Alex Silva
University of Arizona College of Education/MASTER-IP 1
Does the Data Collected Match Your Observations?
Established Goals
What content standards and
program goals will the unit
address?
HS-PS2-1.
Analyze data to
support the claim that Newton’s
second law of motion describes
the mathematical relationship
among the net force on a
macroscopic object, its mass,
and its acceleration.
CCSS.Math.Content.HSA-CED.A.4
Rearrange formulas to highlight
a quantity of interest, using the
same reasoning as in solving
equations. For example,
rearrange Ohm’s law V = IR to
highlight resistance R.
Analyzing and Interpreting Data
Goal is for students to use lab
results to conclude that
increasing unbalanced force
and/or decreasing mass
increases acceleration of an
object. Students will analyze the
lab results graphically,
mathematically and visually
using graphing software and 3d
modeling software.
Stage 1 – Desired Results
Transfer
Patterns between physical variables measured in the lab can be
represented mathematically and visually.
Empirical evidence is required to differentiate between cause and
correlation and make claims about specific causes and effects (NGSS
Cause and Effect)
Understandings
Meaning
Essential Questions

Unbalanced force acting on
a system is necessary for an
object to accelerate.

Direction of unbalanced
force is same as direction of
acceleration.

Knowing what you know
about Newton’s 2nd law,
what do you think an
engineer has to consider
when designing an object
that has to accelerate at a
specific rate?
 How can the motion of a
Proportional/qualitative
falling object in a video
relationships between
game be designed to look
mass, acceleration, and
realistic?
force.
Acquisition
Students will know …
Students will be skilled at


How force, mass, and
acceleration relate to one
another.

Interpreting data to
determine relationships
between variables.

mathematical relationships
can be used to predict
scenarios

Using software programs
(LoggerPro and/or Excel)
to analyze data.

empirical evidence
supports claims of cause
and effect

Building models with
software programs
(Blender or Unity) based
on data to analyze data
visually.

