playful puppets in the - queen's...

PlayfulPuppetsin the Savannah

Strand: Structures and MechanismsTopic: Stability

3

Context and Purpose

Unit Overview

Making Decisions

Looking at Values

Teaching the Unit

New Vocabulary

Summary of Resources

MOE Expectations

Links to Other Subjects

Blackline Masters

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Elementary Science andTechnology Partnership

GRADE

Acknowledgements

Project director and editor Dr. Malcolm Welch, Faculty of Education, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada, K7L 3N6

Project deputy director Dr. Andréa Mueller, Faculty of Education, Queen’s University

Lead teacher author Gail Ows, Algonquin & Lakeshore Catholic District School Board

Teacher and Faculty Partners Algonquin & Lakeshore Catholic District School Board

Christina Ackerman, Faith Bland, Paul Couture, Paul Cox, Pauline Dockrill, Rosemary Engemann,

Theresa Frendo-Cumbo, Jamie Gaudet, Lisa McDonald, Lisa Romano, Walter Sepic, Jamie Tees,

Sheena Whalen

Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario

Colleen Bennett, Dawn Fewer, Heather Garleau, Chris Shannon

Faculty of Education, Queen’s University

Dr. Peter Chin, Dr. Cathy Christie, Joan McDuff, Dr. Hugh Munby, Luigia Cimellaro, Jenny Taylor

Consultant Dr. David Barlex, Director, Nuffield Design & Technology Project

Layout Douglas Gifford

Illustrations Michael Shumate and Rob Loree

Project Administrator Tricia Walker

The EST project wishes to thank all those teachers, administrators, school board personnel and

students who supported the piloting of the curriculum materials and who provided valuable feedback.

© Algonquin & Lakeshore Catholic District School Board 2002

© Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario 2002

© Faculty of Education at Queen’s University 2002

ISBN 1-894855-17-5

2 3

Context and Purpose

The Context

Puppets and puppet performances have universal

appeal and play an important role in story telling

traditions in some cultures, and in bringing

stories and poems to life.

In this unit students will design and make lever-

operated puppets that can be used to promote an

interest in animals and their movements. At the

end of the unit, each student will have a model

puppet with movable body parts. The students

(in small groups) can create or recreate a familiar

puppet play to present to younger students in the

school.

The Purpose

In this unit students will learn:

how to observe and imitate animal

movements;

how to sketch animal shapes;

about simple levers;

about linkages;

how to scale up (make things bigger);

how to mark, measure, cut and join materials

with increasing accuracy;

how to use a variety of tools with precision

and care;

how to produce decorative effects on

cardboard.

2 3

Unit Overview

The Support Tasks

1 Who are the African savannah animals?

40 minutes

2 Exploring animal movements

40 minutes

3 Exploring levers

40 minutes

4 Levers all around us

40 minutes

5 Link it up

60 minutes

6 Scaling up: Making things come to life

40 minutes

7 Tool time: Puzzle time

40 minutes

8 Boastful badges

40 minutes

The Big Task: The design & make activity

The Big Task is for students to design and make

a lever-operated puppet that can be used to

promote an interest in savannah animals and

their movements.

3 x 60 minutes

The Evaluation30 minutes

Unit Review30 minutes

4 5

Making Decisions

Design Decisions

Students will decide on the following:

the characteristics of the animal: this

introduces deciding which savannah animal

is to be modelled;

which body part will move;

the appearance: the surface decoration

of the puppet with careful observation of

photographs of animals in their natural

habitat;

if there will be multiple movements from the

puppet;

construction methods: deciding on the

method of construction by thinking about the

arrangement of levers, how and where to join

them;

what scaling-up method to use.

4 5

Looking at Values

Grades 1 - 3

Making design decisions involves making value

judgements. Making these judgements is an ongoing

process that will permeate this unit. Teachers should

engage students in thoughtful discussion that will

help them make decisions that are important to

themselves and eventually to society.

