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Geometric Shapes – Spheres, Ellipses, and Spirals

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  Document Type: Lesson Plan
  Lesson Plan Type: Interactive Instruction
  Subject: Science
  Grade Level: 8
  Time: 60 minutes
  Last Updated: 08-24-2011
     
  Keywords:
     
     
 
Created/Provided by:
NBC Learn
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CALIFORNIA STATE STANDARDS ADDRESSED

Science/8/Investigation and Experimentation
9.0 Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept and addressing the content in the other three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations. Students will: a. Plan and conduct a scientific investigation to test a hypothesis. b. Evaluate the accuracy and reproducibility of data. c. Distinguish between variable and controlled parameters in a test. d. Recognize the slope of the linear graph as the constant in the relationship y=kx and apply this principle in interpreting graphs constructed from data. e. Construct appropriate graphs from data and develop quantitative statements about the relationships between variables. f. Apply simple mathematic relationships to determine a missing quantity in a mathematic expression, given the two remaining terms (including speed = distance/time, density = mass/volume, force = pressure x area, volume = area x height). g. Distinguish between linear and nonlinear relationships on a graph of data.
 
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
Students will learn about the characteristics of spheres, prolate spheroids, and spirals, specifically analyzing the football and how its design makes it ideal for the game it is used in. Students will conduct an experiment to compare the effectiveness of different sports balls in the areas of accuracy, distance, and speed.
 
PROCEDURES
 
Goal(s):
Students will learn about the characteristics of spheres, prolate spheroids, and spirals, specifically analyzing the football and how its design makes it ideal for the game it is used in. Students will conduct an experiment to compare the effectiveness of different sports balls in the areas of accuracy, distance, and speed.
 
Specific Objectives:
Students will be able to:
  1. Ask scientific questions.
  2. Explore the science behind designing balls for different sports.
  3. Conduct a scientific experiment to test balls for three different categories.
  4. Maintain a record of their observations.
  5. Use the record of their observations to construct reasonable explanations for questions presented to them.
 
Required Materials:
NBC Learn video Geometric Shapes

An assortment of different kinds of balls: football, golf ball, baseball, tennis ball, ping-pong ball, volleyball, basketball, foam balls, one measuring tape, one stop watch (or a watch with a second hand), and one hula hoop per group of students.
 
Anticipatory Set (Lead-in):
Watch the NBC Learn video Geometric Shapes.

Have a basket filled with a variety of balls on a table in the front of the classroom. Start by throwing them out one by one to the students around the classroom. After a few minutes, collect them and ask the students to think about the ways the balls are similar and how they are different. Write their ideas on the board. Tell the students that they were correct in noticing that for most of the balls their shape was very similar. They were spheres. One ball however, the football, was the only one that was not a sphere. It is called a prolate spheroid. This word, which may seem strange to students, refers to a spheroid in which the polar axis is greater than the equatorial diameter. Explain to the students that the Earth is an example of a sphere in which the equatorial diameter (use a globe to point out the equator) is the same as its polar axis (pointing to the North and South poles on the globe will help students remember the term). Ask the students to think about this question: Why are sports balls different from one another? Tell the students that you are going to ask them to discuss this question later on in the lesson, specifically why the football is designed the way it is.
 
Lesson Plan Procedure:
  1. Tell the students they are going to examine a variety of balls.
  2. The students will make a prediction about which ball can be thrown with the greatest accuracy, the farthest distance, and the fastest.
  3. Have the students prepare the test site outside where there is plenty of room.
  4. Divide the class into groups of 4-5 students. Make sure that each group has a football, basketball, tennis ball, volleyball, hula hoop, measuring tape, stopwatch, clipboard, and an experiment sheet (see attached).
  5. Tell the students that they are going to be doing three tests with four of their balls (football, basketball, volleyball, and tennis ball). The tests are designed to find out which balls can be thrown with the greatest accuracy, thrown the farthest distance, and thrown the fastest. Students will use their experiment sheet to guide them through the steps of the experiment.
  6. The students will conduct the experiment outside and will complete their discussions inside the classroom when they are finished.
 
Closure (Reflect Anticipatory Set):
Each group should choose one person to share with the class what they wrote as their conclusions on the experiment sheet.
 
Assessments & notes
 
Plan for Independent Practice:
Tell the students that they are to work in their same group to complete Part Five of the experiment worksheet.
 
