4 th Grade Sample STEM Activity

(1)

(2)

Transfer of Energy in Collision

Transfer of Energy in Collision Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer

What happens to the energy of an object when it collides

with another object?

Students in Mr. Nguyen’s Class were asked to write their

names on the sticky note with their chosen answer.

Circle the group of students that was correct. Be

prepared to explain your choice.

Created

-Student 1

-Student 9

-Student 3

Transfers

-Student 4

-Student 6

-Student 7

Destroyed

-Student 2

-Student 8

-Student 5

(3)

Hook

Telephone

Description

Students demonstrate how sound energy can move from one place to another using

cups and a string.

Materials

Consumable

2 Medium foam cups (per pair of students)

3 Meters of string (per pair of students)

Procedure

1.

Students use their pencils to poke a small hole in the bottom of each foam cup.

2.

Students pull the end of the string through the cup just enough to tie a knot and

keep the cup from falling off the string. Repeat this process with the cup on the

other end of the string.

3.

Allow students to explore the devices by using them to communicate with each

other. One student should talk into his or her cup, while the other student holds

the cup on the other end to the his or her ear to listen.

4.

Discuss:



What are you observing?

Our voices travel through the string to the other

person. I can hear what my partner is saying through the cup even when

they are not talking very loudly.



What form of energy are you observing?

Sound energy



Is the sound energy staying in one place?

No, it is moving from me to my

partner.



Energy can be transferred from one place to another. In this case, the

sound energy from your voice was being transferred (moved) through the

string and the cups to your partner’s ear. Do we always need strings and

cups to hear people?

No. I can hear people talking around me in the same

room.

(4)



Sound can travel through objects and through air. Our voices make sound;

what else can make sound?

Animals, a person banging on a drum, a

person clapping his or her hands, hitting your desk, etc.



Many of these examples include objects hitting each other, or colliding.

When objects collide, like when you clap your hands, it makes sound!

(5)

Do 1: Scientific Investigation

What’s the Buzz?

Description

Students explore how energy works by using batteries to make a light bulb light up and

make a buzzer sound.

Materials

Printed Material

1

Student Journal: What’s the Buzz?

(per student)

Reusable

3 10 cm pieces of wire (per group)

1 Circuit buzzer (per group)

1 Small light bulb (per group)

Optional: If available on your campus (1 laser point thermometer per group or per class)

Consumable

1 D battery (per group)

1 Roll masking tape (per group)

Preparation

Gather materials in advance. Place each group’s materials in a container for easy

distribution and clean up.

Procedure and Facilitation Points

Part One

1. Closely monitor groups as they investigate the materials. Warn students that connecting both ends of the battery with just one wire can cause that wire to get very hot.

Emphasize that they may not test this to see if it is true. If students are having difficulty, you may need to prompt them by asking questions about how batteries work and what

(6)

battery casings look like in electronics. E.g., “Do your electronics only connect to one side of the battery or both?”

2. What forms of energy do we know about? Name some examples of each form. Sound energy comes from clapping your hands together or using your voice. Light energy, which comes from the Sun or a light bulb, can help you see. Heat energy (thermal energy) feels warm or hot. Electrical energy (electricity) comes from batteries and wall outlets and helps electronics work.

3. Today, you will explore some materials that demonstrate these forms of energy. You are going to try to use the given materials to make the buzzer and the light bulb work. When you are successful in your experiments, record which forms of energy you observe and draw pictures of your successful design.

Part Two

1. Students use the materials to make the light bulb and the buzzer work.

2. Students draw and describe each successful arrangement. Have them list which forms of energy are being observed.

3. Students use the tip of their finger to see if any heat energy is being released. *Just a slight touch as wires may be hot. They may also choose to use the laser point

thermometer, if available. 4. Discuss:

 How did you get the bulb and the buzzer to work? We had to use the wire to make a complete loop from one side of the battery to either side of the bulb or buzzer and around to the other side of the battery.

 What forms of energy did you observe? We observed electrical energy from the battery, sound energy from the buzzer, and light and thermal energy from the bulb.

