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SCIENCE INQUIRY PROTOCOL (5E LEARNING PLAN)

Names of group members: Jess O, Jessica T, Megan T
1. Overview and Context

Overview and context of lesson: Intended Audience:

ENGAGE: Students will be introduced to the idea of a bouncy ball and how bouncy it Cycle 1, Grade 2
really is, as well as what CAUSES bounce. They will start to make predictions and their
own models.

EXPLORE: Students will test which ball is bounciest by creating a fair test. They will
then carry out the experiment and collect data.
EXPLAIN: Students will share their findings from what they explored, and develop a
claim and explanation for why some balls are bouncier than others. After classroom
discussions, as well as a final demonstration, students will be given the opportunity to
update their models created at the beginning of the class.
Phenomenon Driving Question

Bounce Why are some balls bouncier than others?

Lesson Resource:
o 5E Bounce SC2021.pdf

ENGAGE: In the engage section, students are introduced to the idea of making models and predictions, so I
produced a worksheet with space to provide their models and some prompting words for them to create their
hypotheses.

EXPLORE: In the explore section, students learn how to design a fair test. They will then conduct the experiment
and collect data to compare the bounciness of a variety of balls.

EXPLAIN: The explain section of our protocol strays from the source lesson. We decided the reading of the book
“Rubber” would be most beneficial during an “expand” portion of the lesson. Instead, we use this time to invite
students to share their findings from the lab, and develop a claim and explanation from their findings. There is then
one last demonstration done by the teacher to show how a ball acts as a spring. Finally, students are given the
opportunity to update their models created at the beginning of the class, to reflect their new understanding.

2. Learning Goals

Students will know:

- Different materials affect the properties of an object
- How to make predictions
- .How balls bounce
- How they change shape etc.
- Why some bounce more than others.
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Students will do:

- Make a hypothesis.
- Make models
- Record data in a table.
- Conduct an investigation to examine what properties contribute to bounce.
- Support a claim with evidence
- Modify their original models

Students will understand:

- Stretch, and elasticity of a material contributes to bounce.
- Objects are made of matter,
- When force is applied to a ball made of stretchy material, the sphere shape slightly changes causing the ball to
bounce back up
- Patterns can be used as evidence in science.

QEP Connections

Essential Knowledge (progression of learning):

Competencies:
- To propose explanations for or solutions to scientific or technological problems.
- To identify a problem or define a set of problems.
- To use a variety of exploration strategies.
- To communicate in the languages used in science and technology.
- To use everyday and symbolic language to formulate a question, explain a point of view or give an
explanation.

Strategies:
- Distinguishing between the different types of information useful for solving the problem.
- Putting forward hypotheses.
- Formulating questions.
- Using tools to display information in tables and graphs and to draw a diagram.

Scientific model
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Diagram of the ideal model with explanation and labels and/or a key. Draw and write out your best causal model that explains
the phenomenon..

Ball starts round. Ball stretches and squishes when it hits Ball regains its original shape as it
the ground. bounces off the ground (elasticity).

Gapless explanation

I think that material affects the bounciness of a ball, and balls made of materials with more elasticity bounce more time than

balls made of less flexible materials.

I think this because I’ve seen or done a bounce test with different types of balls, and investigated the materials of the ball

The scientific principle or idea that helps me explain this is: properties of matter.

This principle or idea helps me use my evidence to support my claim because rubber is stretchy and springy, allowing

rubber balls to flatten and stretch when hitting the ground, before “springing” back to their original shape as they bounce.

3. Resources and materials

Supplies:

Teacher materials Student materials

❏ Data Organizer ❏ Data Organizer
❏ Whiteboard + markers ❏ Copy of CER Template (Editable) - Google Docs
❏ Ball cross-section images ❏ Ball Diagram Worsheet.pdf
❏ Model Worksheet ❏ (4) Bouncy ball
❏ ❏ (4) Marble
❏ (4) Ping pong balls
❏ (4) Tennis balls

Additional Resources:

o 5E Bounce SC2021.pdf
o Copy of CER Template (Editable) - Google Docs
o Data Organizer
o QEP
o Elementary Science Progression of Learning

4. Anticipating Students Ideas

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Anticipated everyday experiences related to this phenomenon:

 
Students will begin to understand that balls are created with different materials, and that these materials affect the levels of
bounciness. They will begin to grasp the idea of how a ball bounces, without the full knowledge of properties of matter or
gravitational forces, but rather that it is dependent on the materials a ball is composed of, being that some balls have elasticity,
and some do not.

The students’ prior knowledge will be their experience with bouncy balls that they play with at recess etc. They will likely
understand, for example, that the harder a ball is bounced, the higher it goes, and the more times it bounces. They may have
also experienced using different, suraces, sizes and materials.

