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Resource ID#: 126010

Primary Type: Lesson Plan

Calculating Work and Power

In this lesson the teacher will use scaffolding (I do, We do, You do) technique so students will be able to calculate work and power using the work
and power equations.
(Intro)
The students will create work and power concept maps. (The following link by the Penn State University Libraries website will provide examples of
concept maps and will also help you create a concept map if you are not sure how to create one:
https://www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/lls/students/research_resources/conceptmap.html)
(I Do)
The teacher will then model work and power example problems.
(We do)
The students will complete 5 word problems and review answers on board.
(You do together)
The students will complete Power Climb in No Time Activity in groups and answer questions/orally discuss with teacher.
(Formative Evaluation)
The student will create new work and power concept maps and share with the class.
(You Do Independently)
The students will complete a 10 question summative evaluation based on concepts learned in lab and work and power equations.

Subject(s): Science
Grade Level(s): 9
Intended Audience: Educators

Instructional Time: 2 Hour(s)

Keywords: Power, Work

Instructional Component Type(s): Lesson Plan, Worksheet, Assessment, Instructional Technique,

Formative Assessment, Student Center Activity
Resource Collection: FCR-STEMLearn Physical Sciences

ATTACHMENTS
Work Power Assessment REVISED.docx
Power ClimbLab REVISED sample answer key.docx
Power ClimbLab REVISED.docx
Sample Work Concept Map 1.docx
Sample Power Concept Map 2.docx

LESSON CONTENT
Lesson Plan Template: General Lesson Plan
Learning Objectives: What should students know and be able to do as a result of this lesson?
1. The students will be able to calculate work, force, and distance using the formula Work=Force X Distance;

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 2. The students will be able to calculate power, work, and time using the formula Power=Work/Time;
3. The students will be able to explain the relationship between Work & Power.
Prior Knowledge: What prior knowledge should students have for this lesson?
The students should have prior knowledge of:

formula: Weight (newtons) = Mass x Acceleration due to gravity

Mass (kg) = Weight(lbs)/2.2
Definitions: Force, Weight, Distance, Time, Gravity
Units: Acceleration due to gravity on Earth (9.8 N/kg), Weight (newtons), Mass (kg), Distance (meters), Time (seconds)
Guiding Questions: What are the guiding questions for this lesson?
(Possible sample answers are included in parentheses)

What is work? (When a force acts upon an object and causes it to move)

What happens to work when distance equals zero? (There is no work because any number times zero is zero)

What happened to the amount of work done after you climbed the stairs twice, each time at a different speed? (The amount of work stayed the same, or did not
change)

How do you determine your weight in newtons? (Multiply your mass in kg x acceleration due to gravity N/kg)

What is power? (Power is the amount of work done per unit of time)

Why does power have a time unit? (Power measures the rate at which a certain amount of work is done)

Can you use more than one formula to find "work"? (yes, work=force x distance, work=power x time)

How are work and power related? (Work is the transfer of energy or a force being applied over a distance. Power is the rate at which a certain amount of work
is done or is being transferred)
Teaching Phase: How will the teacher present the concept or skill to students?
(I Do)

The teacher will write the definitions and formulas of work and power onthesmartboard/board:
Work - The transfer of energy that results from applying a force over a distance
Work = Force X Distance
Power - The rate of doing work.
Power = Work/Time
The teacher will model sample work, power, distance, time problems on the board:
Sample problem 1: A person pushes a shopping cart with a force of 9.0 newtons in a straight line for 12 meters. How much work was done?

Answer: W=F x D W=9.0 N X 12 m = 108 J

Sample problem 2 : If the person in the previous question pushed the cart for 6.0 seconds, how much power was generated?

Answer: P=W/T P=108 J / 6.0 s = 18 J/s or watts

Sample problem 3: How far can you push a sled if you exert a force of 7.0 newtons in the same direction, and the amount of work on it is 56 joules?

D=W / F D=56 J / 7.0 N = 8.0 m

Sample problem 4: How much time did it take a person that did 50 joules of work pushing a box to generate 10 watts of power?

T = W / P T = 50 J / 10 W = 5.0 s
Sample Problem 5:

How much power is generated by a 60.kg person climbing a flight of stairs 15. meters high for 5.0 seconds?

F = mass X acceleration due to gravity F = 60. kg X 9.8 N/kg = 588 newtons (round to 590 N)
W = F X D W = 590 N X 15. m = 8850 J
P = W / T P = 8850 J / 5.0 s = 1770 W
Guided Practice: What activities or exercises will the students complete with teacher guidance?
The students will answer 5 work and power word problems using work and power equations.

1. How much work does an elephant do while moving a wagon 40 meters with a pulling force of 400N?
2. If it takes 15 seconds for you to do 3000 J of work, what is your power output?
3. A 900 N mountain climber scales a 200 m cliff. How much work is done by the mountain climber?
4. A small motor does 8000 J of work in 20 seconds. What is the power of the motor in watts?
5. A woman runs a kilometer using a force of 250 N and a power output of 500 W. How long in minutes does it take this woman to complete 1 kilometer?
The teacher will then call students to the board from each group to model and explain how he/she came up with answer and make corrections, if necessary.

