Student teams use sensors—motion detectors and accelerometers—to collect walking gait data from group members. They import their collected position and acceleration data into Excel® for graphing and analysis to discover the relationships between position, velocity and acceleration in the walking gaits. Then they apply their understanding of slopes of secant lines and Riemann sums to generate and graph additional data. These activities provide practice in the data collection and analysis of systems, similar to the work of real-world engineers.
Engineers analyze systems that they want to maintain or change. For instance, an environmental engineer might wonder why a natural system is becoming unstable. A software engineer might analyze how a particular software application behaves when it is given unorthodox input. A mechanical engineer might analyze why a system has an unexpected energy loss. Through the engineering design process, engineers collect data about systems and analyze that data. This activity provides a hands-on laboratory experience in which students collect data and then analyze it to determine relationships between the data variables.
A working knowledge of the terms position, velocity and acceleration, and a fluency in Microsoft Excel® in order to perform the necessary data analysis.
After students have complete the associated activity to collect and graph acceleration data from walking human subjects, they learn more about gait analysis---the study of human motion, which is used as biometric data for human medical diagnostics and (non-human) comparative biomechanics.
(+) Solve problems involving velocity and other quantities that can be represented by vectors. (Grades 9 - 12) Details... View more aligned curriculum... Do you agree with this alignment?
Use multiple processes and diverse perspectives to explore alternative solutions. (Grades K - 12) Details... View more aligned curriculum... Do you agree with this alignment?
Operate Systems - Understand technology systems and use hardware and networks to support learning. (Grades K - 12) Details... View more aligned curriculum... Do you agree with this alignment?
computer with Microsoft Excel® (or similar) application; alternatively, have students create programs using Python, Java or other programming languages that perform calculations and create graphs
For motion detectors, the author used Vernier products, but other motion detectors, along with the necessary accompanying graphing calculators or other similar devices, would work as well. Possible motion detectors options include:
For accelerometers: The LabQuest 2 has an internal accelerometer. Possible other accelerometers include:
internal accelerometer of a smartphone (or tablet or other device), combined with a downloaded app to access data; many free or low-cost accelerometer apps are available through Google Play for Android devices; for example, the "Physics Toolbox Accelerometer" by Vieyra Software was successfully tested and data was collected and transferred to a computer
Today's activity is composed of two parts. Collectively, they provide you with data collection and analysis practice—similar to the work of real-world engineers.
In the first part, working in groups, you will use motion detectors and accelerometers to collect data related to your gait, which is how you walk. Engineers often collect data about systems to be able to create models. It is an important skill to learn about what data you need to collect and how to collect that data in order to describe a system.
In the second part of the activity, you will analyze the collected data to determine the relationships between position, velocity and acceleration of your gait. Engineers are constantly analyzing data to see if modifications to processes and systems are having the desired effect. This analysis might occur at several stages of the engineering design process, such as an initial analysis of the problem or in the later testing and/or improvement steps.
secant line: A line that locally intersects two points on the curve. Secant lines can be used to approximate the tangent to a curve by moving the points of intersection of the secant line closer to the point of tangency.
Determining how a system works is essential for engineers. This activity provides hands-on practice in data collection and analysis of that data. In this laboratory experience, students apply mathematics and physics to data that they have collected. They explore the relationships between an object's position over time, its velocity and its acceleration. The collection and analysis of data can be important at many stages of the engineering design process.
Part 1 of the procedure can be completed using a Vernier motion detector (or Go!Motion) and LabQuest 2, which has an internal accelerometer, or other alternatives mentioned in the Materials List, such as a sensor/interface/software system that records measurements and creates graphs from the internal accelerometers in smartphones. With a motion detector connected and the internal accelerometer enabled, the LabQuest 2 collects data and generates graphs of position vs. time and acceleration vs. time of students' gaits. Students can either use the graphs displayed by the LabQuest 2 for their analyses or transfer the data to Microsoft Excel® (or similar program) to create the graphs. Part 2 of the procedure can be completed using Excel®, or the alternatives suggested in the Materials List.
Below is an explanation of the data and graphs students generate, provided for the teacher in the attached example student data results files: "Gaitway" to Acceleration Activity x-t and v-t Graphs and "Gaitway" to Acceleration Activity a-t and v-t Graphs.
The position vs. time graph shows a slow initial velocity followed by an increase in speed, then a somewhat constant velocity, and finally a decrease in speed to a slow final velocity. Calculating velocities using slopes results in a velocity vs. time graph with features that match this description of motion.
The acceleration vs. time graph is much more erratic on a step-by-step basis, and it is not possible to describe the motion without using integration to calculate velocities and produce the corresponding velocity vs. time graph, which generally matches the shape of the other velocity vs. time graph.
After asking students the warm-up questions (provided in the Assessment section) and presenting the Introduction/Motivation content, divide the class into groups of three or four students each.