 What caused the bulb and buzzer to work? Was any energy being transferred or changed? The electrical energy from the battery was being changed into light, heat, and sound energy. Without the electrical energy from the battery, the bulb and buzzer would not work.

 Are there examples of sound, light, and heat energy that do not require electricity? Yes. Playing a drum or singing releases sound energy without electricity. A fire releases light and heat energy without electricity.

(7)

Prompt (CER)

(8)

What's the Buzz?

Student Data Recording Table

Successful

Arrangement

(include labels)

Description and

(9)

1

Transfer of Energy in Collision Conserva1on of Energy and Energy Transfer

What's the Buzz?

Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning

Write a scientific explanation for how energy was being

transferred from the battery to the bulb and buzzer.

Claim

:_______________________________________________

____________________________________________________

Evidence

:____________________________________________

____________________________________________________

Reasoning:

__________________________________________

____________________________________________________

Points Awarded

2

1

0

Claim

Makes an accurate and

complete claim.

Makes an accurate

but incomplete

claim.

Does not make a claim or

makes an inaccurate

claim.

Evidence

Provides at least two

pieces of accurate and

complete evidence to

justify their claim.

Provides only one

piece of accurate

and complete

evidence to justify

their claim.

Does not provide

evidence, or only

provides inappropriate

evidence or vague

evidence.

Reasoning

Evidence is connected to

the claim and shows why

the data is appropriate and

uses scientific principles.

Justifies the

evidence but does

not use scientific

principles.

Does not connect the

evidence to the claim.

(10)

Points Awarded

2

1

0

Claim

Makes an accurate and complete claim.

Electrical energy from the battery was transferred to the bulb and buzzer to make them work.

Makes an accurate but incomplete claim.

Electrical energy came from the battery.

Does not make a claim or makes an inaccurate claim.

The light bulb turned on when I flipped the switch.

Evidence

Provides at least two pieces of accurate and complete evidence to justify their claim.

The buzzer and bulb did not work alone. The buzzer and bulb worked when connected to the battery.

The bulb released light and heat energy.

The buzzer released sound energy.

Provides only one piece of accurate and complete evidence to justify their claim.

The buzzer and bulb did not work alone.

Does not provide evidence, or only provides inappropriate evidence or vague evidence. It was magic. The battery worked.

Reasoning

Evidence is connected to the claim and shows why the data is appropriate and uses scientific principles.

Energy can be transferred from place to place or from one form to another. In this case, the electrical energy from the battery was moved through the wire to the bulb and the buzzer. It was

changed to sound energy when it made the buzzer work. The electrical energy from the battery was being changed to light and heat energy when it made the light bulb work. Without the electrical energy from the battery, neither the buzzer nor the bulb released any energy, so the energy must have been coming from the battery.

Justifies the evidence but does not use scientific principles.

The battery is the only thing that made the buzzer and light bulb work.

Does not connect the evidence to the claim.

Batteries make electronic things work.

What's the Buzz?

Specific Rubric

(Key)

(11)

Do 2: Scientific Investigation

When Cars Collide

Description

Students investigate how energy is transferred when objects collide.

Materials

Printed Material

1

Student Journal: When Cars Collide

(per student)

Reusable

3 Toy cars (per group)

2 Rectangles of cardboard (per group)

4 Medium books (per group)

1 Ruler (per group)

Preparation

Gather materials in advance. Place each group’s materials in a container for easy

distribution and clean up.

STEMcoach in Action

In this activity, students investigate how energy is transferred when cars collide. It is important that students use accurate scientific drawings to show their findings after each test. You may want to give students some guidelines for making these drawings, for example: Drawings are more easily made on lined paper using a sharp pencil. They should be at least 2 inches in size. Students should label parts and use arrows to indicate the part. No arrows should cross. Keep the drawing simple. Shading and coloring is not usually found in scientific drawings. Give your drawing a title. Include a scale. Use dashed arrows to show the direction of motion. Use longer dashes on the lines to signify slower motion. Learn more about using science “Notebooks” to facilitate learning in your classroom here.

(12)

Part One

1. The cardboard and books are meant to be used to make a ramp. Other options that could be used to make a ramp include binders or open, face-down textbooks.

