Energy Machines and Motion
Underlying Themes of the
Module
Different forms of energy;
how forces do work to change
energy from one form to
another; how machines reduce
the force needed to do work;
and how forces change the
motion of objects
Energy Machines and Motion
Module Implementation Course
Participant Objectives
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Obtain a working knowledge of the conceptual sequence and structure
of the EMM module.
Expand understanding of the concepts covered in the module.
Gain proficiency in working with the materials in the EMM kit.
Become familiar with the module's lessons.
Experience a wide range of inquiries using authentic student inquiries.
Build upon existing knowledge and expand knowledge off energy,
machines, and motion.
Develop strategies to successfully implement the module.
Module Implementation Course
Agenda/Schedule
Day 1
Session 1 – Introduction and Overview of the program
Introduction to the kit, materials, role of
science notebook, Pre-assessment
Session 2 – Lesson 1: Circuit of Inquiries
Session 3 – Energy: L2, 3* & 4
Session 4 – Forces: L5 & 6
Module Implementation Course
Agenda/Schedule
Day Two
Session 5 – Forces, Motors, and Work: L 7 & 8, 9*
Session 6 – Introduction to Machines: L 11
Session 7 – Machines Concluded: L12, 13, 14*, 15*
Session 8 – Introduction to Motion: 18
Module Implementation Course
Agenda/Schedule
Day Three
Session 9 – Motion continued: L 19
Session 10 – Motion concluded: L 20 & 21
Session 11 – Assessments in EMM: L 10, 16, 17
Using the Readers in EMM
Session 12 – Post Assessment, strategies for
implementing the module, concluding business,
Wrap-up and Evaluation
Part 1 Energy
Lesson 1
Circuit of Inquiries—A
Preassessment
Students complete a circuit
of eight inquiries that
introduce many of the
concepts that they study
during the module.
Lesson 2
Making a Battery
Concepts: Battery structure and function; supply of
energy by a chemical reaction; limited “battery life”
Students:
• Build a copper-zinc
electrode battery
• Observe and
describe how the
battery works
Lesson 3
Rechargeable Batteries
Concepts: Batteries can store energy; energy transformation;
different devices use energy at different rates
Students:
• Test and use a
rechargeable battery to
store energy
• Use the battery to
power devices and
determine the energy
changes involved.
Lesson 4
Storing and Using Energy in a Battery
Concept: Recharging time
Students:
• Investigate and graph
the relationship
between battery
charging time and
energy storage
Lesson 5
Introduction to Forces
Concepts: Forces as pushing or pulling; units of force (newtons);
the difference and relationship between mass and weight
Students:
• Share ideas about forces
• Use a spring scale to
measure elastic forces
(when stretching a rubber
band)
• Devise an inquiry to
investigate the relationship
between the weight and
mass of an object.
Lesson 6
The Force of Friction
Concepts: Friction force; the relationship between friction
and surface type
Students:
• Observe and measure sliding friction by
dragging a wooden block over a variety of
surfaces
• Measure the force of friction on loads with
different weights and surface areas (in contact
with a surface)
Lesson 7
The Force Exerted by a Motor
Concepts: Battery arrangement and electric motor
performance; forces exerted by electric motors
Students
• Design and conduct an
experiment to determine
the operating conditions
that facilitate maximum
force from a motor.
Lesson 8
Work and the Motor
Concepts: Work as force x distance; units of work--joules and
newton-meters
Students
• Use force and distance
measurements to
calculate work done
by a motor
Lesson 9
Power of a Motor
Concepts: Power as work/time; units of power—watts; power as a
measure of the rate at which energy transformations take place.
Students
• Determine the power
of a motor powered by
different numbers of
batteries
Lesson 10
Assessing What You Know
Assessment for Part 1 of
module consists of
• Performance assessment
in which students analyze
the energy transformations
that occur when a mass
attached to a motor by
string falls.
• Written test composed of
multiple choice and short
answer questions.
Need Grabber
photo for this
lesson
Part 2
Machines
Lesson 11
The Inclined Plane
Concepts: Measuring work when lifting; using machines to
reduce effort; effect of friction on work
Students:
• Measure forces on a cart
on an inclined plane
• Measure work on a cart on
an inclined plane
• Compare the work done
by lifting and raising the
same load on an inclined
plane
Lesson 12
The Pulley
Concept: A pulley as a machine
Students:
• Explore the use of
pulleys
• Calculate the work
done by different
pulley arrangements
Lesson 13
The Lever
Concepts: The lever as a machine; torque and balanced levers
Students:
• Construct a general rule
for balancing levers
• Measure the force (and
calculate the work) needed
to lift objects using levers
Lesson 14
The Mechanical Advantage of
Machines
Concepts: Mechanical advantage (load force: effort force); effect of
friction on mechanical advantage
Students:
• Calculate and compare the
mechanical advantage
(MA) of different
machines and compare the
calculated MA with the
actual MA.
Lesson 15
The Efficiency of Machines
Concepts: Efficiency (work output: work input)
Students:
• Calculate the
efficiency of inclined
plane and pulley
systems
Lesson 16
Machines Assessment—A
Technological Design Challenge
• Embedded performance
based assessment in which
students are challenged to
use a combination of a
motor and a machine to
lift a load. They are then
expected to evaluate their
design.
Part 3
Motion
Lesson 17
Introducing the Anchor Activity
Concepts: Brainstorming; technological solutions to everyday
needs; research & development utilizing multiple resources;
communication of ideas
Students:
• Research a machine and
create a presentation
describing its construction
and how it works.
• Include information on its
use of energy, the forces
involved, and motion that
occurs when the device
operates.
Lesson 18
Motion of a Fan Car
Concepts: Speed; unbalanced forces; and acceleration
Students:
• Use a battery powered
fan car to investigate
the effect of a constant
force on an object
Lesson 19
Motion of a Mousetrap Car
Concepts: Speed; unbalanced forces; acceleration;
conservation of energy in a closed system
Students
• Observe and measure
changes in the speed of a
mousetrap-powered car
• Compare the behavior of a
mousetrap car with that of
a
• fan-powered car
Lessons 20-21
The Roller Coaster and Motion
on a Roller Coaster
Concepts: Kinetic energy, potential energy (reviews a wide range of
earlier concepts)
Students:
• Build a model roller
coaster
• Predict, observe, and
describe the motion of a
model roller coaster car
• Measure the speed of a
model roller coaster car
Lesson 22
The Anchor Activity
• Final assessment for the
module. Students present
the research they began in
Lesson 17.