Tell students that they will be using motion detectors and accelerometers to collect data relating to position vs. time and accelerometers vs. time of their walking gaits.
To begin, have one student in each group serve as a human subject for data collection, correctly positioning the data collection hardware on his/her body. (See Figures 1 and 2). To do this, students first use a belt or strap to attach a motion detector to the front of a group member and an accelerometer to his or her front or back. Position the motion detector so it is directed horizontally toward a wall that is perpendicular to the direction the student will be walking, and orient the accelerometer with its axis horizontal and parallel to the direction the student will be walking.
Have students collect position vs. time and acceleration vs. time data from the two sensors simultaneously while their group members walk forward toward a wall. Collect the data with a sample rate of at least 20 Hz, and have the sensors interpret the direction from the human subject toward the wall as the positive direction.
Have student groups write descriptions of the motion of the human subject group member who walked with the motion detector and accelerometer. (Note: Depending on time constraints, either have all students in the groups perform the walk to collect data or only selected members.)
After data has been collected, direct students to produce position vs. time graphs for the motion detector data, and acceleration vs. time graphs for the accelerometer data. The easiest way to create the graphs is by using some graphing utility, such as via a computer or graphing calculator.
Direct the students to examine their graphs to identify features that correspond to the characteristics of the walkers' motions.
Tell students that they will analyze their data and use position data to generate velocity and acceleration data, and use acceleration data to generate velocity and position data.
To begin, direct students to import their position vs. time data to Excel® and create a graph. Then have them use the slopes of secant lines for small time intervals on the position vs. time graph to calculate approximate values of the instantaneous velocity for each time value and construct a graph of velocity vs. time.
Next, students use the slopes of secant lines for small time intervals on the velocity vs. time graph to calculate approximate values of the instantaneous acceleration for each time value and construct a graph of acceleration vs. time. At this point, have groups write descriptions of the motion represented by the graphs.
Next, students import their acceleration vs. time data and construct a graph of acceleration vs. time. Using Riemann sums for small time intervals on the acceleration vs. time graph, students calculate approximate values of the instantaneous velocity for each time value (initial velocity must be given or assumed), and construct a graph of velocity vs. time.
Next, students use Riemann sums for small time intervals on the velocity vs. time graph to calculate approximate values of the instantaneous position for each time value, (initial position must be given or assumed) and construct a graph of position vs. time.
To conclude, have each group compare the two sets of graphs, discuss similarities and differences, and present their results and conclusions to the class.
Pre-Activity Assessment: Ask students the following warm-up questions to gauge their prior knowledge:
What is acceleration? (Answer: Acceleration is the rate of change in [derivative of] velocity with respect to time.)
As an object moves, how does its velocity change? (Answer: The velocity of an object changes based on how the object's motion changes. If the object's motion changes direction or slows down or speeds up, its velocity changes. If the object's motion remains at a constant speed in the same direction, its velocity is unchanged.)
As an object moves, how does its acceleration change? (Answer: The acceleration of an object changes based on how the object's motion and velocity changes. If the object's motion changes direction or its velocity increases or decreases, the object's acceleration changes. If the object's velocity remains constant, its acceleration is unchanged.)
Can you describe the relationships between position, velocity and acceleration graphically using slopes and areas?
Can you describe the relationships between position, velocity and acceleration mathematically as rates of change?
Can you apply secant slopes and Riemann sums to obtain approximate instantaneous values for position, velocity, and acceleration?
Summative Assessment: Assign students to individually complete the "Gaitway" to Acceleration Summative Assessment. Review their answers to gauge their depth of comprehension.
This bundle includes the 3 unique tic-tac-toe art history response sheets sold separately in my store. Use these for a class response, small group response, or individual response. These tic-tac-toe sheets can be reused with different works of art - even in a critique of student artwork.
We know that technology is not only a powerful educational tool, but increasingly expected in 21st century classrooms. Digital Doohickeys: Expanded Form Numbers is a low prep product that allows students to practice reading and identifying expanded form numbers on the technology of your choice.
This product contains 20 task cards. They simply look at the number on the task card and select the expanded form from 3 choices. If they choose correctly, they get a screen that reads “You Did It!” and move on to the next card. If they choose incorrectly, they get a screen that says “Try Again” and are given another opportunity to choose the correct word.
This product is great as it allows students to work at their own pace and offers immediate feedback depending on the answer selected.
Great for independent work during math centers, whole group on the interactive white board, or early finishers!
Spelling lists are a fun way to hold students accountable for learning sight words and common CVC words. If you are looking to integrate spelling into your day then this is the product for you.
Each list includes 2 Red Words (Stop and Think or sight words) and 3 Green Words (Go Ahead and Sound It Out.) The words scaffold so they become familiar with short vowels... starting with short a for several weeks and then moving to short o, i, e, u. (Please note the file was too large to do one document, so lists 1-10 include the first half of the vowels and lists 11-20 will include the other set.)