2. Each group should be able to build two similar ramps, if so desired. Initially, you may want to provide vague ideas for collisions for your students; then, allow them to develop their own questions.

3. Possible collisions include: building two ramps and placing a car on each ramp in a way that causes both cars to roll down the ramps and and collide straight-on or at an angle; building one ramp and placing one car on the ramp in a way that causes the car to roll down and collide with a stationary car straight-on or at an angle; and building a ramp and placing the cars in a way that cause some sort of chain reaction with all 3 cars. 4. Encourage students to take measurements of each part of their investigation and use

these measurements to label their pictures.

5. If time permits and the required portion of the investigation is complete, allow students to investigate more of their own questions. For example, some students may want to test how results differ when the cars are released from different heights on the ramps, etc. 6. Introduce the activity by telling students, so far, we have studied a few different

examples of energy being transferred or changed. What did we observe about these examples? We observed sound energy traveling from one place to another through a string and through the air. We observed electrical energy being moved from one place to another through a wire and being changed to sound, light, and heat energy.

7. We are going to explore another way energy can be transferred—through collision!

Part Two

1. Students decide on three different ways two or three of the cars could collide. 2. In the “before” section of their data table in Student Journal: When Cars Collide,

students first draw and label what their setup looks like before they allow the cars to collide.

3. Students should use the ruler to measure heights of the ramps, distances between the cars, how far the cars traveled, etc. and include these measurements when labeling their pictures.

4. Students predict what they think will happen and share their ideas with their group. 5. Students test each collision three times to get the most accurate results.

(13)

6. In the “during” section of their data table, students draw what the cars look like as they are colliding.

7. In the “after” section of the data table, students draw what the cars look like after the collision occurs. Students use arrows to show the path the cars traveled.

8. Students describe what happened during the collision. 9. Once three different collisions have been tested, discuss:

 What are some observations your group made during the investigation? We noticed that cars moving toward each other tend to bounce off of each other and change directions. When a moving car hits a still car, the moving car makes the still car start moving, while the moving car starts slowing down. We also

observed that when the cars collided, sound was produced.

 What happens if the cars collide at an angle? It could make the cars change directions. If one of the cars were still, the moving car would cause the still car to spin and face a different direction.

 When an object is moving, the object has energy. How was energy transferred in this investigation? When a moving car collided with a still car, the moving car made the still car start moving, while the moving car started slowing down. Therefore, when the cars collided, some of the energy from the moving car was transferred to the non-moving car. Some of the energy from the moving car was also transferred to the air in the form of sound energy.

Prompt (CER)

(14)

When Cars Collide

Student Data Recording Table

Collision

Before

During

After

Description of

Collision

1

2

(15)

1

Transfer of Energy in Collision Conserva1on of Energy and Energy Transfer

When Cars Collide

Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning

Write a scientific explanation for how energy was being

transferred from car to car during the collisions.

Claim

:_______________________________________________

____________________________________________________

Evidence

:____________________________________________

____________________________________________________

Reasoning:

__________________________________________

____________________________________________________

Points Awarded

2

1

0

Claim

Makes an accurate and complete claim.

Makes an accurate but incomplete claim.

Does not make a claim or makes an inaccurate claim.

Evidence

Provides only one piece of accurate and complete evidence to justify their claim.

Does not provide evidence, or only provides

inappropriate evidence or vague evidence.

Reasoning

Justifies the evidence but does not use scientific principles.

(16)

Points Awarded

2

1

0

Claim

Makes an accurate and complete

claim.

When cars collide, some of the energy from their movement is transferred to the other car.

Makes an accurate but incomplete claim. Energy is being transferred.

Does not make a claim or makes an inaccurate claim. The collision between the cars makes more energy.

Evidence

The cars in collision 1 changed directions and slowed down a lot when they collided.

The moving car in collision 2 slowed down after colliding with the car that was not moving. The non-moving car in collision 2 started moving after being hit by the moving car.

Provides only one piece of accurate and complete evidence to justify their claim. The cars in collision 1 changed directions and slowed down a lot when they collided.

Does not provide evidence, or only provides inappropriate evidence or vague evidence. The motion of the cars changed..

