FOSS at Home
FOSS® at Home
Variables
The FOSS (Full Option Science System™) program offers a number
of ways to get parents involved in their child’s science education.
Included here are short descriptions of several ways to bridge from
classroom to home.
®
Letter to Parents. The letter to parents can be sent home at the start
of a new science module. The letter describes what children will
be learning and ways that parents can enrich the science-learning
experience.
FOSS Science Stories. FOSS Science Stories is a series of original books
developed to accompany and enrich the FOSS modules. The books
include a variety of articles written in a number of styles, including
narrative tales, expository articles, technical readings, and historical
accounts.
Here are some suggestions for using FOSS Science Stories at home.
Name
Date
LETTER TO PARENTS
Cut here and paste onto school letterhead before making copies.
Science News
Dear Parents,
Our class is beginning a new science unit, the FOSS Variables Module. We will be learning
how scientists use critical thinking, careful observation, and measurement to conduct experiments.
The big ideas in this module are system and variable. Any collection of objects that are working
together we identify as a system. The systems your child will be using in this module are
pendulums, boats, windup airplanes, and little catapult systems called flippers. In each system the
interacting parts influence how the whole system behaves or performs. If the parts of the system
can change, those parts are called variables. An understanding of the idea of a variable and the
ability to identify and control variables are the cornerstone of scientific experimentation.
Here’s an example. The pendulum students use is made from a piece of string, a paper clip, a
penny, a bit of tape, and a pencil. When hung from the pencil and put into motion, the penny, held
by the string and paper clip, swings back and forth. The number of swings can be counted, and
that number is the outcome of our experiment. The length of the string can vary, as can the mass
of the system, the point from which the penny is released, and the length of time the swings are
counted. Which variables influence the number of swings? And how does the answer to that
question help us get a slow grandfather clock, to run on time? That's one of the challenges we will
be tackling in this Variables Module.
Your child may bring home one or more homework sheets called Home/School Connections.
On them you will find suggestions for activities you can do at home with the whole family. This
will give you a glimpse into the kinds of investigations we will be undertaking in our classroom.
If you have any questions or comments, call or come in and visit our class.
Comments
FOSS Variables Module
© The Regents of the University of California
Can be duplicated for classroom or workshop use.
Investigation 1: Swingers
No. 1—Teacher Sheet
No. 1—Teacher Sheet
• Expository and Historical/Biographical Readings. The
expository and historical/biographical readings provide
excellent opportunities for students and parents to discuss
the science content students are learning in the module.
Specific articles include What Scientists Do, Swinging Through
History, and Great Names in Aviation History.
• Technical Readings. The technical readings provide good
opportunities for students to do a science activity at home
with their families or follow instructions for a science
project. For example, students could do the activities
outlined in Build Your Own Paper Airplane as homework or
for their end-of-module project.
• “Questions to Explore.” Students can read the article in
class and then answer the “Questions to Explore” at home
in their science notebooks. You might consider this strategy
after students read What Scientists Do or Airplane Basics.
• After the Story. See the Science Stories folio in the Teacher
Guide for suggestions on how to extend the stories at home.
For example, after students read Sink or Swim?, you might
have students and their families conduct the paper-cup boat
experiment explained in the article.
variables
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variables
Name
HOme/SCHOOl CONNeCtiON
Date
investiGation 1: sWinGers
There was a time when pendulums played an important role in everyday life as time
regulators. The predictable swinging of the pendulum, when linked to the hands of a
clock, kept the world on time. Now pendulum clocks are historical curiosities for the most
part. Some clock fanciers still have a cuckoo clock, school clock, or grandfather clock as an
interesting reminder of a time past.
MAKE A PENDULUM SECOND TIMER
You can make a second timer at home with a mass, like a fishing weight or a big washer,
and some string or thread. Strive to get it as accurate as possible. Fine tune it until you can
call 15 seconds at the same time another family member sees the second hand on a clock hit
15 seconds.
MAKE A MINUTE TIMER
This might be a little more demanding, as pendulums tend to lose energy (because of
friction at the pivot and air resistance) as they swing. What variables can you increase to
improve your chances of making the pendulum swing a minute?
RIDE THE PENDULUM
What’s a playground swing but a big pendulum you can ride? Can you guess how many
cycles (complete swings back and forth) a swing will make in 30 seconds? Will longer
swings complete more or fewer cycles in 30 seconds? Take a ride and find out.
FOSS Variables Module
© The Regents of the University of California
Can be duplicated for classroom or workshop use.
Home/School Connection
No. 28—Student Sheet
No. 28—Student Sheet
Name
Date
MATH EXTENSION—PROBLEM OF THE WEEK
INVESTIGATION 1: SWINGERS
Eight teams of students were experimenting with pendulums to find out how they work.
Each team made a swinger of a different length. Their teacher asked them to find out how
many times their pendulum would swing. What the teacher forgot to tell the students was
how long to count the swings. Below is the data collected by the eight teams. From this
information, can you put the pendulums in order from shortest to longest?
