Newtonian Circus
http://lynnbradley0.wix.com/greatestshowonearth
Primary Subject
Integrated Subjects
Grade Level(s)
Length of Unit
Research Sources
Science: Forces and Motion
Science, Engineering, Performance Arts, and Math
6-8
4 weeks
MSP. (Producer). (2013, Sept. 7). Greatest Show on
Earth [Print Photo]. Retrieved from
http://lynnbradley0.wix/greatestshowonearth.
Odcast, Inc. (2013). Voki. Retrieved from voki.com.
PBS. (2013). Pbs circus. Retrieved from
http://www.pbs.org/opb/circus/.
Prezi. (2013). Prezi. Retrieved from http://prezi.com/
Unit Summary
Recently an announcement was made that the
Newtonian Circus was going to be adding new acts to
their successful circus show. As experts on forces
and motion, your team has been asked to design a
prototype act that using forces and motion for the
Newtonian Circus. The act must utilize balanced and
unbalanced forces with calculations that utilize
Newton’s Laws of Motion to complete this task.
The mayor of your hometown recently announced that an
exciting contest is being offered from the Newtonian Circus
Company. The planning committee sent a letter to our
classes throughout the county requesting teams of students
to participate in a new Circus Act design project. The
problem/challenge is to construct a working prototype of an
original circus act using what has been learned about
balanced/unbalanced forces and demonstrates the effects of
forces and motion. The finished model will simulate a real
act from the circus. Your final presentation will be presented
to the planning committee and the winning group will have
their design replicated for the circus. If your class chooses
to participate, a member of the planning committee will visit
your class to explain the problem in detail. As a kickoff for
the challenge, the guest speaker will present the class with
the entry letter personally written by Ringmaster Newton.
Key Vocabulary
NC Essential Standards
For Science
Motion, relative motion, reference direction, balance
force, unbalance force, force, pull speed, distance, time
Newton’s Laws, Acceleration, positive and negative,
velocity, acceleration, grams, mass, meters per second
(mph), friction, gravity, reference point, Laws of Motion,
dot diagram, variable, constant, inertia.
7.P.1 Understand motion, the effects of forces on
motion and the graphical representations of motion.
Clarifying Objective
7.P.1.1 Explain how the motion of an object can be
described by its position, direction of motion, and speed
with respect to some other object.
7.P.1.2 Explain the effects of balanced and unbalanced
forces acting on an object (including friction, gravity and
magnets).
7.P.1.3 Illustrate the motion of an object using a graph
to show a change in position over a period of time.
7.P.1.4 Interpret distance versus time graphs for
constant speed and variable motion.
7.P.1.1
• How can the motion of an object be described by its
position, direction of motion, and speed?
7.P.1.2
• What effect do balanced and unbalanced forces have
on an object?
7.P.1.3
• How can the motion of an object be graphed showing
the change of position over a period of time?
7.P.1.4
• How can data be organized to display variables of
motion.
Common Core Standards
For Mathematics
CCSS.Math.Content.7.SP.A.1
Understand that statistics can be used to gain
information about a population by examining
a sample of the population; generalizations
about a population from a sample are valid
only if the sample is representative of that
population. Understand that random
sampling tends to produce representative
samples and support valid inferences.
CCSS.Math.Content.7.SP.A.2
Use data from a random sample to draw
inferences about a population with an
unknown characteristic of interest. Generate
multiple samples (or simulated samples) of
the same size to gauge the variation in
estimates or predictions. For example,
estimate the mean word length in a book by
randomly sampling words from the book;
predict the winner of a school election based
on randomly sampled survey data. Gauge
how far off the estimate or prediction might
be.
CCSS.Math.Content.7.SP.B.3
Informally assess the degree of visual overlap
of two numerical data distributions with
similar variability, measuring the difference
between the centers by expressing it as a
multiple of a measure of variability.
Common Core Standards For
ELA & Literacy
Literacy Connections
R.7.4: Determine the meaning of
symbols, key terms, and other domainspecific words and phrases as they are
used in specific scientific context.
R.7.6L Analyze the author's purpose in
providing an explanation, describing a
procedure, or discussing an experiment
in a text.
R.7.7: Integrate quantitative or
technical information expressed in
words in a text with a version of that
information expressed visually (e.g., in a
flow chart, diagram, model, graph or
table).
R.7.8: Distinguish among facts, reasoned
judgment based on research findings,
and speculation in a text.
R.7.9: Compare and contrast the
information gained from experiments,
simulations, video, or multimedia
sources with that gained from reading a
text on the same topic.
Essential Questions
STUDENT GENERATED
7.P.1.1
• I can explain how motion of an object can be described by its position,
direction and speed.
• I will explain position in relation to reference points.
• I will describe how an object’s position changes based on variables of
motion
• I will calculate the speed of an object using the formula “Speed=
Distance/Time”
7.P.1.2
• I can analyze the effects of forces acting on objects.
• I will analyze the poles of a magnet and understand how they
generate balanced and unbalanced forces
• I will describe how objects at rest resist a change in their position or
direction of motion.
• I will describe how objects in motion resist a change in their position.
• I will use my knowledge of forces and inertia to analyze how an object
moves.
• I will define force including: friction, gravity, and magnetism)
• I will classify which forces are at work in a given situation such as:
balanced, unbalanced, action-reaction pairs.