Reasoning

A moving object has energy. That energy can be transferred to another object when those two objects collide. The non-moving car stayed in place until it was hit by the moving car. Some of the energy from the moving car’s motion was transferred to the non-moving car during the collision, causing the non-moving car to start moving. The moving car did not stop completely when they collided, so it still had some of its energy, but it was not moving as fast as it originally was because its energy was transferred to the other car.

Justifies the evidence but does not use scientific principles. The movement from one car caused the other car to start moving.

When cars hit each other, their motion changes.

When Cars Collide

Specific Rubric

(Key)

(17)

Extensions

Kinesthetic- Suck It Up

Explore the idea of a pulling, or negative, force such as the force used when drinking

liquids from a straw. Students can use moderately-sized cups of water and drinking

straws of various diameters, ranging from small ones such as juice box straws or

tubular coffee stirrers to large diameter straws such as ones used for thick frozen

drinks, to feel the differences in force required to drink through the straws.

Project- Watch Your Step

Do crayon rubbings or washable paint “prints” of the soles of various athletic shoes and

discuss which patterns might provide the best traction on various surfaces based on the

shoes' design characteristics.

Project- Design Challenge

Challenge students to design a new product that takes advantage of at least two forces

to accomplish a task.

Guest Speaker- Architect or Engineer

Ask an architect or engineer to discuss how forces relate to the design of a building.

When and how does a designer take advantage of forces? What forces must be

minimized? How does this happen?

Force Experiment Alternatives

Collaborate with the librarian and computer lab teacher to help students gather

experimental ideas for creating an investigation. The investigation should focus on how

changing energy or changing the mass of an object can change the result of two

objects' interaction. The idea is for students to come up with their own projects, so

remind students that, in order to make their idea original, they must change the energy

used or the materials used in the online or printed experiments they read about. Be sure

the students predict the outcome before actually performing the experiment.

(18)

Participating in local or regional science fairs is a great way to increase the challenge

and to help students work through the scientific method, rather than simply dabbling

with equipment and materials.

(19)

Math Connections A

Included Common Core Math Standards

4.OA.3-Solve multistep word problems posing with whole numbers and having whole number answers using the four operations, including problems in which remainders must be interpreted. Represent these problems using equations with a letter standing for the unknown quantity. Assess the reasonableness of answers using mental computation and estimation strategies including rounding.

Activity

Students are expected to understand and solve multistep problems using the four

operations.

Materials

1

Student Handout

(per student or pair of students)

1 Pencil (per student)

Preparation

Decide on a grouping format or have students work individually.

Work through the student activity.

Prepare Guiding Questions and possible student answers before beginning this activity

in order to interpret student misconceptions and errors.

(20)

Transfer of Energy in Collision Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer Level A

1.

The students set up an experiment to look at gravity. They observe that object A falls 10 feet

every minute, and object B falls at 8 feet every minute. How many more feet did object A fall in

12 minutes than object B?

2.

At Rice Elementary 37 students participated in the “Death by Sun” challenge. They were to

engineer a device that would melt a crayon. Each team consisted of 3 students. How many

students were left out of a group?

3.

During the engineer convention the teacher’s had to visit each team and listen to a 2 minute

presentation. If the teacher’s spent a total of 72 minutes listening to presentations. How many

teams did they listen too?

4.

Students from three classes at Rice Elementary planned on attending the convention. On the

trip, there will be 40 students, along with 11 teachers and 15 parents. Write an equation that

can be used to determine the number of vans,

v

, they will need on their trip if 10 people ride in

each van.

(21)

2

Transfer of Energy in Collision Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer Level A

5.

A box of crayons contains 24 crayons. There are 8 boxes in a carton. What is the best estimate

of the total number of crayons in a carton?

6.

At the convention, Mrs. James sold cookies to the students. She baked 3 dozen cookies and

sold them for 50 cents a piece. About how much did the baker earn if she sold all of her

cookies?

7.

Michael’s team won the contest for the fastest device to melt a crayon. The prize was $5,000 to

spend at the convention center. His team spent $250 on team shirts, $2500 for team tablets,

and $1000 on team microscopes. How much money do they have left to spend?

8.

