these and showcasing some of the most creative ones in class and on the blog next week!


Center #3: Roller Coaster Ride

Keep track of your time at this station, this is the one that could last an hour if you let it!

  1. Begin the tutorial of "How to craft a super coaster." While the narrator reads the text to you, write down one main idea from each page. Don't worry if you don't understand all the math and physics that she gives you, just focus on one big thing that you get from each of the pages. 
  2. Build a coaster following the directions in the tutorial!!
  3. If your coaster crashes (mine crashed 9 times before I got mine to stop at the end of the track) draw the graph in your journal and write down the reason it gives you. 
  4. If your coaster isn't successful in the first 3 tries, move on to the next station. If you have time in class, you can come back to this one! Remember, the link is posted here, so you can access it at home too!

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