Words include: I, my, am, at, sat, a, is, cat, man, dad, like, the, pat, can, mad, we, go, had, tap, gas, are, here, got, box, hot, to, he, not, mop, fox, see, she, hop, top, bag, for, me, pot, bat, job, have, do, in, it, is, look, and, big, zip, pin
This Unit is part of a larger bundle on developing growth mindset by teaching kindness and sharing. The feature text Pig the Pug is used to focus on message and character traits. Many other strategies are included as well such as cause and effect, retelling, sequencing, writing, text connections an
This Unit is part of a larger bundle on developing growth mindset by teaching kindness and sharing. The feature text Those Shoes is used to focus on message and character traits. Many other strategies are included as well such as cause and effect, retelling, sequencing, writing, text connections an
This Unit is part of a larger bundle on developing growth mindset by teaching kindness and sharing. The feature text Strictly No Elephants is used to focus on message and character traits. Many other strategies are included as well such as cause and effect, retelling, sequencing, writing, text conn
This Unit is part of a larger bundle on developing growth mindset by teaching kindness and sharing. The feature text The Sandwich Swap is used to focus on message and character traits. Many other strategies are included as well such as cause and effect, retelling, sequencing, writing, text connecti
This Unit is part of a larger bundle on developing growth mindset by teaching kindness and sharing. The feature text Stick and Stone is used to focus on message and character traits. Many other strategies are included as well such as cause and effect, retelling, sequencing, writing, text connection
This Unit is a bundle of 5 different stories that focus on developing growth mindset by teaching kindness and sharing. The feature texts are, Those Shoes, Strictly No Elephants, Pig the Pug, The Sandwich Swap, and Stick and Stone. All of the stories focus on message and character traits. Many other strategies are included as well such as cause and effect, retelling, sequencing, writing, text connections and more. Students will learn all about standing up for one another, kindness and friendship. There is a several different crafts, lesson plans, as well as colorful posters to help create an anchor chart as you read each of these stories. Build awareness and teach friendship, sharing and kindness with this fun and educational unit.
• 2 activities to choose from for each anchor text. Pre-writing is included for most activities unless it is a list or letter writing.
This is also part of a weekly series and included in my MEGA guided reading bundle filled with activities for 40 weeks of fun! Check out the other resources here
Includes THREE worksheets covering six parts of speech (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, and prepositons.)
Second worksheet: Students fill in the blank with the correct part of speech to make the sentence true. Example: A person, place, or thing is a _______. Then students sort 12 words into the correct part of speech category. Good for a study guide or test.
Third Worksheet: Students match the definition to the part of speech. Then students sort 12 words into the correct part of speech category. Good for a study guide or test.
A poem of Paul Revere's Ride with 11 standardized type questions)FCAT 2.0-CCSSS) Can be used as an assessment in conjucton with the 5th grade reading basals-HM/SF. Also, as a Social Studies link for the American Revolution or our Government Units. As part of homeleaning, group work, guided reading short lesson, and independent reading.
Use this simple St. Patricks Day Counting book during your Math lesson! Have students work on one to one correspondance and cardinality!
Looking for more read the room activities and task cards to use in your classroom? This pack of read the room cards and task cards has a Valentine's Day theme and hits a variety of skills taught in first grade. Use these with whole group, small group, or individual students to practice and reinforce skills.
Included in this pack are 4 math sets (covering addition, subtraction, shapes, and fact families) and 4 ELA sets (covering nouns and verbs, long and short vowels, scrambled words, and singular and plural).
June - August 2013 calendar that provides an age appropriate activity each day to help pre-K students work on skills across learning domains. It also encourages family involvement, but only requires a few minutes daily. It can also be used as a
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Teaching Authors--6 Children's Authors Who Also Teach Writing: What Writing and Painting Have in Common
I’ve always wished I could paint. But I never had a chance to take any classes or really try it. Earlier this year several of my friends felt the same way I did, we all wanted to paint and never had. We decided there was no reason not to start painting, so we just did. One in the group was an artist/art teacher, so she got us started in our new adventure in acrylic painting. Now we get together each week for art.
What I didn’t expect was to find so many similarities between painting and writing. For example, though I was painting a “nonfiction” subject-a pumpkin-there were endless ways to paint said pumpkin. Just like a book about a nonfiction topic, there are endless ways to do it. I knew what a pumpkin looked like, but I painted my pumpkin, my way.
I sometimes look at the painting later and wish I’d done something a little bit different or better, just like my books.
There is satisfaction when a painting is finished to know that I started with a blank canvas and ended up with something, just like my books.
Great post, Carla! I too have wanted to try painting for a long time but haven't. Perhaps I'll give it a shot in the new year!