Diving Deeper: Rollers and Sliders
Lesson 3
Step 1:
Revisit brainstorm chart
Question: "Do we remember some of the objects/ things that we tested on our ramps?" (after answer is given, ask the class if they remember if it was a roller or a slider)
What do we remember about how some of the objects went down the ramp? Did they all work really well or were some of them not so great?
*Use this questioning to recap the difference between rollers and sliders and how shape can affect the way it moves down the ramp.
Step 2:
Last class, students mostly observed how these different objects moved down a ramp. Today we will be categorizing them into rollers, sliders or both.
Students will do so by working collaboratively in their groups and looking at the movement of the objects.
This class we will be looking more closely at rollers and sliders.
We are going to explore these objects and see if we can discover which ones go down the ramp the fastest, the easiest and which ones don’t work so well.
Halfway through the class the students will come back to the carpet for new instruction
CHALLENGE: "Do we think that an object can be both a slider and a roller?” How can you change your ramp to get an object to do both?
Step 3:
On our brain sheet chart, we will draw a Venn diagram.
“what was an object that we found as a roller?”
“what was an object that we found as a slider?”
“did anyone find one that was able to do both? How did you change the way it moved?”
Last unit we talked about using our senses. What senses did we use when we were deciding between sliders and rollers?
Prompt them to talk about what they looked like, sounded like and what the objects felt like.
Use student observations to classify these objects.
Materials:
Books or blocks
Plywood or another surface to use as ramp
Different objects to test down the ramp (see example of rollers and sliders)
Chart paper & marker
Paper for student drawing
Marker or object to mark the distance of the objects