Brooke Rothwell Virtual Field Trip Lesson
Grade
Level Targeted:
1st Grade
Integration
of Other Content Areas:
This virtual field trip integrates science, language arts,
and technology by showing students how simple and compound machines are an
important part of their life. The
students will gather background information, make predictions, develop content
vocabulary, investigate simple and compound machines, examine the different
types of farms, and discuss what they have learned.
NC Common
Core Standards/Objectives:
Science:
1.P.1 Understand how forces (pushes or pulls)
affect the motion of an object.
Language Arts:
RL.1.1 Ask and answer questions
about key details in a text.
RL.1.2 Retell
stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central
message or lesson.
Technology:
Grade 1:
1.SI.1 Recall useful sources of information.
1.IN.1 Understand the difference between text read for
enjoyment and text read for information.
1.TT.1 Use technology tools and skills to reinforce
classroom concepts and activities.
1.SE.1 Understand
safety and ethical issues related to the responsible use of information and
technology resources.
Website
Used (URL):
Purpose
for Using the Internet:
The virtual field trip will allow students to explore and
understand the different types of simple machines. A robot will guide the students through a
house and shed explaining the concepts of simple machines and compound
machines. This virtual field trip will
give students an opportunity to listen and learn at their own pace. Students will have the opportunity to see and
hear about simple machines at their own pace and in repetition if necessary. This virtual field trip will be used as an interactive
tool for showing different types of simple and compound machines, along with
fun games that will help with assessing the understanding of the concept for
the teacher. Activities and information meet state and national standards.
Step-By-Step
Activities:
Day 1
Objective: To introduce unit and stimulate interest in simple
machines.
Materials:
playground equipment, chart paper and markers, cards for Win, Lose, or Draw
Large group activity:
- Introduce
terms on board to provide vocabulary base: gravity, friction, and
force.
- Briefly
discuss as large group the meaning of each term.
Playground activity
- Take
entire class outside for whole group activity.
- Select
a few students to demonstrate gravity on the monkey bars.
- Ask
them to climb halfway across bars. Then, ask them to hang and let go
of bars.
- Discuss
what caused the students to drop to the ground.
- Take
the students to the slide for a demonstration of friction.
- Have
students predict if students would travel faster down the slide with or
without a towel.
- Allow
several students to go down the slide with and without the use of a
towel.
- Note
the difference and briefly discuss the use of friction.
- Reinforce
the utility of gravity to enable the students to go down the slide.
- Take
the students to the swings to demonstrate the concepts of force, work, and
inertia.
- Discuss
the terms as the students demonstrate as they swing.
- Go
back to class for a wrap up.
Language arts
connection:
- Discuss
as a large group what transpired on the playground. A shared writing
experience would be excellent to summarize the experience as well as
provide a written format for students to read.
- Brainstorm
as a group and write the group responses on chart paper.
- Circle
conceptual terms for a word bank. Include gravity, inertia, force,
and friction.
- You
may wish to wrap up this lesson with a game of Win, Lose, or Draw.
To play this game, hand a student a card stating a situation that
demonstrates gravity, force, or friction. Using a chalk board the
student will draw a picture that illustrates the force described on the
card. A team scores points by explaining what force is at work and
what effect it is having on the item in the picture.
To reinforce science:
- Divide
students into cooperative groups.
- Ask
them to list other examples of demonstrating gravity, inertia, force, and friction.
Spelling activity:
- Introduce
spelling list: gravity, inertia, force, work, friction, lever, inclined
plane, wheel and axle, wedge, screw, load, fulcrum, simple machine, roller
coaster, merry-go-round, catapult, resistance, momentum
Language arts activity:
The book, The Littles and the Trash Tinies
by John Peterson uses many of the simple machines.
- Introduce
the book and read the first chapter. In the first chapter, the
Littles made a fruitcake using kitchen utensils.
- Review
the simple machines demonstrated in these kitchen utensils.
Day 2
Objective: for Day 2 (introduce website:
www.edheads.org) – To reinforce and expand
concepts of simple and compound machines.
Materials: Computer lab (easier for observation and students
to work at same time, unless partners are needed to help with reading
comprehension), student trip guide, pencil
Large group activity:
·
Click on the simple machines tab in the left
hand column under featured activities.
