Arami Rosales

Apprentice Teaching
Spring 2019

Showcase Lesson
● Identify and differentiate between the work of an engineer and the work of a scientist
● Analyze the performance of a design during testing and judge the solution as viable or nonviable with respect to meeting
the design requirements
TOPIC/Objectives ● Persevere to solve a problem or achieve a goal
● Identify the shapes of two-dimensional cross-sections of three-dimensional objects
● Demonstrate positive team behavior and contribute to a positive team dynamic

What makes this lesson a “Showcase Lesson”

This lesson integrates physics, engineering, and communication skills to understand how different variables need to be taken into
account and planned for before starting an engineering problem. It gives students the chance to understand how decisions they
make at the beginning of their design process can impact their final product.

P How did you get the students excited about the lesson?
Students were eager to get started on hands on activities. I excited them about this lesson by showing them how understanding
different designs of individual components can alter the way an entire system works. I also encouraged them to take this
opportunity to gain inspiration for their own designs and see if they could understand the different construction methods I used.

How were students actively engaged? How was technology used to enhance the lesson?
Students visited 5 stations to explore the impact different variables in construction could have on a marble’s path on a paper roller
coaster. The stations included:
● Angle of a ramp at launch
● Length of launch track
● Steepness of funnel walls

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● Performing jumps across gaps in ramps
● A PHET simulation on the elements required to successfully perform a loop

These stations were hands on and encouraged participation. Each student participated in setting up and running the experiment.
The PHET simulation allowed students to explore ideal conditions necessary to perform loops and helped them understand the
impact different ramps would have on the success rate of performing a full loop.
Arami Rosales
Apprentice Teaching
Spring 2019

How were individuals held accountable?

At each of these stations, each student students experimented with how each variable affected the marbles path. Their
observations were written down on an observation sheet. I walked around and talked to them about things they observed and had a
sample observations sheet present to help them verbalize the things they observed.

How did you differentiate instruction? Elements of inquiry?

For students with a more comprehensive physics background, I asked them to perform speed calculations using Excel. This
allowed them to explore the stations to a greater extent and explain to their peers how different ramp styles impacted the speed of
the marble (longer ramps allow the marble to pick up more speed). Students who did not have a physics background were asked
hypothetical questions about different scenarios -- many took the opportunity to put together different experiments they could use
to answer these questions.

A How did you communicate connectedness to prior and future learning topics? Elements of Making?
The class participated in a discussion at the end of the stations to explore how these stations could impact their roller coaster
designs. Many students said that they wanted to create a roller coaster that dropped the marble fastest and explained what features
a fast roller coaster would have. The students with a physics background were able to make connections to prior learning by
calculating the speed of the marble, while those that didn’t at least made connections to the scientific method they used in their lab
based classes. During the construction phase, students created their components to fit their desired roller coaster type.

How were students formatively assessed?

While students were exploring stations and running their experiments, I walked around and talked to them about different
observations they were making. This allowed me to gauge their understanding of how each variable impacted the marble and
allowed me to ask more probing questions to encourage them to make deeper connections.

The students also submitted an observation sheet with data they collected throughout the station. This gave me more information
about their understanding as they had to summarize their findings for each variable they explored.

How did you summarize the learning goals?

I began the class by asking them how scientists and engineers were different and if engineers needed science in order to be

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successful. One of our learning goals was to differentiate between the too. At the end of the stations, we had this discussion again
and many students came to the conclusion that research and experimentation are vital to engineering. We discussed how these
stations can inform our roller coaster designs and how more research on building techniques can be used to ensure we are
successful engineers.