Some likely responses that will appear in the classroom may be that students fail to complete a fair test and find skewed
results about a ‘bouncier ball.’ ie. students may throw the ball with force, and the tennis ball may end up being bouncier. This
will create an opportunity to model a correct fair test and show how confounding variables skew results.

Image of alternative model with explanation and labels:

Alternative model #1:

Ball starts round. Ball stretches and squishes when it hits Ball remains stretched when it bounces
the ground. back (not elastic).

Alternative model #2:

Ball starts round. Ball remains round and stiff as it hits the Ball remains round as it bounces back
ground. (ball does not squish or stretch).

In the alternative models students understand that the ball will start round and spherical and will bounce after hitting the
ground, however they have misconceptions regarding what happens when the ball hits the ground, or immediately after the
ball hits the ground. In Alternative model #1, the student does not believe that the ball snaps back to its original shape as it
leaves the ground (the property of elasticity). In Alternative model #2, the student does not understand that the ball stretches
when it hits the ground and instead maintains its stiff, spherical shape throughout its bounce.

Public record of student thinking

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- The whiteboard will have the initial question “How bouncy is a bouncy ball?” to help guide student thinking. There will
then be a blank space left that the teacher will fill with student thinking.
- Other questions with blank space for student answers:
- “How can we measure bounciness?”
- “What materials are bouncing balls made of?”
- “What happens when a bouncy ball hits the ground?”
- Having students come up to the board to draw their models before and after the lesson

5. Instructional Sequence

ENGAGE (Jess O)
Management considerations:
The teacher will have to pass about different balls in order to engage students in sensory learning, as well as elicit
student responses and work together as a group. 
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The teacher will: The student(s) will:

● Ask students if they have ever bounced a ball at
recess
● Bring out a bouncy ball and bounce it on the desk
● Ask students
○ “What makes the ball so bouncy?”
■ Think-pair-share - Think-Pair-share
● Ask students to consider different causes of bounce.
○ Record student answers on a whiteboard. ● Answer the teacher’s questions about what make a
● Write “if…then…because….” on the board and explain ball bouncy
that they have to make their hypothesis on why balls ○ Size”
bounce ○ “Weight”
○ Example of a hypothesis ○ “Material”
■ “"If I don't wear a jacket when it's cold ○ “Air inside ball”
outside, then I'll start to shiver ● Fill out the model worksheet and think about what a
because my body needs to stay ball looks like when it's bouncing
warm." ● Make the hypothesis of why a ball bounces and write
● Pass out Model Worksheets it down
● Ask students to make a model of what the ball looks
like when it’s bouncing
● Have them write their if then because on their
worksheet with their model
● Provide students with different types of balls and
discuss how they are different from the initial ball ● touch the other balls and start to think about how
● Marble, ping-pong ball, tennis ball, bouncy ball they seem different to the initial bouncy ball
○ Pass them around so the students can feel ● make an assumption on which ball will be the
them bounciest one based on the predictions we made
● Now, which ball do we think is going to be the
bounciest?
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EXPLORE (Megan T)
Management considerations:
Explore will start with a class discussion about testing our hypothesis and the requirements for creating a fair test. Afterwards
students will break off into groups of three where they will be given a worksheet and materials. Each member will assume a
role (ball dropper, counter, or data recorder) and the students will complete the experiment. As the groups finish collecting
data they will return the materials (balls) to the back of the class.
The teacher will: The student(s) will:
● After creating a hypothesis, the class will work
together to design an experiment that will measure
the bounciness of a variety of balls
● Provide examples of what unfair tests are to help
them decide how they can make the test fair:
○ “Would it be fair if we bounced one ball on
the carpet and another ball on the tile?”
○ “Would it be a fair test if we dropped one ball
from shoulder height and another ball from
the top of the stairs?”
● Ask them what we can do to make the test fair
● Decide as a class what the fair test rules will be:
○ What is the surface
○ What is the height
○ How are we tracking data?
■ Number of total bounces?
■ Height of first bounce?
● As a class decide on what the roles (groups of 3) will
be for the experiment
○ Students must record data for 4 different balls
■ Number of bounces
○ They must also graph their data
○ Once they have collected the data, the balls
must be returned to the back of the class
● Help ensure students are in groups of three and have
assigned roles to everyone
● Circulate around the room to help any groups
struggling
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● Students reflect and respond, practising justifying
their answers
○ “No! Carpets aren’t very bouncy! So
whichever ball was on the tile would go
higher!”
○ “If you dropped one ball just above the
ground it wouldn’t be able to get very high!
That wouldn’t be fair.”
○ “All of the balls need to be dropped on the
same surface.”
○ “And they should be dropped from the
same height!”
○ “We also need to make sure we aren;t
bouncing them, because if someone throws
it down it will bounce higher like it does at
recess.”
● Students will participate in the creation of the
parameters
● Students will brainstorm possible roles
○ Ball dropper
○ Counter
○ Recorder
● Students complete the experiment in groups of
three and record data on their worksheets
○ Copy of Ball Bounce Count Data
Collection Sheet
● Once they finish collecting their data they will return
the balls to the back of the class
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EXPLAIN (Jess T)
Management considerations:
Have students sit in groups in advance as there will be group discussions. Have a place (ex: white board, smart board, etc.) to
write down student contributions. Additionally, have a ball that is bouncy ready for the final demonstration. Finally, students
will clean up their own desks at the end of the class.