Values are influenced by personal priorities. This

is particularly relevant in the case of Grade 1 - 3

students. Teachers should explore how students

feel and what they think, knowing their experience

is centred on themselves, their friends and their

family. Discuss how these relationships might

influence them when making decisions.

Teacher input

Explain to students that products and services are

designed and made to meet a need or want. Tell

students that when they decide about the worth

or importance of a product, they are making a

value judgement about its quality. Tell students

that a democratic society requires each student to

become an informed citizen who will use his or her

knowledge and value system when making decisions

about technology in settings outside the school.

Explain to students that as they learn to recognize

and discuss values, they will begin to compare

how their own values are similar to or distinct

from those of friends and others. Ask questions

that will help students conceptualize what values

are and how these values might impact their

life, both now and in the future. Recognize that

students’ answers will reveal value judgements

that become more complex and sophisticated

with practice and experience.

At appropriate times throughout the unit, use the

following questions as starting points to engage

students in thinking about and discussing values.

Aesthetic values

In what ways is the product pleasing to the

senses?

Do I like my product? If so, why? If not, why

not?

Technical values

What materials were used in the production?

What skills were needed to make the product?

Does the product perform its intended

function?

Will the product withstand extended use?

Economic values

Who else would want to own the product?

Why would someone else want to own the

product?

Environmental values

How long will the product last?

What happens to the product when it is no

longer wanted?

Social values

Whose needs or wants were considered

during the designing?

What needs or wants were considered during

the designing?

Moral values

How does the product affect me?

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Teaching the Unit

7

Teaching the Unit

suggested timing

Support Task 1: Who are the African savannah animals?

40 minutes

Student activity

Show the students a world map and identify the

various continents. Explain the term “savannah”

to the students. Using a small square of

construction paper, label the African savannah

on a world map for the students. Discuss the

vegetation, climate and weather of the savannah

with the students. Ask the students, “what type

of animals do you think could live in such a

habitat?”

Read a story (e.g., One Small

Square – African Savannah by

Donald M. Silver or The Lion King)

to the students or another chosen

book on the savannah. Ask the

students to think about all of the

animals mentioned or illustrated

in the book. On chart paper, list

all of the savannah animals

that the students can

identify after listening to

the story.

Teacher input

Tell the students that they are going to design

and make a collection of attractive, intriguing

savannah animal puppets that have movable

body parts which can be used for small group

puppet plays. Explain that to design and make

a lever-operated puppet, they will need to know

about levers and savannah animals. Today they

will learn what animals live in the savannah.

6

Teaching the Unit

7

Teaching the Unit

Resources requiredStimulus materials: world map, storybook about savannah animals

Consumable materials: chart paper

Tools: markers

Safety checkDiscuss the hazards and risks involved in asking other students for their views, and how these

risks can be managed by polite behaviour and treating others with consideration.

suggested timing

Relating this Support Task to the Big Task

At the conclusion of this Support Task have

students tell you what they have learned about

savannah animals. Next ask students how this

information will help them design and make a

lever-operated puppet of a savannah animal.

New vocabulary

climate, habitat, lever, puppet, savannah,

vegetation

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8

Teaching the Unit

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Teaching the Unit

Resources requiredStimulus materials: video to show animal movements

Consumable materials: chart paper, BLM “Flip Book”

Tools: markers

Safety checkDiscuss the hazards and risks involved in working as a group and how these risks can be managed

by the way students behave and treat one another.

suggested timing

Support Task 2: Exploring animal movements

40 minutes

Teacher input

Tell the students that the animal they will design

and make must have one or more moving parts.

Have the students model animal movements.

Develop with the class a list of words to describe

animal movements/posture (hunched, stretching,

striding, leaping, hopping etc.)

Student activity

Show the students a video clip from a movie, for

example, The Lion King, to illustrate the savannah

theme. Tell the students to watch the different

animal movements carefully. Ask students to

identify different savannah animals and their

movements.