• I will create examples of real life situations where forces are at work.
• I will describe how changes in velocity, acceleration, and speed affect
motion
7.P.1.3
• I can collect data and use the information to graph change in position
over time.
• I will observe an object over time to collect and organize data
• I will use my understanding of distance and time to infer an object’s
change in motion
• I will create a graph using the data collected to illustrate the motion
of an object
7.P.1.4
• I can interpret a time versus distance graph for constant speed and
variable motion.
• I will draw conclusions based on prepared graphs and collected data.
• I will analyze the prepared graphs and determine changes in motion.
Materials & Resources
Safety Requirements
Activities/Procedures
• Essential Question
• Explore/Engage
• Explain
• Elaborate (Inquiry)
• Evaluate
For the entire PBL (start to finish).
See appendices…
Accommodations for
Differentiated Instruction
Cross-Curricular Integration
Cooperative Learning - This project is designed for students
to be actively involved in cooperative learning groups of
students. These groups should be predetermined by the
teacher considering student’s strengths, weaknesses and
personalities. If cooperative grouping responsibilities have
not been addressed in the classroom earlier in the year, time
will be needed to address these issues. The Novel
Approach website provides several examples of activities,
checklist and group contracts for additional ideas. The
cooperative learning checklist and a self-evaluation will be
completed after the first group activity to prepare them for
designing a group contract for the final project. A
collaboration rubric will be used after the final presentation.
Technology - Students will be expected to have basic computer
skills and access to multimedia tools such as digital cameras and
computers. Arrangements need to be made to provide these tools.
Differentiated Instruction - Throughout the PBL, the
students are given the opportunity to make many choices
which allows for their interest and learning styles. Students
can get help from other group members or teacher if entire
group needs assistance.
Classroom Environment – The physical setting needs to be
flexible to accommodate collaborative work. Work stations
with supplies and materials need to be accessible to all groups.
Student work could be secured in files or boxes as storage from
one class period to the next.
Assessments
• Performance-based
• Formative
• Summative
TEACHER CENTERED
Samples have been provided for a traditional quiz, knowledge
scale, data collection lab sheet, group checklist and contract, selfevaluation form, collaboration rubric and final presentation rubric.
These samples may be modified by the teacher and/or the students
to meet the needs of the particular classroom. The teacher may
consider completion of lab questions and data collection to be done
individually rather than as a group. Exit cards are simple 3 x 5
note cards students completed the last few minutes of class to
provide the teacher with feedback on the level of each student’s
level of understanding. Debriefing in a fishbowl format is arranging
the students in a large circle with a smaller circle for the group
inside plus one extra chair. The group in the inner circle discusses
their project while the audience in the outer circle listens. If a
member of the audience wants to join the discussion, ask a
question or make a comment then they move to the empty chair.
Individually, students will complete science learning logs of notes from
research and results from experimentations, Knowledge Rating Scale,
Self-Evaluation Form, and exit cards. As a group the students will
complete the Circus Lab Questions, Data Collection lab sheets,
Cooperative Learning Group Contract and Cooperative Learning Checklist.
The final project will be assessed in a gallery walk where all students will
partake in and actively participate in presenting their act to be judged by
their peers and a the Newtonian Circus committee. The presentation rubric
will be completed by classroom teacher, media specialist/technology
teacher, guest engineer and planning committee representative from the
community. The collaboration rubric will be completed by each group
member. Group members will complete a cooperative learning checklist
after initial experimentation on forces and motion. Each student will fill out
a self-evaluation form after the first experience in a group and following the
final presentation. Next, the class will review the original KWL chart to
assess growth in content. Finally, the class will debrief in a fishbowl format
by reflecting on what worked best with the groups and projects,
misconceptions student may have had, what could be improved and how
the project could be expanded. In addition, each student will complete
aPBL Reflection to provide his/ her thoughts on the process of project
base learning and this particular project.
Created By
E-Mail
Lynn Bradleybradleyl@rss.k12.nc.us
Tina Holmanholmanel@rss.k12.nc.us
Rachael Sniff
sniffrm@rss.k12.nc
Supporting Documents
A Compressed Zip File has been provided…
Formulas for Unit:
Acceleration
Acceleration = Force/Mass; m/s2, or m/s/s
acceleration of gravity on earth 9.8 m/s2
Average acceleration
m/s2 or m/s/s
AA = final velocity - initial velocity/Time;
Average speed
Meters/second, etc.
AS = total distance/total time;
Balanced forces
there is no force at all
centripetal force
of the circle.
has the force pointing towards the center
Distance
Distance = speed x time; meters
centimeters, miles, etc.
Force
Force = mass x acceleration;
Newtons
Newton is a (Kg x m/s2)
Force and motion....
determine acceleration
Forces can change...
accelerating.
direction. Moving at a constant speed but
mass is a measure of .... Inertia. It is related to mass.
Newton's First Law
Relates force and motion. (Law of Inertia)
Newton's Second Law of Motion relates force, mass and
acceleration
Newton's Third Law of Motion For every ACTION there is an equal
but opposite REACTION.
Power Power = force x distance/time; Joules/second
*Remember, a J/s is a Watt (W)
Power Power = Work/Time; Joules/second
*Remeber, a J/s is a Watt(W)
Speed Speed = Distance/time; Meters/second, etc.