The teacher will: The student(s) will:

● To begin, ask students to share their results from the ● Students will raise their hand if they would like to
lab. Record their findings on the white board for all share.
students to see. Be sure to organise the data in a way
that is comprehensible, so that students can learn
from each other's findings. Prompt students for further
participation by asking if anyone had the same results,
or if anyone had different results.

● Now that students have been able to work hands on ● Students will discuss in their small groups why they
with various balls, and measured which ball bounces think some balls are bouncier than others.
the most, have students revisit what makes a ball
bounce by discussing with their small groups.

● While Students do this, set up the board so that it is

divided into two parts: claim and
reasoning/explanation.

● After 2 minutes, ask students to share their claims and

explanations.
○ During this part, elicit students to each other’s
thinking and encourage students to bounce ● Students will share their claims and
ideas off of eachother. Wait time will be reasoning/explanation. They will listen attentively to
essential for this part of the lesson, for it may others, and attempt to chime in on others'
be a challenge for some students to expand contributions.
on their claim. Be sure to revoice student
explanations to ensure you, and others, are
interpreting their explanation correctly.
■ T: ”Can anyone expand on what X
said?”
■ T: “So what you’re saying is….”
■ T: “What about X makes balls
bouncier? Can you elaborate?”
○ Record what is shared under the appropriate
category on the front board.
● The teacher will then do a final demonstration with the
class to emphasise the importance of the properties of
flexibility and stretchiness when it comes to making a
ball bounce. The demonstration should go as the
following:
○ First, bring attention to claims related to the
material/ flexibility and stretchiness of a ball.

○ At the front of the class, use one of the balls

that bounced during the explore portion of
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the lesson, and apply a lot of force to the ball

to show how the sphere shape slightly
changes when pressure is applied. Then
relieve the pressure, showing the students
how the sphere shape reappears.
■ Do this twice. The first time quickly,
and the second time slowly, so that
students can really focus on the
shape change.
■ If possible, the teacher may show a
video of a ball bouncing in slow
motion instead.

● After this, ask students to share what they just

saw/what is happening.
○ Wait time will be essential here.
○ Invite students to build off of each other, and
elicit each other’s thinking.

● Once it has been established that a ball is bouncy

because the rubber acts as a spring when it hits a hard
surface, ask students why some balls are bouncier
than others.

● give students a few minutes to update the models
they made at the beginning of the lesson so that they
are accurate.
● Finally, commemorate students for their active
listening and participation, before asking them to
make sure their spaces are clean, and all materials are
put away before they leave.
● Here students should come to the conclusion that a
ball is bouncy because when the rubber hits a hard
surface it acts as a spring, essentially pushing off the
ground underneath it, to bounce itself back up.
● S: “The property of rubber that makes it bounce is its
flexibility/elasticity. Rubber is bouncy because it is
stretchy and springy. Really, it's like a round spring.”

● S: “The balls that bounce more are made of a

stretchier material.”

● Tidy their spaces before leaving class.

EVALUATE (after the Rehearsal and Enactment)

Management considerations:
Include and justify management considerations for this part of the lesson (e.g., number of students who will be
working together on a particular task such as whole class, small group, or as individuals, how you will manage the
distribution and clean-up of materials, transitions between segments of instruction) 
The teacher will: The student(s) will:
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Assessment:
- Observation: By engaging with students
throughout the lesson, and circulating during the
explore section, the teacher can gain a general
idea of student understanding.
- Collecting student work: Throughout the leson,
students were asked to create an original model
which was later updated. This can be checked
for understanding. The worksheet also asked
students to follow a claim, evidence, reasoning
promt that can be checked for understanding.

I will say …

I will ask…

I will do…

Extend
During an extend lesson, it would be of benefit to extend into
materials that have no elasticity such as clay, or snow.

One could also look at lists of the materials used in the explore
portion of the lesson to discover what materials specifically
give the balls their elasticity (ex: rubber).

This would lead into a lesson on rubber where the book

“Rubber” could be read.