Kōkiri Learn

Week 1 of 5

Why do some cars go further? Spot the forces

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Session 1 · VOICE: Validate the Problem

The mystery car

  1. 5 minShow a ready-made elastic-band car without running it. Draw the T-chart: What I observe | What I infer.
  2. 10 minPairs observe the car for 60 seconds and record four observations. Then write an inference for each, with an arrow back to the observation.
  3. 10 minRun the car once. Thirty seconds of observations only. Compare with your inferences: which held up?
  4. 15 minLaunch the challenge: the junior class needs cars that travel as far as possible. What might affect distance? List every idea. Sort into things we can change and things we can measure.
  5. 10 minChoose a class focus question, for example: 'How do wheels, bands and surfaces change how far an elastic-band car travels?'

Session 2 · VOICE: Observe

Stretch, bend, squash

  1. 10 minForce arrows: every force is a push or a pull with a size and a direction. Draw arrows on pictures of a tug-of-war, a kicked ball and a person sitting on a chair.
  2. 25 minStations: stretch a rubber band and a spring, bend paper clips and thin and thick wire, squash plasticine and a sponge. Does each one go back to its shape (elastic) or stay changed (plastic)? Name the internal force: tension (stretching) or compression (squashing).
  3. 15 minMake a rubber-band force meter from a cup, a paper clip hook and a ruler. Calibrate it with bags of 100 g, 200 g and 300 g of rice.

Getting started

Use the observation/inference sentence starters: 'I can see…' and 'I think this means… because I saw…'.

Stretch

Find the point where a paper clip stops springing back. How many degrees can it bend before the change becomes permanent?

Checkpoint

Everyone can sort an example into elastic or plastic change and draw a force arrow with a direction.

Activities for this week

Useful this week