This task is designed for all primary students (grade 1-3) for the 2008-2009 school year. It is the second primary division science project of a three-year cycle and focuses on the topic: Movement. The task is designed so that students from grade 1 to 3can enter into it in different ways and to different extents and still achieve the overall expectations.The goal is to bring teachers and students within a division together in order to increase collabloration and expertise in the area of technological design. Teachers / divisions / schools will decide when the task is to be completed within the school year. Invention Conventions, Structure Showcases, etc are encouraged upon completion in order for students to demonstrate their work.

If at any time, you have questions, etc about the project please fell free to contact Sharon Gillies via email (s.gillies@ldcsb.on.ca) or phone (519-663-2088 ext. 42104).

It is hoped that the task will continue to grow and be improved. This can only happen with your imput and feedback.

In 2009-2010, the primary division project will focus on Materials, Objects, and Everyday Structures. The 2007-2008 focus was on Strong and Stable Structures.

Lead-up to the Task....

1. Introduce the topic about movement of simple mechanisms by exploring objects that move in different ways.

Addison Wesley, Grade 2 Sciece and Technology: Teacher's Guide, page 80 - Launch The Topic)

You may also consider going outside to a park area that has swings, teeter-totters, slide, merry go-round type equipment, etc. Not all these are necessary but different kinds of moving equipment will help show the ideas.
Possible Questions:
1. Are the swings moving now?
2. What can me do to make the swings move?
3. What part of the swings moves?
4. What part of the swing always remains still?
5. How does a merry go-round move?
6. To get the merry go-round to spin, what do we have to do? How do we stop it?
7. Does a slide move?
8. How do you move when you're on the slide?
9. What would happen if the slide was flat or level with the ground? Would you still move?

Here is a worksheet you may want to use with students so they can draw and/or print the names of objects that move in each of the ways listed.

2. Discoverig Movement

The purpose of this activity is for students to discover the various ways to move an object.

Students will work in groups of 2-4 and group will need a caddy of materials such as straws, pencils, stir sticks, skewers, popsicle sticks, rulers, wooden blocks, elastic bands, paper clips, different lengths of string, etc. Groups will also need a piece of paper and a wooden block for each member.

While working in their groups, students will place their wooden block in the centre of the paper then look for a variety of ways to move the block off the paper. For example, they can pull it with a string, use a ruler as a slide for the block, put a pencil under it and roll it, lift it with bent paper clips, etc.

Groups can then share the ways they found to move the block. You may decide to record all the various strategies on chart paper. Vocabulary like push, pull, lift, drag, slide, roll, etc should emerge.

3. Experimenting With Ramps (Inclined Planes)

Addison Wesley, Grade 2 Sciece and Technology: Teacher's Guide, page 85 - Compare How Different Cars Move Down a Ramp

Addison Wesley, Grade 2 Sciece and Technology: Teacher's Guide, page 86 - Compare Ramps to See Which One Makes a Car Go Fastest

Addison Wesley, Grade 2 Sciece and Technology: Teacher's Guide, page 87 - Test to See How Cars Move on Smooth and Bumpy Surfaces

Addison Wesley, Grade 2 Sciece and Technology: Teacher's Guide, page 88 - Test Heavy and Light Objects to See Which Travel Farther

4. Toys With Wheels

Invite all students to bring in a toy that has wheels. It is useful to have some that can be taken apart so students can see the axle (rod on which the wheels are attached) and how the wheels are attached.

Explore and discuss the kinds of movement the toys can perform. Suggested questions might be:
1. How does this one move?
2. What happens when you change the amount of force you're using to make it move?
3. Can it turn?
4. Can it go backwards? sideways?
5. Does it have an axle?

5. Students are now ready to begin the Challenge TasK: Vehicles in Motion.

Please feel free to differentiate this activity for grade one students vs grade 3 students. Two versions of Student Booklets have been developed; one for Grades 1 and 2 Students and another for Grade 3 Students. They can be changed as you feel appropriate to meet the needs of your students.

Home Communication:
Here are two sample parent letters you may wich to use to introduce this unit and the building project. Feel free to modify as you deem appropriate.
Sampe 1
Sample 2

Read-Aloud Story:
Here is a story based on the theme of recylcing and inventing that you may choose to share with your class. It is from the Grade 3 2000-2001 EQAO Assessment. It is linked in both Word or PDF formats.

Building From Recycled Materials:
Here are some great pictures that show vehicles that can be built from recycled materials:

** These pictures were taken from the book "Vroom! Vroom! Making 'dozers, 'copters, trucks & more" by Judy Press (1997), A Williamson Kids Can! Book.

Building With Jinx Wood:
Grade 3 students in particular may enjoy building a car from jinx/stucture wood. Everything you need to build these frames can be found in your school's Elementary Tech Kit. The contents of this tech kit and how many consumables were purcchased for each school to start can be see by clicking here.

Specifically you will need:
jinx wood
dowelling
large slab wheels
small wheels
hot glue and gle guns or wood glue
hand drill
13/64 drill bit
red trimmer

** Additional consumbales of the same kind can be purchased at the school level as all the contents can be found in the Purchasing System under Elementary Science -Tech. If you need any help or clarification with this, please contact Sharon Gillies.