Answers below:

1. W=F X D W= 400 N X 40 m = 16,000 J

2. P=W/T P= 3000 J / 15 s = 200 W
3. W=F X D W= 900 X 200 m = 180,000 J
4. P=W/T P= 8000 J / 20 s = 400 W
5. First convert 1 km to 1000 m
W=F X D W= 250 N X 1000 m = 250,000 J

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 T=W/P 250,000 J / 500 W or J/s = 500 s
Convert 500 s to minutes = 500s/60 = 8.3 min
Independent Practice: What activities or exercises will students complete to reinforce the concepts and skills developed in the
lesson?
(You Do in groups) Power Climb in No Time Activity

The teacher will divide students into groups of 4.

Each student will be handed a worksheet with instructions to complete the activity.
The students will be: calculating weight(force) of person climbing the stairs, measuring the vertical distance of the flight of stairs, calculating work, calculating
power and sharing the results on the board.
The teacher and students will then have an oral discussion (guided questions)
(As the activity is being performed, the teacher will be going around to each group clarifying/prompting/and answering questions)
Closure: How will the teacher assist students in organizing the knowledge gained in the lesson?
1. The teacher will divide the class into 2 groups.
2. One group will brainstorm and make a concept map of "work" as it relates to science, on chart paper or on the board.
3. The second group will brainstorm and make a concept map of "power" as it relates to science, on chart paper or on the board.
4. Each group will share the concept map with the rest of the class and add additional information to each concept map that the other group may wish to add.
5. The teacher and student will compare and contrast orally the new concept maps with the old ones.
Attached you will find an example/pic of a good WORK concept map and a good POWER concept map.

The attachments in jpeg format are: Work concept map1, Power concept map 2.

Summative Assessment
Each student will complete a 10 question written assignment related to work and power: (Answers are in parentheses)

1. What is the work formula equation that you used in class today? (W=F x D)

2. What is the power formula equation that you used in class today? (P=W/T)

3. John uses 50 N of force to push a shopping cart 10 meters. How much work does he do in joules? (W=F X D W= 50 N X 10 m = 500 joules)

4. Liz does 4800. J of work in climbing a set of stairs. If she does the work in 6.00 seconds, what is her power output? (P=W/T P= 4800. J / 6.00 s = 800. watts)

5. How much work is required to pull a sled in order to generate 30 W of power for 5 seconds? (W=P X T W= 30 watts X 5 seconds = 150 J)

6. 1 newton-meter is equal to 1 (joule) of work.

7. Power is usually measured in (watts).

8. How much work does a 50 kg person on Earth do if they lift up a barbell 2 meters above the ground? (First find Force: Force:mass times acceleration due to gravity
= 50 kg x 9.8 N/kg = 490 Newtons W=F X D W = 490 N X 2 m = 980 J)
9. Thinking about the experiment you did in class today, EXPLAIN why the amount of work did not change after climbing the stairs twice at different speeds? (The
amount of work does not change because the amount force and distance did not change)

10. Thinking about the experiment you did in class today, EXPLAIN why the amount of power did change after climbing the stairs twice at different speeds? (The
amount of power did change because power is the rate of which work is being done. Even though the amount of work stayed the same during
both trials, the time did change.)
Formative Assessment
WORK and POWER CONCEPT MAPS

1. The teacher will divide the class into 2 groups.

2. One group will brainstorm and make a concept map of "work" as it relates to everyday language, on chart paper or on the board.
3. The second group will brainstorm and make a concept map of "power" as it relates to everyday language, on chart paper or on the board.
4. Each group will share the concept map with the rest of the class and add additional information to each concept map that the other group may wish to add.
5. The teacher will not judge the comments on the concept map, and leave the concept maps of "work" and "power" posted in the classroom.
Feedback to Students
The students will get feedback after the independent practice assignment. The students and teacher will go over the answers as a class orally on the board. The
students will then be able to use feedback to help them in completing summative assessment.

Each student will get his/her summative assessment back graded the next day and the class will play Kahoot.it (Work & Power) to see if they understood the lesson
and have improved his/her performance.

ACCOMMODATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS

Accommodations:
The students will be working in groups and special needs and non special needs students will participate in hands on Power Climb in no time Activity.

The teacher accommodate students heterogeneously during the lab. For example, I place students who have not passed his/her Algebra1 EOC Test in a group with
student who have passed the Algebra 1 EOC Test.

The teacher will group and work with students who are having problems with work/power equations the following day while the rest of the class is completing a bell

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 ringer.

Extensions:
Home learning Assignment:

Calculate the work and power of a family member climbing up a set of stairs?

Special Materials Needed:

1. 1 flight of stairs/bleachers (5 yards distance between groups)

2. metric ruler
3. stopwatches
4. bathroom scale (lbs)
5. calculator

SOURCE AND ACCESS INFORMATION

Contributed by: Jimmy Nieto
Name of Author/Source: Jimmy Nieto
District/Organization of Contributor(s): Miami-Dade
Access Privileges: Public
License: CPALMS License - no distribution - non commercial

Related Standards
Name Description
SC.912.P.10.3: Compare and contrast work and power qualitatively and quantitatively.

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