Explaining how their
visualization supports
their claims.
2
DOES THE DATA COLLECTED MATCH YOUR OBSERVATIONS?
Stage 2 - Assessments
Performance Task (in GRASPS format)
Goal: Your task is to design, model, and animate a scene that realistically visualizes the data you collected
in the lab so that it is easier for people viewing the animation to interpret if the data has a causal
relationship and matches reality.
Role: You are an engineer that needs to present your data in a visual, easy to understand format.
Audience: Your clients are lab equipment designers and manufacturers.
Situation: The lab equipment designers and manufacturers are concerned that when their equipment is
used, data collected does not represent what actually happens. Specifically they are concerned that the
motion predicted using their data does not match the actual motion of the equipment. They want to
compare your visualization to a recorded video of their equipment in use.
Product/performance: You will create a visualization of the data you collected to show a wide range of
stakeholders the performance of their lab equipment and describe the specific causal or correlational
relationship between measured variables. You will be assessed using the accompanying rubric based on
your presentation and the visualization your group produces. A component of the assessment will also
be based on your individual contributions to the project.
Standards: HS-PS2-1. Analyze data to support the claim that Newton’s second law of motion describes the
mathematical relationship among the net force on a macroscopic object, its mass, and its acceleration.
CCSS.Math.Content.HSA-CED.A.4 Rearrange formulas to highlight a quantity of interest, using the same
reasoning as in solving equations.
Other Evidence:
Informal assessments will be used during class discussions after data is initially collected in the lab.
Responses to bell work prompts that review learning from previous lesson.
Worksheet answers with supporting work demonstrating the thought process for students to reach
answers to questions.
Responses to practicing with the model prompts that demonstrate understanding of how the model
developed based on the relationships between the variables can be used.
Quiz evaluating understanding of relationships between unbalanced force, mass, and acceleration.
Performance based assessment with students collecting acceleration and force acting on system and
predicting mass of system based on data collection and analysis.
Student Self-Assessment and Reflection
Reflect about daily learning for closure activity within notes
Student review/self-evaluation at end of project
Alex Silva
University of Arizona College of Education/MASTER-IP 3
Does the Data Collected Match Your Observations?
Stage 3 – Learning Plan
W: Give students the performance task and the rubric for the end of unit
project. They are headed towards a deeper understanding of the
relationships between mass, unbalanced force, and acceleration of a
system. They will have just finished units about kinematics so they should
already have a good understanding of acceleration, so in this unit they are
investigating what causes the acceleration and how exactly acceleration
depends on the other two variables.
Pre-Assessments
What pre-assessments will you use to
check student’s prior knowledge,
skill levels, and potential
misconceptions?
Concept inventory of force
interactions will show
potential misconceptions
and student prior
knowledge before this unit.
H: Show two virtual animations. One of a realistic simulation and one that This will determine
does not look realistic. Then prompt students with the questions: how can students’ learning
3d models be generated to represent physical observations in the lab and experiences to confront
possible misconceptions.
how can 3d models be useful tools to analyze collected data?
Students’ skill levels will be
informally assessed as they
E: Carefully designed lab apparatuses will be used by students to
complete tasks in previous
experience data collection with uniformly accelerating systems (cart
units.
rolling down ramp, cart being pulled by constant tension force, ball
freefalling). Results and naïve conceptions will be discussed after
students experience data collection to equip them with the
understandings they need to be successful in this unit.
R: Practice applying relationships to new scenarios and rethink or revise
model as needed (this will be a longer step in the sequence with varied
methods of introducing scenarios to students i.e. worksheet questions, lab
scenarios, practicing with the model prompts)
E: Students will present and discuss their lab results and the meaning that
can be derived from the patterns with the data. In their note-taking they
will also reflect/self-evaluate themselves as a closure activity with a
prompt asking students to reflect on what they have learned (what they
thought before, what they think now, and why it’s the same or changed)
T: Practice scenarios will be given through varied methods. While this
doesn’t tailor each activity to each student it does tailor the unit so that at
least one activity aligns well with each student. The project is also done
collaboratively in groups and each student will be able to contribute
ideas/work to accomplish the project objectives.
O: Students will first experience the phenomena in the lab, making
observations and collecting data in order to determine what the
acceleration of a system depends on. Students will analyze the data in
groups, present their findings to the class, and the class will discuss the
results. After students have collected and discussed data I will model
possible applications of the results to new scenarios. I will demonstrate
how to problem solve using the relationships derived from the lab, then
Progress Monitoring
• How will you monitor students’
progress toward acquisition, meaning,
and transfer, during lesson events?
During lessons I will
monitor students’ progress
with tasks and address
student questions or
concerns as they happen. I
will be looking for students
working collaboratively to
advance through solving a
problem and listening for
evidence of acquisition,
meaning, and transfer from
the lab experience to new
situations.
• What are potential rough spots and
student misunderstandings?
Bigger mass bigger
acceleration
Mass always causes
unbalanced force
4
DOES THE DATA COLLECTED MATCH YOUR OBSERVATIONS?
students will work in groups problem solving, then they will take a small
quiz individually. After the quiz, students will work collaboratively
towards more complex problem solving and ultimately their 3D project.
• How will students get the feedback
they need
Students will get immediate
feedback from me and their
peers during small group
discussions
Students will get written
feedback on their
assessments in a timely
fashion.
Alex Silva
University of Arizona College of Education/MASTER-IP 5
Does the Data Collected Match Your Observations?
APPENDICES
The project for this unit is based directly on my summer internship at Raytheon. In the immersive design
center, engineers work collaboratively to make high visual fidelity virtual reality environments that
demonstrate fitment and/or performance of a product. They can visualize computational simulations to make
data easier to understand and as a result, make the data more meaningful. Students will be visualizing data in a
nearly identical way, so that they can better understand what the data is showing them. This will hopefully give
students a deeper understanding of the relationships between the variables that they measure when collecting
and visualizing data.
The activities are also structured so that students will be working collaboratively to accomplish their
assigned tasks. At Raytheon, projects are nearly never done individually but instead are always done in groups.
Group work at Raytheon does not mean that one engineer does most of the work, while the other engineers
struggle to find out how they can help. It means that each engineer has a specific set of skills and expertise that
they bring to the project and the project wouldn’t be possible with out each person’s input. Similarly in my
group activities I will be aware of groupings and try to situate groups so that there are students with strengths
in 3D modeling, animation, or algebra. Each student will make significant, measureable contributions to make
their final group product.
2) Computers with Blender installed will be necessary for the project and LoggerPro software and Vernier
LabPro equipment will be necessary for the lab data collection and analysis.
Labs that students will gather data from:
Modified Attwood’s lab measurable acceleration, force, and or mass
Cart rolling down ramp measurable mass and acceleration, solvable unbalanced force
Fan cart measurable mass and acceleration, solvable unbalanced force
6
DOES THE DATA COLLECTED MATCH YOUR OBSERVATIONS?
Animating an object constantly accelerating
Objectives for this activity:
1. Make a model of an object that undergoes constant acceleration.
2. Animate the model using keyframes from the game engine. (or animate using keyframes like in previous
activities using data you collected in the lab)
3. Render the animation in stereoscopic 3d.
4. Present the animation to the rest of the class, explaining the physics that caused the motion.
Instructions for using the game engine after you build your model.
 Select Blender Game from the dropdown menu