·
Then under the Simple Machines Activities, click
on the speech bubble that says “Click Here to Start!”
·
Students will see 2 activity places to visit.
Teacher will instruct students to go the “House Icon” first to explore simple
machines and then go to the “Shed Icon” to explore compound machines.
·
Students will be instructed to go the rooms in
the house and in the shed only one time.
·
Students will quiz on each room and print
results for teacher.
·
After all rooms, have been visited, students
will be told to complete the student trip guide.
·
After completing the guide, students will then
return to class to discuss answers and exciting information about the website.
Day 3-4
Objective: for
Days 3 and 4 (or as long as need and interest dictates) - To reinforce and
expand concepts of friction using centers. These centers will provide science,
math, and language arts connections.
Materials: toy car, carpet,
sand paper, wax paper, bare wood, tape measure, marble, containers with lids,
hand lotion, variety of shoes with different treads, gripper, paper, lotion,
wax paper, foil, Saran Wrap, paint can, marbles, World Book CD
Large group activity:
- The teacher demonstrates and
explains to the large group about each center.
- After the group explanation,
allow the students to divide into small groups and rotate to provide
adequate time to explore each "hands on" center.
Small group activity:
- Center 1: Don't get too wound
up. Explain to the students that they will observe a toy up car travel
down different surfaces such as carpet, sand paper, waxed paper, and bare
wood with the same incline of plane. Ask the students to make
predictions of the distance that each car will travel. Measure and
record differences to allow comparisons.
- Center 2: The Difference
is Plane to See. Use different heights of inclined planes and a
marble. Ask students to make predictions of distances the marble will
travel on the different planes. Ask students to make estimations and
to make actual measurements of distances traveled. Discuss potential and
kinetic energy that will be utilized.
- Center 3: Quick Lube.
Explain to the students that different items will be used to open lids of different
containers including waxed paper, plastic wrap, etc. Ask students to
use hand lotion to try to open different lids and ask students to predict
the difference as they try to open the jars. Ask students to record
observations.
- Center 4: Put Your Best
Foot Forward. Provide lots of shoes with different tread
patterns. Ask the students to try on the shoes and try on different
surfaces such as tile and carpet. Ask them to predict and record
which surfaces are the easiest or hardest to walk with and which had the
best or least traction. Ask them to be able to justify
answers.
- Center 5: Keep Your
Bearings in Mind. Demonstrate paint can with marbles on the
lid. Use book on top to rotate the book around the paint can.
Use different amounts of marbles to experiment which moves easier.
Ask students to predict and discuss results.
- Center 6: Go Web Walking.
Look up on Internet, World Book on computer, or other reference sources
information on friction.
Language arts connection:
- After the student center time
each day, allow time for large and/or small group reflection
discussion. To connect with language arts, allow students to
write experiences in a journal or some other form of written
communication.
- Read and discuss The
Real McCoy by Towle. Discuss figures of speech. Have students use
figures of speech in their writing.
Language arts activity:
- Read and discuss chapter
two of The Littles and the Trash Tinies. This chapter
involves momentum. This chapter describes a dangerous experiment in
which two opposing forces collide. The cat and mouse chase demonstrates
momentum, potential and kinetic energy.
- After reading this chapter,
you may wish to have students create a talk show skit in which one person
plays the cat while another plays the mouse. The talk show host will
attempt to help these opposing parties work out their differences.
- After reading chapter 3,
ask the students to write a friendly letter to Mrs. Little explaining why
she must allow her husband, son, and daughter to go on such a dangerous
mission.
Social studies connection:
- Have students read about
archeological digs (chapter three).
- Ask the students to research
the role community landfills can play in allowing archeologists to study
past civilizations.
- You may wish to create a dig
site for your students to excavate. Have the students record what
they found and how deep it was buried. Looking at another culture's
trash can tell you a lot about them.
- When they are finished with
their dig, your students may wish to help to set up a site for the
following year.
Objective: To provide activities to expand concepts
about force and work.