Team
number
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Number of
swings
Length
of time
9
11
9
36
10
10
8
10
20 s
12 s
15 s
30 s
10 s
15 s
20 s
12 s
Put the pendulums in
order from shortest to
longest by team number.
Shortest
Home/School Connections. Home/School Connections are
activities developed specifically for the whole family to enjoy at
home. For example, in Investigation 1 (student sheet number 28),
students make second and minute timers with materials they find
at home. They work on ways to make their timers accurate. They
take a look at a swing as a pendulum.
Interdisciplinary Extensions. Each investigation has suggestions
for art, language, math, social studies, and science extensions.
These are good family activities. For example, after Investigation
4 students can design an experiment to find out how a variable
affects the quality of a product. Let students choose their own
experiment or respond to one of the examples outlined in the
Teacher Guide. They might also do the Math Problem of the Week
at home.
FOSSweb (www.fossweb.com). FOSSweb is an interactive
website where families can find instructional activities and
interactive simulations specifically designed for each FOSS
module.
Longest
FOSS Variables Module
© The Regents of the University of California
Can be duplicated for classroom or workshop use.
Student Sheets. Throughout the module, students complete
various recording and response sheets. Students should bring the
sheets and/or their science notebooks home for families to review
and discuss. For example, student sheet number 5, Swingers
Picture Graph, is a good opportunity for students to explain and
review with parents the concept of controlled experiments and
the variables they tested (mass, length, and release position) to
determine how quickly a pendulum swings.
Problem of the Week
No. 24—Student Sheet
No. 24—Student Sheet
NOTE: All student sheets, including
the Letter to Parents, Home/School
Connection, and Math Problem of
the Week, are available in FOSS
Teacher Guides and online at
www.fossweb.com. They are also
available in Spanish. See For
Parents and Teachers: Home/
School Connection on page 4 of this
folio.
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NOTE: Pages 3 and 4 of this folio can be photocopied and sent
home for parents to read. Those pages provide information on the
resources for students and their families on FOSSweb.
full option science system
FOSS at Home
FOSSWEB (WWW.FOSSWEB.COM)
The FOSS program maintains a resource-rich website for students and
their families and friends. To explore the resources available for the
Variables Module, first enter www.fossweb.com in your browser. The FOSS website requires plug-ins for your browser. We recommend
that you click the “Test Your Browser” link at the bottom of the home
page before you begin to ensure your computer has the minimum
requirements.
Click the grades 3–6 icon to get a menu that links to each of the 3–6
modules. There you can choose Variables and travel to a wealth of
information and activities specific to this module.
ACTIVITIES
In the Variables Module, you’ll find an activity called Blasto! the
Subhuman Cannonball. Introduce the activity after students have
completed Investigation 1, Swingers. Children explore variables by
launching a human cannonball. You might ask,
•
What is a variable?
•
Why is it important to control variables when you are conducting
an investigation?
•
What were the variables that affected the outcome of the Swingers
[or other] investigation?
Review the variables on the introduction page: Blasto’s weight,
charge size, cannon angle, wind direction, and wind speed. Click
anywhere on the page to move to the activity. Discuss how the
variables might affect the outcome of the launch. Show children the
? button at the top left of the page. They can go here for suggestions
on how to conduct a launch. Point out the Experiment and Test
Me buttons also at the top left. They should use Experiment when
they are trying out variables that they choose. Test Me sets up an
experiment and asks children to figure out where Blasto will land. Suggest they keep a record of the settings they use to conduct a
successful launch.
variables
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variables
MOVIES
The Movies section includes a sound experiment conducted by
NASA.
PICTURES
In the Pictures section, you can view images of different devices and
projects that involve controlling variables, for example, setting up a
catapult. Students may want to do further research on these devices
as part of their end-of-module project.
WEBSITES
The Websites section includes links to sites that can extend and enrich
children’s experiences with the Variables Module.
VOCABULARY
In the Vocabulary section, you will find the glossary words and
definitions used in the Variables Module. They are provided in
English and Spanish.
BOOKS/SOFTWARE
This section includes an annotated list of books, videos, and software
recommended for the Variables Module. You should be able to find
many of these titles at your local library.
FOR PARENTS AND TEACHERS: HOME/SCHOOL
CONNECTION
The For Parents and Teachers section includes the Home/School
Connection that describes ways for families to do science together.
For example, in Investigation 2, family members can investigate
different boat designs using a sink, a cork, a sheet of aluminum foil,
and some paper clips in order to determine which holds the greatest
number of passengers. Family members can discuss the importance
of keeping all other variables the same when testing the effectiveness
of the boat designs. Look in this section for other resources
included in a downloadable PDF file, including a general letter
introducing the module, student projects, and math problems
that relate to the science investigations.
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Copyright The Regents of the University of California
full option science system
1014231