Lesson Plan Outline

Name: Kino Matsuura McGill ID: 260944880

Lesson Basics Learning Goal: By the end of the lesson, students are able to obtain understanding of
uncertainties and errors in physical experiments, through collaborating with other peers to
conduct experiments and acquiring the skills to analyze the experiment through calculations.
By the end of the lesson, they will be able to articulate the knowledge and skills to evaluate the
limitations of scientific experiment through the lens of uncertainties and errors. Essential
Question: “To what extent can we in the frame of scientists rely on scientific measurements?”
Topic: Uncertainties and Errors

Target Students of this Lesson Plan:

Grade 10 SL and HL physics, International Baccalaureate (IB), assuming min of three
students, 15 max, 110 minutes
Objectives/Standards:
Within Group 4 (Natural Science) Aims:
#2 Acquire a body of knowledge, methods and techniques that characterize science and
technology, #3 Apply and use a body of knowledge, methods and techniques that characterize
science and technology, #4 Develop an ability to analyse, evaluate and synthesize scientific
information, #5 Develop a critical awareness of the need for, and the value of, effective
collaboration and communication during scientific activities, #6 Develop experimental and
investigative scientific skills including the use of current technologies, #9 Develop an
appreciation of the possibilities and limitations of science and technology
As a result of the instruction/activities, students will gain (Level of Bloom’s Taxonomy):
● knowledge about types of errors (systematic, random, absolute, fractional and
percentage error) and its significance on observational experiments (Understand)
● recognition that numerical results obtained in experiments contain errors, in other
words “noise” that create uncertainties of the experiments (Understand)
● an opportunity to collaborate with other students to conduct experiments using
apparatus and data analyzing platforms such as Excel (Apply)
● The ability to calculate errors and uncertainties and interpret the values to analyze the
validity of the data collected (Analyze)
● an opportunity for students to reflect on the certainty in the "scientific data" they
encounter in their own daily lives. (Evaluate)

Pedagogical Activities:
● Measurement Experiment (group activity)
Students will be separated into three groups, and are handed with one of three different types
of apparatus that are used for length measurements along with a block of clay. They will form
the clay in spherical shape and are asked to measure and record the data on an Excel sheet of
its diameter for 10 times with the given apparatus. Then they will follow the paper that
instructs students to calculate for the errors on topic for this lesson.
● Ingroup Discussions (group activity)
After the experiments, students are asked to predict the definitions/significance of each type of
 error.
● Teacher-lead Discussion (class activity)
Each group will be asked to share their results by pasting them onto a single google sheet. The
document will be displayed in front of the class, and the results will be compared and
contrasted to elicit students’ thinking of what made the results contain errors, and what are the
characteristics of each error.
● Lecture by Teacher
Officially introduce the concepts of uncertainties and error. Provide students with some
examples of how measurement errors in the scientific field happen and affect our lives.
● In Class Assessment (individual activity)
The students will be given a task to answer several questions in regards to answering the
essential question of this lesson. They will be provided with a sample experiment with
description of apparatus and methods used, raw collected data and the analyzed result
(focusing on the values of errors and uncertainties). They will work individually, and the
answers are to be submitted to the teacher to grasp the extent to which students were able to
reach the goal for this lesson.

Procedures Prior Knowledge/ Connections:

and Activities Following the content learning order suggested by Physics Guide for IB, students learn
concepts such as significant figures and estimation within the topic “Measurements in Physics”
in prior to this lesson. Also, in order for the students to be fully equipped with the skill to type
in and analyze data to derive errors, they are asked to explore Excel spreadsheets and learn to
do simple calculations through links that are provided as homework of prior class. No other
knowledge in relation to physics is required but skills for fundamental mathematical
calculation such as summation, subtraction, multiplication and division are expected.

Instructional Methods:
Introduction (10min): Teacher introduces the objective of the experiment (which is to measure
the diameter) and the apparatus to use, and explains how to use each of the apparatus. Teacher
makes sure the students are able to observe her showing step by step by actually operating the
apparatus. Then, the teacher gives instructions to collect and input data on the excel, showing
the template of the data table in the front screen. Teacher divides the group into three,
providing them with one of three apparatus for each group and instruction paper guiding
further how to calculate the errors and uncertainties.
Experiment (40 min): Students start their measurements. Each group is expected to collaborate
by dividing the roles such as collecting data, inputting the data on excel, calculating the errors
and uncertainties, etc. The teacher would go around the classroom and make sure the
collaboration is happening inside the group. If they have a difficulty in the area, join the group
and encourage them to divide their roles and advice for active communications.
Ingroup Discussions (5 min): Students now have the data and have calculated the errors and
uncertainties. This is the opportunity for them to predict the definitions for the errors they
obtained through discussion with their group members.
Teacher-lead Discussion (15 min): While the students conduct their experiments, the teacher
would send the link to google sheet to one of the members of each group to copy and paste the
results obtained in the experiment. Students are now able to compare and contrast the
 differences in the errors and uncertainties produced by three different apparatus. The teacher
asks the students the guide questions such as “by comparing the systematic errors of the three,
which one is the smallest, and why do you think that happens?”.
Lecture by Teacher (20 min): Now that the students have some general understanding of the
“uncertainties and Errors”, the teacher supplements understanding of the topic through
providing them with images and videos that explain the concept displayed in powerpoint
presentation. The teacher will then make connections to some examples of scientific errors that
are relevant to students’ lives.
In Class Assignment (20 min):
A paper with filling spaces are provided for students, which includes key questions that are
relevant to the essential question of this lesson. This is an formal assessment done individually,
and the paper is to be submitted to the teacher at the end of the class.

Instructional Materials/ Resources:

A caliper, a ruler, a laser measurer, blocks of clay, Microsoft excel, google sheet link,
PowerPoint presentation, video and several sheets of paper and
Students are told prior to this class to bring their personal computers with excel installed (if
some were not able to do so, the chance is it won’t be problematic, as only one excel sheet is
required for a single group. If it’s not the case, they would write down on a paper, limiting to 5
measurements for the experiment to ease the calculations by hand)
The link shared to students in prior to the lesson about basic excel calculation:
https://youtu.be/RgvdCHjOKYg
The video shown in the class during the lecture focusing on the limitation of the scientific
measurements affecting to our lives (COVID-19 testing)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZOMt-KESq8

Assessments Evaluation(s): Informative Assessment

and At the end of the lecture, each student is given a task to identify the causes of the errors in the
Evaluation example experiment presented in the powerpoint, and evaluate and justify the degree to which
the numbers in the result contain certainty and reliability. This is an individual informative
assessment that allows the teacher to give them a task to answer the essential question for this
lesson. In the context of Bloom’s taxonomy, this evaluation level allows students to articulate
the knowledge obtained through hand on experiments and lecture materials to critically assess
the experimental situation provided and justify their arguments.
Sample Question from the Informative Assessment:
“Referring to systematic error of the balance scale used in this sample experiment, suggest the
significant value of the obtained result we can be ‘certain’ about, and explain your reasoning.”