Mr. Potts cooked 120 pounds of chicken strips for the convention center for lunch. He served all

the chicken he cooked. If Mr. Potts served each person 3 pounds of chicken, how many people

ate chicken?

9.

The teacher wanted to buy certificates for each team of students that entered their invention. If

she needed 1 certificate for each student and there was 68 students, how many packs of

certificates does she need to buy it they come 10 per pack?

(22)

Crater Creation

Lexile 660L

1

Have you ever looked at the Moon on a clear night? What

did you see? At times the Moon can look like a smooth,

glowing ball. But, nothing could be further from the truth.

2

The Moon is covered with craters. Craters are bowl-shaped

pits. They are created when objects from space hit the

Moon. If these same objects headed towards Earth, they

would probably burn when they hit Earth’s atmosphere. Or

they would get slowed down by our atmosphere. But, the Moon

does not have an atmosphere surrounding it so there is

nothing to stop objects from hitting its surface.

3

When a meteoroid, or piece of rock, hits the surface of the

Moon, it is a lot like when a rock falls into a puddle of water. On impact the meteoroid throws

up dust and dirt just like a rock would splash water up into the air. The meteoroid breaks up

into pieces and it leaves a ring on the surface. The dust and dirt that splash out create bright

lines that look like rays.

4

You can tell a lot by looking at these craters. When a large rock strikes the Moon’s surface,

it

makes a big ring. Smaller rocks make smaller rings. A deep crater means the rock that hit

the Moon’s surface was moving very fast, while a shallow crater means that it was moving

slower.

5

Scientists name the Moon’s craters. One crater that has fascinated them is named Tycho.

Tycho is one of the few craters where the bright lines coming out of it can be seen clearly.

The reason these rays are so visible is that Tycho is fairly young for such a large crater. It is

only 108 million years old! That might seem old to you, but some of the craters on the Moon

are more than 1 billion years old!

6

The patterns found on the surface of the Moon provide scientists with a lot of information.

The information tells them about dust particles and other objects that were floating in space

millions of years ago. Scientists can even learn about what happened on the Moon before

people were on Earth. All of this is possible because of the unique patterns that are created

from the force and motion of rocks hitting the Moon’s surface.

7

The next time you look at the Moon, think about all the craters. Some of them are so big that

you can even see them with your own eyes!

Transfer of Energy and Collision

Energy

(23)

1

The author probably wrote

this passage to:

A

persuade you to study the

Moon

B

entertain you with stories

about the Moon

C

inform you about what

scientists can learn from

craters on the Moon

D

explain how to use

information about craters

to calculate how fast

meteoroids were traveling

when they hit the Moon

2

Scientists measured the

depth of four craters. Their

data are in the table below.

Which crater was caused by a

meteoroid moving at the

fastest speed?

A

Crater A

B

Crater B

C

Crater C

D

Crater D

3

Another good title for this

passage would be:

A

Learning from the Moon’s

Craters

B

Scientists on the Moon

C

Tycho the Crater

D

Objects in Space

2

Crater A 5 m

Crater B 25 m

Crater C 4 m

Crater D 27 m

4

Scientists found two crater

rings, one on top of the other.

They could tell:

A

where the meteoroids

came from

B

the crater on the bottom

was older

C

the shape of the

meteoroid

D

what the crater should be

named

Transfer of Energy and Collision

Energy

(24)

5

Why aren’t there as many

craters on Earth as there are

on the Moon?

A

People are able to keep

the meteoroids from

hitting Earth.

B

Meteoroids never come

near Earth.

C

The Earth’s atmosphere

causes most meteoroids

to burn up.

D

People fill in the craters

that are formed.

Transfer of Energy and Collision

Energy

(25)

Experimenting with Forces

I can design an experiment that tests the effect of force of an object, and use my results to predict

how forces will impact the motion of objects.

1. Directions:

Give an example of each way force changes motion.

Forces can make an object…

Move

_____________________________________________________________

Slow down

_____________________________________________________________

Change direction _____________________________________________________________

2. Explain:

Look at this results chart from

the video. Fill in your prediction for how

far the car would travel if the ramp was

8 books high. Explain your reasoning.