Assessment Based on Objectives:
Begin the next day’s lesson with the quiz titled, ‘Spheres, Prolate Spheroids, and Spirals’ (see attached quiz).
 
Possible Connections to Other Subjects:
Language Arts: Students could write to the NFL (http://www.nfl.com/contact-us) to ask specific questions about the design of footballs and research that they have done in the areas of science and physics for this design.
 
 
 
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Submitted by NBCLearn on Fri, 09/24/2010 - 11:06


Title:

Geometric Shapes – Spheres, Ellipses, and Spirals

Grade Level:

8

Subject:

Science

Author:

NBCLearn

Time:

60 minutes

Lesson Plan Type:

Interactive Instruction

Keywords:

Sphere, prolate spheroid, spiral, football

Brief Description:

Students will learn about the characteristics of spheres, prolate spheroids, and spirals, specifically analyzing the football and how its design makes it ideal for the game it is used in. Students will conduct an experiment to compare the effectiveness of different sports balls in the areas of accuracy, distance, and speed.


California State Standards Addressed:

Science/8/Investigation and Experimentation)9.0

Related Links:

Link 1:

Goal(s):

Students will learn about the characteristics of spheres, prolate spheroids, and spirals, specifically analyzing the football and how its design makes it ideal for the game it is used in. Students will conduct an experiment to compare the effectiveness of different sports balls in the areas of accuracy, distance, and speed.

Specific Objectives:

Students will be able to:
  1. Ask scientific questions.
  2. Explore the science behind designing balls for different sports.
  3. Conduct a scientific experiment to test balls for three different categories.
  4. Maintain a record of their observations.
  5. Use the record of their observations to construct reasonable explanations for questions presented to them.

Required Materials:

NBC Learn video Geometric Shapes

An assortment of different kinds of balls: football, golf ball, baseball, tennis ball, ping-pong ball, volleyball, basketball, foam balls, one measuring tape, one stop watch (or a watch with a second hand), and one hula hoop per group of students.

Anticipatory Set (Lead-in):

Watch the NBC Learn video Geometric Shapes.

Have a basket filled with a variety of balls on a table in the front of the classroom. Start by throwing them out one by one to the students around the classroom. After a few minutes, collect them and ask the students to think about the ways the balls are similar and how they are different. Write their ideas on the board. Tell the students that they were correct in noticing that for most of the balls their shape was very similar. They were spheres. One ball however, the football, was the only one that was not a sphere. It is called a prolate spheroid. This word, which may seem strange to students, refers to a spheroid in which the polar axis is greater than the equatorial diameter. Explain to the students that the Earth is an example of a sphere in which the equatorial diameter (use a globe to point out the equator) is the same as its polar axis (pointing to the North and South poles on the globe will help students remember the term). Ask the students to think about this question: Why are sports balls different from one another? Tell the students that you are going to ask them to discuss this question later on in the lesson, specifically why the football is designed the way it is.

Lesson Plan Procedure:

  1. Tell the students they are going to examine a variety of balls.
  2. The students will make a prediction about which ball can be thrown with the greatest accuracy, the farthest distance, and the fastest.
  3. Have the students prepare the test site outside where there is plenty of room.
  4. Divide the class into groups of 4-5 students. Make sure that each group has a football, basketball, tennis ball, volleyball, hula hoop, measuring tape, stopwatch, clipboard, and an experiment sheet (see attached).
  5. Tell the students that they are going to be doing three tests with four of their balls (football, basketball, volleyball, and tennis ball). The tests are designed to find out which balls can be thrown with the greatest accuracy, thrown the farthest distance, and thrown the fastest. Students will use their experiment sheet to guide them through the steps of the experiment.
  6. The students will conduct the experiment outside and will complete their discussions inside the classroom when they are finished.

Closure (Reflect Anticipatory Set):

Each group should choose one person to share with the class what they wrote as their conclusions on the experiment sheet.

Plan for Independent Practice:

Tell the students that they are to work in their same group to complete Part Five of the experiment worksheet.

Assessment Based on Objectives:

Begin the next day’s lesson with the quiz titled, ‘Spheres, Prolate Spheroids, and Spirals’ (see attached quiz).

Possible Connections to Other Subjects:

Language Arts: Students could write to the NFL (http://www.nfl.com/contact-us) to ask specific questions about the design of footballs and research that they have done in the areas of science and physics for this design.

Adaptations and Extensions:



Additional Notes:




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