Title:

Designing Safety Gear

Grade Level:

6,7,8

Subject:

Science

Author:

nbclearn

Lesson Plan Type:

Video,Interactive Instruction

Keywords:

Biomechanics, Helmet, Safety, Kinetic Energy, Collisions

Brief Description:

Students will learn the basic engineering issues related to helmet design, specifically, they will learn about the physics of collisions and the biomechanics considerations of design. After learning about the basic principles, students will identify and solve a design challenges, create a poster representation of their solutions, and present them their peers. Finally students will learn about the dangers of not wearing a helmet in certain sports, and explore the reasons that people do not wear helmets.

California State Standards Addressed:

Science/8/Focus on Physical Science)1.0,2.0

Related Links:

Link 1:
Link 2:
Link 3:

Goal(s):

Students will learn about basic physics and biomechanical aspects of helmet design. As a class, the design parameters will be created and students will make a two-dimensional sketch of their design idea and a written description. Students will learn about the risks of not wearing helmets and create ways to encourage others to wear helmets.

Specific Objectives:

Students will be able to:

1. Identify that the helmet is the most important piece of safety equipment in the winter Olympics and many other sports.
2. Describe how the helmet absorbs and dissipates energy in a collision.
3. List at least 3 functional performance parameters for a helmet.
4. Create a solution strategy for a helmet design challenge.
5. Present and explain their design solutions to the class.
6. List at least 2 common reasons why people do not wear bicycle helmets.

Required Materials:

At least few example safety helmets (baseball, football, hockey, bicycle, motorcycle, ski, etc.), styrofoam block, 5 pound weight, poster board or large paper (11 x 17 or larger), pencils, erasers, and markers or colored pencils.

Anticipatory Set (Lead-in):

Raise your hand if you have ever played hockey, been on a motorcycle, skied, skateboarded, been snowboarding, etc.?

Raise your hand if you have ever been injured doing any of these activities?

Today’s lesson will cover some of the basics of safety equipment in winter Olympic sports and particularly focus on the most important piece of equipment. Pair-Share with your neighbor to see if you can agree as to what is the most important piece of safety gear.

At this point, bring the conversation to bicycling and ask students for a show of hands of everyone who either rides a bicycle or plans to at some point in their life. Now ask them the following questions and discuss the answers:

Does anyone know how many people might die in a year due to bicycle accidents?
• Most years close to 1000 bicyclists die on U.S. roads.

Do bicycle helmets actually help prevent fatalities?
• Non-helmeted riders are 14 times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than helmeted riders.
• Head injuries account for more than 60 percent of bicycle-related deaths.
• A very high percentage of cyclists' brain injuries can be prevented by a helmet, estimated by different studies at anywhere from 45 to 88 per cent
(Source: http://www.bhsi.org)

Lesson Plan Procedure:

Note: This lesson assumes some familiarity with energy concepts such as kinetic energy and dissipated energy. If students are not familiar with these terms then they should be clarified before watching the video.

Day 1 Part I: The Physics and Engineering Performance Parameters of Helmets (30 Minutes)

1. Orally go over the questions on the worksheet “Video Questions: Safety Gear”. Don’t answer the questions, just read them, and tell the students that they will be answering them after the video.
2. Show the NBC Learn Video: Safety Gear, then hand out and go over the worksheet answers as a class.
3. *Optional Step (Use caution when dropping the weight in this optional step.) When discussing the absorption of energy during a collision, you can do a demonstration by dropping a 5 lb weight on a piece of Styrofoam, observing the deformation, passing around the sample around, and discussing the energy dynamics (gravitational potential energy to kinetic energy which is then absorbed by the foam and dissipated, creating thermal energy).
4. Pass around various types of sample helmets and discuss similarities and differences. (When discussing similarities you should make sure they recognize the outer shell and inner foam.)
5. Hand out the activity worksheet. And begin by defining the term, performance parameters. (“A set of qualities which characterize particular aspects, capabilities, functions, or attributes of a project.”).
6. Through small group discussions (with whiteboards if you have them) or as a whole-class discussion, create a list of performance parameters for a bicycle helmet. The list should include functions like those listed in the video: force distribution, energy absorption, and puncture resistance. It may also include performance parameters that may arise through discussion: ventilation, aerodynamics, mechanism to secure to head, light weight, aesthetics, and high visibility both day and night.

Day 1 Part II Design and Marketing Challenge (20 Minutes)

1. Having discussed performance parameter of helmets, now ask your students to brainstorm problems or challenges associated with helmets in general (not just bicycling helmets).
2. Create a class list which can be supplemented with the attached list “List of Possible Design Challenges.” Assign each group one design challenge.
3. Provide time for groups to brainstorm and list as many creative solution ideas as possible, both design modifications and marketing, (encourage them to think outside-the-box, perhaps even discuss why, and to consider current technologies and perhaps even a few on the horizon.)
4. After creating a list of ideas, students need to identify (circle or rewrite) the best solution strategies.
5. Explain the attached grading rubric, and the general expectations for the presentations.
6. Creating the posters and presentations can either be assigned as homework or completed the following day.

Day 2 Creating Poster and Presenting Solution Ideas.

1. Provide class time, if needed, to make posters and prepare presentations.
2. The attached presentation grading rubric can be filled out by the teacher or by selected judges.
3. Give Quiz: Olympic Safety Gear and Helmets

Closure (Reflect Anticipatory Set):

Ask students whether or not they feel differently about helmets after this lesson. Ask them what they can personally do to better insure that people they care about do not suffer from head injuries.

Plan for Independent Practice:

N/A

Assessment Based on Objectives:

Attached Grading Rubric
Quiz: Olympic Safety Gear and Helmets

Possible Connections to Other Subjects:

Language Arts: Write a paper on helmet issues based on general research on safety issues and statistics (http://www.bhsi.org).

Adaptations and Extensions:

Physics extensions could involve doing laboratory investigations on the conservation of energy, collisions, momentum, and the extension of the time variable in the impulse equation Impulse=Force x Time.

Additional Notes:

This lesson assumes some familiarity with energy concepts such as kinetic energy and dissipated energy. If students are not familiar with these terms then they should be clarified before watching the video.