________________________________

3. Elaborate:

How would you test the effect of

friction on the motion of a toy car? Draw a

setup and write out the steps for a sample

experiment below.

____________________________________

(26)

Forces

Change in Direction, Shape, or Position Shows force in any kind of situation

Five kinds of forces that are commonly used You know them already, don’t be confused Push to move a box across a room,

Gravity keeps us from floating to the moon, Pull a zipper up to close your sweater, Friction makes everyone run much better, Magnetism makes travel cheap and fast, On all of these things you cannot pass! Force is what puts us into motion, Allowing us all to cause a commotion!

As you push and pull your pencil across a surface You leave a trail of lead behind that you can erase. As you run across the park you push against the ground,

To get away from other children giving chase Pull a wagon filled with toys behind your back, Pull out a giant cookie that you eat for a snack, You must use the force of friction with your hand and fingers

Otherwise these objects would just stay in the back Push to move a box across a room,

Force is used to move an object over a distance, The object is just bound to have a bit of resistance.

That resistance that you feel is what we call friction, Without it, every surface would be easy to slip on. Magnetism is a very cheap and easy way,

To move things across the room from place to place. In China they use big magnetic trains

they power along in the fast lane! Push to move a box across a room,

Blow on, push, pull, or lift a cherry pit

To see how much force it will take to move it. Different objects require the use of more force In order to set them on their moving course.

Balls, pulleys, wagons, levers, harness, and swings Really help you when you’re moving heavy things. These are simply useful tools that we must use When we move heavy object like a car or caboose

Push to move a box across a room,

(27)

1

Scenario

Imagine you are at a basketball game. One of the players is dribbling towards the hoop. What sounds do

you hear?

Prompt

Write a scien<ﬁc explana<on about why you hear a sound when the basketball hits the ground.

Claim:

Evidence:

Reasoning:

Transfer of Energy in Collision Energy

(28)

Points Awarded

2

1

0

Claim

Makes an accurate

and complete claim.

Makes a claim that is

inaccurate or

incomplete.

Does not make a

claim.

Evidence

Provides two or more

accurate pieces of

evidence, uses labels,

and addresses

variables.

Provides one to two

accurate pieces of

evidence.

Does not provide

evidence or only

provides inappropriate

or vague evidence.

Reasoning

Evidence is connected

to the claim and uses

scientific principles and

vocabulary.

Cites a reason, but it is

inaccurate or does not

support the claim.

Reasoning does not

use scientific

terminology or uses it

inaccurately.

Does not connect the

evidence to the claim.

Transfer of Energy in Collision CER

Rubric for writing a scientific explanation

(29)

1

Which of the following observations of an object would provide evidence

that energy is present?

A

The object has a certain volume.

B

Gravity pulls on the object.

C

The object’s mass remains constant.

D

The object gives off light.

1

(30)

2

Students built an electrical circuit like the one

shown in the diagram.

When energy from the battery lights the bulb,

evidence is provided that -

A

only copper can be used for wires.

B

energy can move from place to place.

C

batteries will lose energy after time.

(31)

3

Which of the following can be used as evidence

that energy can move from one place to

another?

A

A beaker full of sand weighs more than

an empty beaker.

B

The sun only shines on half the earth at

one time.

C

A pot of water placed on a hot stove also

becomes hot.

D

An electric circuit without a battery does

(32)

4

Students are using toy cars to investigate changes

in energy. Which of the following observations

shows that the energy of the cars is changed when

they hit each other?

A

After hitting each other, the cars move more

slowly.

B

Before hitting each other, the cars move in a

straight line.

C

After hitting each other, the cars are the

same color.

D

When the cars hit each other, they make

(33)

5

A large ball is rolled at a high speed across a smooth floor, and it strikes

a smaller ball at rest. Which of the following is the most likely result of

the collision?

A

B

C

D

(34)

1

How does a computer get energy? Describe what energies you can observe in a

computer and how these energies work together.

___________________________________________________

2

On a hot day, you add some ice cubes to your lemonade. What type of energy

transformations occurs as the lemonade and the ice cubes collide?

___________________________________________________

3

Describe two different musical instruments and the steps necessary for the instruments

to produce sound.

___________________________________________________