Primary Type: Lesson Plan
Status: Published
This is a resource from CPALMS (www.cpalms.org) where all educators go for bright ideas!
Resource ID#: 149183
Crash Test Dummies
Students will investigate inertia and Newton's laws of motion by completing an engineering challenge. Students will first investigate how mass affects
the inertia of a person riding in a car that comes to a sudden stop. After analyzing the data and discussing the results, students will be asked to
design a seat belt that will keep their clay person in the car without sustaining an "injury."
Subject(s): Mathematics, Science
Grade Level(s): 6
Intended Audience: Educators
Suggested Technology: Computer for Presenter, LCD
Projector
Instructional Time: 2 Hour(s) 30 Minute(s)
Keywords: inertia, Newton's Laws of Motion, force, motion, unbalanced force
Resource Collection: Lake/Sumter MSP Secondary Science
ATTACHMENTS
AnswerKeytoCrashTestDummies.docx
CrashTestDummiesLabPart1.docx
CrashTestDummiesLabPart2.docx
IndependentPracticeCrashTestDummies.docx
NewtonsLawsofMotion.pptx
LESSON CONTENT
Lesson Plan Template: General Lesson Plan
Learning Objectives: What should students know and be able to do as a result of this lesson?
Learning Goal: Students will investigate and describe how forces affect an object's motion.
Engineering Goal: Students will develop a seat belt that allows a clay person to survive an accident.
Prior Knowledge: What prior knowledge should students have for this lesson?
Students should have an understanding of what a force is and the types of forces. Students should be able to graph data and analyze the graph.
Guiding Questions: What are the guiding questions for this lesson?
What would our world be like without forces? (Possible answers - We would not be able to move without friction. Life would not exist because the oxygen would leave
the planet.)
How do Newton's laws of motion relate to our everyday lives? (Possible answers - When we walk, we push down on the floor to move forward, which is Newton's 3rd
law. In a car, when we hit the accelerator to start moving, we apply Newton's 1st law.)
Hypothesize how forces control the movement of an object. (Possible answers - Gravity keeps objects on the ground. An unbalanced force is necessary for motion to
occur.)
What is the relationship between mass and inertia? (Possible answer - As you increase the mass of the object, you increase the inertia of the object.)
page 1 of 3 How does mass impact the results of the crash? (Possible answer - The greater the mass, the greater the impact of the crash.)
How can you keep the clay person from being ejected from the car during a crash? (Possible answer - Have the person wear a seat belt.)
Teaching Phase: How will the teacher present the concept or skill to students?
The teacher will review Newton's 3 laws of motion using the attached PowerPoint presentation at the beginning of the period.
Guided Practice: What activities or exercises will the students complete with teacher guidance?
The teacher will remind students that we experience inertia every time we wear seat belts while travelling in a vehicle. The teacher will mention that we have strict
safety laws that concern young children using proper restraints while travelling in a vehicle, since the lighter mass of a young child will have a different effect than that
of an adult when examining the effects of force and motion.
The teacher will tell students that they will be exploring the way different masses react and designing restraints that will protect "people" of different masses.
Students will create clay people (large, medium, and small) and run tests on how mass affects the distance thrown from the car. After completing the inquiry,
students will graph the results. On day 2, students will design a seat belt to protect their clay people in the event of a crash.
Procedure for Part 1:
1. Create 3 clay people - small, medium, and large.
2. Find the mass of each clay person and record it in the data table.
3. Set up a ramp using a piece of cardboard and 2-3 textbooks.
4. Place a wooden block at the end of the ramp and tape it in place.
5. Place the meter stick flat on the table at the end of the ramp.
6. Place one of the clay people in the car.
7. Place the car at the top of the ramp and let it roll down into the wall.
8. Measure the distance the clay person travels from the car.
9. Complete 3 trials for each clay person.
10. Graph results, answer analysis questions, and draw conclusions.
Procedure for Part 2:
1. Look over the provided materials inside the container at your lab table.
2. Using your clay people from part 1 of the lab, design a seat belt for one of your clay people.
3. You will have 10 minutes to brainstorm with your group and draw out/list how you will build the seat belt.
4. You will have 10 minutes to build your team's design.
5. At the end of 10 minutes, everyone will stop building and will test the designs on the provided course.
6. Each group will bring their design to the testing area. They will be given a countdown to release the car. If the person stays in the car, the group will have one
minute to remove the clay person from the car and demonstrate that no external injury has taken place.