Materials: nonfiction books,
broom, assorted items such as empty cans, milk cartons, magnets, string,
cardboard, rubber bands, cans, straws, ruler, crayons, and recording
sheets
Large group science activity:
- Discuss the terms force and
work.
- Ask students to tell what
happened when they were swinging on the playground.
Language arts
connections:
- Provide varied nonfiction
books to conduct research and write reports on force and work.
- Read and discuss chapter
four of the novel. This chapter used an inclined plane to climb a garbage
can.
- Review uses of the inclined
plane.
- Ask the students to create a
ladder for someone who is three inches tall (two popsicle sticks and a few
toothpicks).
- When Jack climbed the magic
beanstalk, he found a singing harp. Have students describe what will
happen when they climb the Littles' ladder.
- Push Me, Pull Me
- Challenge students to
use the materials they have been given to move an empty can from one end
of a ruler to the other end without touching the can.
- Provide ample time
for students to formulate a hypothesis, develop a plan, and execute it.
- Provide time for
students to share their ideas and record them on the class chart.
- Explain that in order
to move their can they had to exert some kind of force. Ask
students what they think a force is (any push or pull).
- Skits
- Ask students to work
in cooperative groups to create skits demonstrating the principles of
force and work.
- Enact the skits for
the class.
Physical education activity:
- Have relay races to
demonstrate force and work. Suggestions for varied relay races are
three-legged races and potato sack races.
- Using a broom to push and
pull an item in a relay race could be named, "The Clean
Sweep."
- Discuss the concepts of
force and work as they relate to the relay races.
Name__________________________ Date_______________________
Use the website below to answer the questions.
1. What is a simple machine?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. State how many types of simple
machines. Name them.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. What is a compound machine? Give an example of one.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
4. Draw 10 examples of simple
machines that are used in everyday life.
5. If you could be any type of
simple machine, what would you be? Why? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6. Which place on the website did you enjoy the
most? (The House or the Shed) Why?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7. In the house,
there are several examples of simple machines. Give 2 examples and how they are
used?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
8. Name some simple machines that you used today
and how you used them.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Student Assessment
Plan
Pre-Assessment: Students will do a KWL chart on simple
machines.
During Independent Work on Website: As students visit the
website and go through the rooms they will be asked a series of questions.
After finishing each room a score sheet will be printed to giver teacher an
idea of how students are performing within the site and what their knowledge
levels are. The teacher will ask
students to only go through each room one time in order to get an accurate
score.
Post Website Experience: The teacher will assist students
with their writing, if needed, on student trip guide. Teacher will be able to tell if students
understand what they are doing by watching them browse the site. Teacher will also be able to identify who
needs help by observing them and assisting them as they complete the questions
on the guide. The teacher is continually
circulating and monitoring the students as they work. All of the questions that the students answer
will give the teacher a chance to see if they understand the concept of what
they are studying on this virtual field trip.
Some students may need assistance writing their sentences. Differentiated instruction would be provided
for them while they complete the tasks. Students
will also do a Simple Machine Post-Test. Test includes labeling pictures of
simple machines and writing names of simple machines that match the
descriptions.
Final Reflection on
the Value of Virtual Field Trips
In today's age, virtual field trips can take a student to locations too far
away to travel to or too expensive to visit. Virtual field trips can take a
student back in time, into outer space, or into the microscopic world.
Many students come to school with very limited experiences.
They may never have left the town or county where they live. Schools help
children reach beyond their small world. The learning environments that we
create impact the careers students choose and their paths later in life. Scientifically-based
evidence demonstrates the effectiveness of this approach that combines: authentic
learning, real-world writing and audiences, inquiry-based learning, varied
learning modalities, and flexible learning. When it is possible, an
entirely new world of experiences will be opened to all students regardless of
the school field trip budget, as they can all experience firsthand the
potential of the Internet as a valid curricular device. I am excited to start
using virtual field trips in my classroom! After completing this unit with my
class, I plan to do a teacher journal that tells the pros and cons for using
this virtual field trip and share it with other colleagues.
Hopefully this will encourage others to try
the idea of virtual field trips and do the teacher journal afterwards so
teachers, like myself can experience all that is available and new to the
curriculum at the same time still teaching the same standards that I have
always taught.