Here is Visual Instructional Plan that can be followed to build a basic car frame:

For each vehicle frame you will need: 2 pieces of the 1cm x 1cm jink wood cut 20cm lon 3 pieces of the 1cm x 1cm jink wood cut 10cm long 4 pieces of dowellling cut 5cm long 2 pieces of the 1cm x 1cm jinx wood left long but one end but with a 45 degree angle ( the red trimmers can do this easily) 4 large slab wheels 4 small wheels
Use the hand drill with a 13/64 drill bit (you'll see this engraved on the side of the drill bit) to drill holes 5cm from each end of each piece of 20cm cut jinx wood.
Lay the 20cm and 10cm pieces of jinx wood together with right angles wherever the pieces meet. Lay the pieces of jinx wood with the 45 degree angles over the others so that you can mark where the piece should be cut to fit in the opposite corners. Use the red trimmers to cut the 45 degree angles where you've marked.
Use other hot glue or wood glue to glue all the jinx wood together. ** if you use wood glue, you'll have to leave it to dry for a while Insert a 5cm piece of dowelling through the hole of each large slab wheel. The small wheels can be slid over the end to hold it in place. (sometimes it's a tight fit and you may need to tap them on with a hammer)
Put the wheels on by slideing the dowelling through the drilled holes in the jinx wood. This is the finished vehicle frame! Students can then add on to individualize it, etc.

This Visual Instructional Plan is also available as a print-out in Word of PDF formats.

Two Challenge Task Approaches:
This challenge can be done in a number of ways but two approaches are oultined in detail here and have materials linked to them. If you have other ideas you would like to share, please send them in and they can be linked for others to see as well.


1. Science Day approach
This approach involves the students completing the pre-challenge activities noted above, building their vehicle, then participating in a half-day Science Day. The Science Day involves groups of students visiting a seires of stations where they test their vehicle, etc. Parents are invited to "man" the stations and the students rotate through while completing their own record of the day.

A booklet with resources for this approach is attached for your reference. The booklet includes a sample parent letter, materials for each station, student recording sheets, etc. These can be modified in any way for use during your Science Day. Here us a powerpoint presentation with some ideas, sugestions, and considerations.


2. Integrated Unit approach
This approach involves the students completing the pre-challenge activities then moving into a week-long thematic unit on Inventions. Within this week, students will build their vehicle. Here is a powerpoint presentation which outlines the details and suggested areas for integration. The ideas can be modified as you deem appropriate for your students.

Rubrics and Check Lists:
Here are some possible check lists, etc that you may wish to use:
Self-Assessment

Rubric Sample 1

Rubric Sample 2

In this performance task, the following expectations are addressed and or evaluated:

Ontario Curriculum

Revised 2007 Science & Technology
Understanding Strucutre and Mechanisms: Movement
OVERALL EXPECTATIONS
1. assess the impact on society and the environment of simple machines and mechanisms;
2. investigate mechanisms that include simple machines and enable movement;
3. demonstrate an understanding of movement and ways in which simple machines help to move objects.

Family Life/Religion
• The stories of Jesus and his time
• Living in a Christian community

Mathematics
• Geometry and Data Management
• Problem solving

Language
• Reading, Writing, Oral and Visual
Communication

Art
• Integration of creativity
and knowledge of elements
• Use of design and colour

Social Studies
• Relationships, Rules and Community
• Communities around the World

Physical Education
• Movement Skills
• Physical Activity

Special Needs
• Pictures, concrete objects, clip art
• Supportive classroom environment
• Heterogeneous grouping and pairing
of students to allow for good readers
in a pair or in a group

Catholic Themes and Catholic Graduate Expectations

PDF version | Flash version

Choices into Action (online version)

The goals of the guidance and career education program are that students:

• understand the concepts related to lifelong learning, interpersonal relationships (including responsible citizenship), and career planning;
• develop learning skills, social skills, a sense of social responsibility, and the ability to formulate and pursue educational and career goals;
• apply this learning to their lives and work in the school and the community.

Learning Skills

The learning skills identified below are highlighted in this task and represent practical links for tracking student achievement and for connecting learning to the guidance and career education program. For more information on Learning Skills, you can access the Guide to the Provincial Report Card or Learning Skills Appendix D.

With your assistance, we hope to add samples of student work to this space. If you have photos of students at work, or would like to share samples that your students have produced, please contact Rodd Lucier vie email (r.lucier@ldcsb.on.ca) or telephone (519-663-2088 ext. 2520)

In order to publish samples of student work, the RPT Permission to Publish form must be completed and forwarded for filing. View completed sample.

Here are some examples of vehicles designed and built by primary students:

Wherever possible, Rich Performance Tasks have 'Real World' connections. By engaging participants from the school and wider community, we can create experiences for students that are authentic and highly motivating.

In presenting your students with a Rich Performance Task, you may choose to invite the participation of family and community members. For this task in particular, here are some suggestions for how to provide 'real world' connections for your students and the community:

1] Is there an occupation that lends itself to natural exploration with this task?

2] Is there a presentation component in this task? Do you have community members who might be interested in being a part of a real world audience?

3] Are there opporunities for community members to assist in providing materials to help make your project more authentic?