7. Discuss how each design worked. Focus on the positives.
8. Each group will then have 10 minutes for any redesign that needs to occur.
9. At the end of the 10 minutes, everyone will stop redesigning and return to the test area.
10. Each group will bring their design to the testing area. They will be given a countdown to release the car. If the person stays in the car, the group will have one
minute to remove the clay person from the car and demonstrate that no injury has taken place.
11. Have students rate their group with the design checklist.
12. Discuss with the class how the different designs worked. What was successful? What needed to be redesigned? Which design best met the goal?
13. Write one paragraph describing how successful your seat belt design was. Be sure to include what worked well, what needed more improvement, and whether your
clay person survived.
Independent Practice: What activities or exercises will students complete to reinforce the concepts and skills developed in the
lesson?
Students will create a flow map that walks one through the process of developing a seat belt. The frame of reference will include Newton's 3 laws of motion and an
example of when it applied to the seat belt process. Finally, they will write a one paragraph summary of the flow map and frame of reference. A handout with
directions and a grading rubric is attached.
Closure: How will the teacher assist students in organizing the knowledge gained in the lesson?
At the end of the lesson, the class will discuss the results of all the different tests including how inertia was demonstrated, the forces working on the car, and the good
points of each design.
Summative Assessment
The following questions will be used as both a pre-test and post-test. An answer key is attached.
1. Identify which of Newton's laws of motion go with the following examples:
a. A rocket blasting off.
b. A skateboard moving in the direction of the push.
c. The car stops but the person keeps moving forward.
2. Explain how a kayak moves through the water using Newton's laws of motion.
3. How would you prove that inertia exists?
4. Explain how Newton's laws of motion relate to soccer.
Formative Assessment
Learning Scale for Forces (SC.6.P.13.1, SC.6.P.13.3):
4 – All of 3 + Explain real world situations using academic vocabulary and Newton's laws of motion.
3 – All of 2 + Investigate and describe types of forces.
2 – All of 1 + Describe how forces affect the motion of an object.
1 – Identify types of forces.
page 2 of 3 Have students raise their hands and show which level they think they are at using 1-4 fingers. Then ask students to explain why they think they are at that level. As
you move up a level, you must be able do all the levels below plus the current level.
Feedback to Students
Walk around the room and ask students guiding questions to determine their level of understanding. By talking to students and asking questions, you will be able to
identify any misconceptions they might have. Use the time to assist and redirect students as needed and provide feedback.
ACCOMMODATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS
Accommodations:
Students with special needs can be given copies of the PowerPoint presentation to refer to throughout the activity. Frequent checks for understanding will take place.
Directions will be reviewed and explained on an as-needed basis.
Extensions:
Have students research safety measures that have been implemented at the Daytona Speedway or other raceways and create a poster that explains how they work in
terms of force and Newton's laws of motion.
Have students research information on seat belt injuries and write an essay on whether they are for or against requiring seat belts.
Suggested Technology: Computer for Presenter, LCD Projector
Special Materials Needed:
Rubber bands (different sizes)
string
paperclips
pipe cleaners
copper wire
tape
wooden blocks (or other material) for the wall
modeling class (for making the people)
plastic or metal cars (one for each group)
meter stick
cardboard ramp
Further Recommendations:
Note that this resource only deals with the part of SC.6.P.13.1 that deals with contact force and only part a and b of MAFS.6.SP.2.5
Have containers of materials that could potentially be used at each lab station. Mark off an area of the room that will only be used when it is time for the seat belt
tests.
SOURCE AND ACCESS INFORMATION
Contributed by: Kimberley Dailey
Name of Author/Source: Kimberley Dailey, Brian Cronin, Kimberly Bryant
District/Organization of Contributor(s): Lake, Lake, Lake
Access Privileges: Public
License: CPALMS License - no distribution - non commercial
Related Standards
Name
SC.6.P.13.3:
MAFS.6.SP.2.5:
Description
Investigate and describe that an unbalanced force acting on an object changes its speed, or direction of motion, or
both.
Summarize numerical data sets in relation to their context, such as by:
a. Reporting the number of observations.
b. Describing the nature of the attribute under investigation, including how it was measured and its units of
measurement.
c. Giving quantitative measures of center (median and/or mean) and variability (interquartile range and/or mean
absolute deviation), as well as describing any overall pattern and any striking deviations from the overall pattern
with reference to the context in which the data were gathered.
d. Relating the choice of measures of center and variability to the shape of the data distribution and the context in
which the data were gathered.
page 3 of 3