Travis Pearson

ArtiIact reIlection

ArtiIact #1
Potential to Kinetic energy
Travis Pearson
EDEL 441
Materials needed:
O Tongue depressing sticks
O Protective eyewear
O 'ideo used in lesson is at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?vueLxYKP5UzU
O Additional Instruction video is Iound at:
http://www.lunatim.com/kinart/videos/videos.htm
Materials can be Iound at Wal-Mart or any craIt store.
$afety Precautions:
O Tongue depressing sticks may cause splinters, throw away any broken ones.
O Airborne sticks may hit an eye. Always wear saIety glasses
evada $tate $cience $tandards Involved:
N.5.A.5- Students know how to plan and conduct a saIe simple investigation.
N.5.C- Students understand that energy exists in diIIerent Iorms.
Procedure:
1. As a class we will discuss potential and Kinetic energy
2. We will discuss distortion on materials and how it stores potential energy
3. We will watch video oI Kinetic King with his examples oI distorting sticks to create
potential and Kinetic energy.
4. While wearing saIety glasses teacher will demonstrate a mini stick 'reaction
5. Teacher will hand out materials and will guide class using the ELMO on how to make
their own stick 'reactions. Each pair oI student should get one packet oI six tongue
depressing sticks.
6. Students will make their own stick reactions
7. Students will observe results and write down observations in science journal
%eacher Information:
O Potential energy is stored energy. When we build the stick reactions, we are storing our
own energy into the sticks which is kept until the sticks are released oI their energy.
O Teacher may want to use a bow and arrow to explain more about distortion and energy.
When an arrow is pulled back in a bow, the bow distorts and holds energy. That energy is
released when you let go oI the string and the arrow goes Ilying. This is the same concept
as when we distort the sticks and hold them in the distortion position.
O This concept is also used on a large scale Ior building arching bridges
ays to integrate:
O Language arts: Students are to write down their observations in their science journals.
O Math: Explain how engineers use this concept to build bridges and other structures to
support massive amounts oI weight.
ays to elaborate:
Students may experiment with their own ways to create a stick reaction.
ays to Evaluate:
O ave students draw a step by step procedure on how to create the stick 'reaction
O Check students` science journals to see their observations.
$tep by $tep Guide to the reaction

1. Place three sticks out in this Iashion. 2. Place a Iourth stick with one end in the center
triangle that was Iormed.

3. Next depress the center stick and place 4. Last place one last trigger stick above center
a closing stick above the center stick and stick and below the closing stick. Now just pull
below the two crossing sticks. trigger stick and center stick and let the Iun begin!


The Iirst artiIact I will use is my own project I did with the class with the Popsicle sticks.
I use this project because it helped me understand the importance oI making the projects we do
more personal Ior the students. The project was pretty simple in that we put sticks together and
by placing them a certain way and using contortion on them we were able to store potential
energy in them. I taught the class how to do this and showed a video oI a large scale version that
was awesome. I Ielt that the lesson went ok, but iI I were to change anything, it would have been
to explain how this project may relate to each oI our lives.
The component I will use is Component 1b: Demonstrating Knowledge oI students. I Ieel
that we need to get to know our students and what interests they have. This way we can modiIy
our lessons to include some oI their interests so that the lesson becomes real to them. This lesson
that I taught was a Iun lesson that wasn`t that interesting. It became much more interesting to me
when I realized the applications it had to my liIe.
When I used to help my dad building houses, he used to teach me about setting a beam
Ior a wall. e said you have to Iind which way the beam is arched and place the beam
accordingly. e didn`t explain why, but I understand now because oI this lesson. You need the
arch so that the ends oI the arch support the weight. II you don`t have it right, the beam will sag
and won`t hold the weight well. It works the same Ior bridges, suspensions, and many other
applications. II we can Iind an application that is relevant in the liIe oI the student, that the lesson
will come alive Ior them and they will remember everything that is taught.