Select the object that you want to animate and open the
Physics tab

Change Physics type to Rigid Body

Check Collision Bounds and change the bounds with the
dropdown menu to match the shape of your object
(triangle mesh if the object is an odd shape)

Adjust the attributes to make the motion match your
video of the lab equipment accelerating.

Save the game physics to keyframes that can be rendered
going to Game on the top toolbar and selecting Record
Animation. Then open the render tab and press Start
under the Embedded Player

Render the animation by switching back from Blender
Game to Blender Render and following the procedure
from the previous Blender activities to render the
animation in stereoscopic 3d.
by
Alex Silva
University of Arizona College of Education/MASTER-IP 7
Does the Data Collected Match Your Observations?
Rubric
Visualization
Model
Animation
Presentation
Explanation of lab
0
Single basic
geometric
shape
No animation
Little to no
explanation
of data
collection
1
Multiple
basic shapes
represent
most of lab
equipment
Animation
does not
match video
Explanation
attempted
but unclear
2
Multiple basic
shapes
represent all
of lab
equipment
Animation
resembles
video but
acceleration
is either far
too great or
far too little
Some of lab
apparatus,
procedure,
and/or sources
of error
explained clearly
3
Models
clearly
represent
most lab
equipment
Animation
closely
resembles
video but
doesn’t
match frame
by frame
Most of lab
apparatus,
procedure,
and/or sources
of error
explained clearly
4
Models
clearly
represent all
lab
equipment
Animation
appears
identical to
the video
Lab
equipment,
data
collection
methods, and
possible
reasons for
differences
between
animation
and video are
clearly
explained
Causal
Little to no
Some causal
Most causal
All causal
All influences
relationships
explanation
relationships relationships are relationships are of variables
of causal
are defined
defined but not
defined but not
on one
relationships but not
clearly explained clearly explained another are
between
clearly
or some causal
or most causal
clearly
variables
explained
relationships are relationships are explained
clearly explained clearly explained
Mathematical
Little to no
Mathematical Some
Most
Proportional
relationships
explanations relationships mathematical
mathematical
and
of
do not
relationships
relationships
mathematical
mathematical represent
and
and
relationships
relationships group’s data proportionalities proportionalities between
between
but are
match data but
match data but
variables are
variables
attempted
most do not
some do not
clearly
explained
Out of 20 points possible