The Driving Question: “How fast would you have to run to make something fly?”

 

1.    Feasibility

a.    At the time, the students in the class would be learning the same concepts as they will learn in the project-based unit, just in a different context.  In this case, the students will have a chance to use their own problem solving methods to answer the question, instead of just solving problems assigned from the book.

2.    Worth

a.    Scientists do use force diagrams to calculate the forces acted upon an object.  The question ties together different concepts from math and science to be able to successfully solve the problem.  The question can be broken down into smaller questions, in which each “smaller” question can be answered by each successive lesson plan/benchmark.  Once the students solve the problem, it could be expected that they would want to test different weights of the object being pulled, and the length of the string to see how fast they would have to run when conditions change.  The question meets many state standards, especially across content areas, which will help bridge the students’ thoughts between math and science problems.

3.    Contextualization

a.    Since the students are solving this problem for “Otis” it gives them the chance to see that physics has uses outside of “just solving problems.”

4.    Meaning

a.    Most students will find Otis to be irresistibly adorable, and therefore be interested in solving the problem for him.  Since it is somewhat of a comical situation that Otis got himself into, the students should have a fun time with the problem.

5.    Ethics

a.    Since Otis is the closest thing to a child that I have, I would never harm him.  The video of him is enough for the students to view to get all the information to solve the problem without having to interact with him, to assure his safety.

6.    Sustainability

a.    Since the individual concepts are taught by themselves, the students have many chances to tie together the concepts, which they will have mastered, by the time the anchor video is shown to them.

 

DESIGN PRINCIPLES

There are six design principles that guide the creation of an anchored video.

 

1.    The videos usually have a narrative format, that is, they tell a story.

a.    The students are first introduced to Otis, told a background story that he loves to eat, and then takes the students with him while on his daily walk and something special that occurs- garbage!  Of course being a pug and loving to eat, he licks the tuna fish can and in a humorous situation, gets himself into trouble by catching his curly tail onto a string and then the tuna fish can.   Since he would not want to hear the can dragging behind him, the students are presented with the opportunity to help Otis out and calculate how fast he would have to run to not hear the can behind him.

 

2.    The videos are generative in design, that is, they lead the viewer to think about problems and sub problems that are in the anchor

a.    Since the video explicitly states the problem needed to be solved, the students will not only know what they need to solve, but also since the video will be shown after they are taught the necessary concepts to be able to solve the problem, they will have an idea of what equations they will need to derive and what concepts to use to solve the problem.

 

3.    The anchors often include embedded data. This allows the student to generate problem-solving goals, find relevant information, and engage in reasoned decision making

a.    The video is designed to include embedded data in which the students will have to think about what important information they need to keep an eye out for to be able to solve the problem.  

 

4.    The problems are complex, requiring multiple steps to solve. This imitates real world problem solving.

a.    Students will not only have to derive an equation to account for the force of air acting upon the tuna can, but also equations for vertical forces on the can, and tension on the string.  One key point to this unit is that I want students to be able to solve problems that there are no given equations to just plug numbers into, because most real world problems do not have such a thing.  I believe that the students will be more successful later on in life if they learn early to think as such.

 

5.    The use of video is incorporated to make the complexity manageable.

a.    Since physics is such an intense topic to study, humor (and Otis’ cuteness) was tied into the video to not only keep the students interested, but to not intimidate them with the problem.

 

6.    The video format also makes it easier to embed the kinds of information that provide opportunities for links across the curricula.

a.    The video has information for the students to solve the problem, such as estimations of Otis’ height, the length of the string, and the weight of the tuna fish can.  The students combine mathematical equations with scientific theories to be able to solve the problem.