Lauren Bowman Professor Smolleck EDUC 344 17 October 2012 Activity Mania vs.

Inquiry Assignment How can lemons power a clock? Grade Level: 4th I. Section One: Identifying standards and objectives A. National Science Standards 1. CONTENT STANDARD A: Science as Inquiry o Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry o Understandings about scientific inquiry 2. CONTENT STANDARD B: Physical Science o Properties of objects and materials o Light, heat, electricity, and magnetism 3. CONTENT STANDARD E: Science and Technology o Abilities of technological design o Understanding about science and technology State Standards 1. Science and Technology o 3.1.4.A- Know that natural and human-made objects are made up of parts

o 3.1.4.B- Know models as a useful simplifications of objects or processes o 3.2.4.B- Identify and use the nature of scientific and technological knowledge o 3.2.4.C- Recognize and use the elements of scientific inquiry to solve problems. o 3.2.4.D- Recognize and use the technological design process to solve problems. o 3.3.4.B- Know basic energy types, sources and conversions. B. Enduring Understandings 1. Batteries operate when electrical current moves through them much like how the acidic lemon juice reacts with metal and allows the electrical current to flow through the wires. 2. For electricity to flow we need a closed circuit C. Essential Questions 1. How do batteries work? 2. What are the necessary components for a battery to have in order to be able to power something? 3. What is necessary for electricity to flow? 4. What can conduct electricity? 5. How do different batteries have different amounts of power? 6. How can lemons power a clock? D. Performance Standards (objectives)

1. Students will know a. How to create a battery out of lemons and pennies, paper clips, and wire b. How electrical circuits work c. How to isolate a variable to test d. How to pose a question to experiment e. How to think critically and make connections with prior knowledge 2. Students will be able to a. Predict how to make a lemon battery b. Explain their thinking and drawing c. Work independently, with a partner, or in a small group d. Participate in class discussions e. Problem solve an open-ended question f. Analyze observations g. Pose further investigative questions to experiment h. Set up their own experiment to perform II. Section Two: Identifying Assessment A. Pre-Assessment- First page of The Lemon Battery Journal in which students draw diagram of how they think the lemon and other materials given to them will go together to make a digital clock work B. Formative- The other pages of The Lemon Battery Journal is which students draw configurations that worked and ones that didnt work. Also the class discussions after initial exploration with the lemon battery.

C. Summative- The class discussion after the extension experiments when students make connections of the lemon powering the clock to what batteries do. D. Adaptations 1. For gifted students- When students pick what they want to test after making the initial lemon battery, gifted students will do one of the more complex experiments, for example testing different metals to use with the lemon battery. 2. For struggling students- When students pick what they want to test after making the initial lemon battery, struggling students will pick an experiment less complex such as trying to power other objects with the lemon battery. III. Section Three: Identifying lesson activities A. Materials o o o o o o o o o o o o o Lemons Copper wires Large paper clips Pennies Digital clocks Scissors Writing utensil Knife Lemon Battery Journals Other fruits Basic solutions/substances Lemon juice Light bulbs and other things that can be powered by these batteries

B. Procedures 1. Engage: 1, 2, 3, 4 a. Pass out a Lemon Battery Journals to each student. Have students fill out the first page of the journal independently. The first page asks them how

they could use the lemons and other materials given to them to make a digital clock work. Each student or pair of students should get 2 lemons with 2 slits in each lemon, 3 wires, 2 paper clips, and 2 pennies, and a digital clock. They should draw a diagram of what configuration they think the materials have to be in to power the digital clock. They should also write a few sentences explanation of why they drew what they drew. Should mention that the students will need to use all the materials given to them in order to power the clock. 2. Explore: 1, 2, 3, 5 a. Instruct students to now use their materials to make the configuration they think will power the clock. Tell them to try different things until they find a configuration that works. They should record each configuration that they try whether it is successful or not on the second page of their journal. They can discuss with a partner or with the other students at their table what configurations they have tried and what they think they should try next. The correct configuration is one wire with a penny attached, one wire with a paper clip, and the third wire with a penny at one end and a paper clip on the other end. There should be two slits in each lemon and the third wire connects the two lemons, with the penny in one slit of the first lemon and the paper clip in the slit of the second lemon. Then the other wire with the penny goes in the second lemon and the other wire with the paper clip goes in the second lemon. So each lemon has a paper clip and a penny in the slits. The free ends of the two wires are connected to the terminals of

the digital clock. If students are stuck, give them a hint by reminding them about electrical circuits. 3. Explain: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 a. Come back together as a class and ask students what works and what didnt work. Have a class discussion about the findings of the students. Ask students why configurations didnt work. Ask students why the successful configurations were successful. 4. Elaborate: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 a. Ask students what they could change in the experiment to learn more about what is happening to make the clock work. Some ideas are using a different fruit instead of lemons, using lemon juice or half of a lemon, using a basic substance, using wires made of a different metal, using the lemons to power a light bulb or some other object that requires electricity to run. b. Next, in small groups, have students explore one of the extension ideas they just brainstormed. They can pick whichever one interests them to test. Provide students with new materials necessary to complete the second exploration and assist them if they get stuck. Have students record their findings on the third page of their journal. They should draw a diagram of what they tested along with writing a paragraph explaining it. 5. Evaluate: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 a. Ask students how the lemon powering the clock relates to the battery powering the light bulb exploration they did previously. Purpose is to try

to get them to understand that the lemon and metals were acting similarly to what happens inside of batteries. Have group discussion about how the lemon acted as a battery and how electrical current works.

Reflection/reaction: Initially this activity was very cut and dry recipe. The instruction just gave a how-to make a lemon battery. So I felt that it was a good activity to revamp because it had no inquiry built into it. It also is related to the battery light bulb lab that I could do first with my students. This activity gives a general concept of how batteries work which is a really interesting process. I used the 5E Model to create a lesson that was more inquiry inspired and then made sure the 5 Essential Features were present in my new revamped activity. The 5E Model as presented by our textbook, is especially helpful because it gives a good framework to model an activity or lesson on. I think that is it important to engage students right away and catch their attention. Also, giving students the opportunity to explore further in a direction that they are interested in is a good concept. Our textbook discusses explanations and evidence and the relationship between them. In this activity I had students explain their thinking all along the way and many times used the evidence they found to back it up. Its interesting how the same group of Essential Features seem to occur in the same segments of different inquiry science lessons. I dont think that this activity is too out of reach for students, and I would help them through it. The Bell article talks about how teachers have to scaffold inquiry so that students are capable of higher-level inquiry over time. I think that this lesson would be a stepping stone lesson to those higher-level inquiry lessons. It is not super straight forward so it is not too easy but it is not impossible either.