Have students mime the characteristic movement

of one of the animals from the video clips or from

the list. The class guesses what animal is being

imitated. This game can continue until most

of the animals have been mimed or until each

student has had a turn.

Students can make a flip book using the BLM

“Flip Book” to show horse movements.




animal movements. Next ask students how this



New vocabulary

none

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8

Teaching the Unit

9

Teaching the Unit

Resources requiredStimulus materials: scissors, baseball bat, utility dolly or other common examples

of the three classes of lever Consumable materials: chart paper

Tools: markers

Safety checkDiscuss the hazards and risks associated with handling and carrying tools and equipment and

how these risks can be managed by taking care and acting responsibly.

suggested timing

Support Task 3: Exploring levers

40 minutes

Teacher input

Tell students that every day we use machines to

help us do work. Examples include machines to

dig trenches for underground pipes, machines to

produce food in factories, a pair of scissors to cut

fabric, and a lawnmower to cut the grass. Next tell

the students that not all machines are large and

complex. A knife, a bottle opener and a hammer

are all machines. Many machines are quite simple.

A common example of this is a lever.

Student activity

On a large picture of a teeter-totter label the

fulcrum, the effort, and the load. Next label the

fulcrum, the effort and the load on a picture of a

person using a garden rake. Ask students for their

definition of the fulcrum, the effort and the load.

Through discussion derive appropriate definitions.

Write these on chart paper and leave prominently

displayed for the remainder of the unit.

Show sample levers to the students. Examples

might include scissors, wheelbarrow, baseball bat,

garden rake and utility dolly. Have them label the

fulcrum, load and effort on these sample levers.

At the end of this Support Task ask students to

bring to the next class examples of levers they use

in their home.

New vocabulary

effort, fulcrum, load

suggested timing

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10

Teaching the Unit

11

Teaching the Unit

A class 1 lever has the fulcrum

between the effort and the load.

A class 2 lever has the load

between the effort and the fulcrum.

A class 3 lever has the effort

between the load and the fulcrum.

suggested timing

Support Task 4: Levers all around us

40 minutes

Teacher input

Have the students display the levers brought from

home so they can be examined by the class. Tell

the students that there are three types of lever

and that today they are going to learn how to

differentiate between them.

Student activity

Give each student an example of a lever. Tell each

student to write the words fulcrum, load and effort

on three different sticky notes and place them in

the appropriate place. Have the students explain

to the class why they labelled as they did their

choice of the fulcrum, load and effort positions.

Refer students back to the definitions posted at

the front of the classroom.

Place three large tubs at the front of the classroom

labelled Class 1 levers, Class 2 levers, and Class 3

levers. Ask students to sort these levers now they

have labelled them. What is the pattern? Explain

to the students that there are three classes of

lever. Refer back to Support Task 3 when it was

discovered that the fulcrum, load and effort are

not always in the same order. Describe the three

classes of lever to the students (class 1: EFL, class

2: FLE, class 3: FEL), referring to the diagrams

that are displayed above three tubs at the front of

the class. Have the students place their levers in

the tubs below the appropriate class of lever (class

1, 2 or 3). Leave these on display for the remainder

of the Support Tasks and during the design and

make activity.

10

Teaching the Unit

11

Teaching the Unit

Resources requiredStimulus materials: variety of levers brought in by the students

Consumable materials: chart paper, sticky notes

Tools: markers, 3 large tubs

Safety checkDiscuss the hazards and risks associated with handling and carrying tools and equipment and

how these risks can be managed by being careful.

suggested timing




different levers. Next ask students how this



New vocabulary

class 1 lever, class 2 lever, class 3 lever

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12

Teaching the Unit

13

Teaching the Unit

suggested timing

Support Task 5: Link it up

60 minutes

Teacher input

Tell the students that they will need to make one or

more parts of their savannah animals move. To do

this they must use two levers to create a linkage.

They must know how the location of the fulcrum

affects the movement of an output lever. In today’s

lesson they are going to learn this by making a

moving giraffe’s head. The BLM “Giraffe body

and head outline” is provided as a pattern. The

teacher will need to pre-cut a sufficient number of

heads and bodies from corrugated cardboard.

Student activity

Show the class how to punch a hole in a popsicle

stick using a heavy-duty punch and how to punch

a hole in corrugated card. (The teacher may have

to pre-punch a number of popsicle sticks for use

by students who find this too difficult.) Show

the class how to use paper fasteners to make the

fulcrum. Divide the class into three groups. Give

each group an illustration to show the fulcrum

locations and have each group construct a giraffe

with a moving head. The students can decorate

their giraffe head using a variety of materials,

including markers, crayons, sticky labels, and

construction paper.

12

Teaching the Unit

13

Teaching the Unit

Resources requiredStimulus materials: none required

Consumable materials: popsicle sticks, paper fasteners, cardboard, PVA glue,

BLM “Giraffe body and head outline”Tools: markers, scissors, heavy-duty punch

Safety checkDiscuss the hazards and risks involved in using scissors and hole punches, and how the risks can

be managed by working carefully.

suggested timing

Student activity

Each expert group will make a short presentation,

answering these questions posed by the teacher:

How easy was it to glue the popsicle sticks to

the cardboard?

How did the position of the holes affect the

body movement of the giraffe head?

How might this help you when you are

making your lever puppet?

Which is the input lever?

Which is the output lever?




the position of a fulcrum. Next ask students how

this information will help them design and make

a lever-operated puppet of a savannah animal.

New vocabulary

input lever, output lever, linkage

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14

Teaching the Unit

15

Teaching the Unit

suggested timing

Support Task 6: Scaling up: Making things come to life

Teacher input

Explain to the class that as they are going to design

and make a large savannah animal they may find

they need to scale up small design drawings.

There are three ways to do this. One way is to

use a grid (available as the BLM “Drawing things

bigger – blank grid”). Another way is to use the

overhead projector. A third way is to scale up

mentally and then transfer the mental image onto

paper.

Give each student a small line drawing of an

animal (there are eight animals to choose from on

BLM “Drawing things bigger”).

Give each student a piece of blank paper and

show them how to draw a grid that has the same

number of vertical and horizontal lines as on

the small picture. Have some prepared grids for

students who may find this difficult (available as

the BLM “Drawing things bigger - blank grid”).

Demonstrate how to use the small line drawing

plus grid to transfer the drawing onto the large

grid.

Show the students how to use the overhead

projector to scale up a small drawing. Finally

show students how to look at a picture, mentally

make it bigger and then draw it on paper at a

larger scale.

Student activity

Each student uses the three techniques to produce

large-scale drawings which can be put on display

for future reference.

Students come back together for a large group

discussion.

Which method did you find the easiest and

why?

Which method did you find the most

challenging and why?

Which method do you think you will want to

use to create your savannah puppet?

40 minutes

14

Teaching the Unit

15

Teaching the Unit


Consumable materials: BLM “Drawing things bigger – blank grid,” BLM “Drawing

things bigger,” white paperTools: pencils

Safety checkDiscuss the hazards and risks involved in using an overhead projector and how these risks can be

managed by working carefully.

suggested timing



students tell you what they have learned

about scaling up. Next ask students how this



New vocabulary

none

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Teaching the Unit

17

Teaching the Unit


Consumable materials: cardboard boxes

Tools: utility knife, safety ruler, cutting mat, utility snips

Safety checkDiscuss the hazards and risks involved in using cutting tools and how these risks can be managed

by taking care and using correct procedures.

suggested timing

Support Task 7: Tool time: Puzzle time

Teacher input

Tell the students that when they make their

savannah animals it will be important that

they are able to mark, cut and shape materials

accurately and safely. In this lesson they are

going to learn how to do this by making a jigsaw

puzzle.

Have students use the large face of a cereal box.

Show them how to make one straight cut using

a safety ruler, utility knife, and cutting mat

(to protect the table top). Making one cut will

produce two pieces of a puzzle. Show the students

how to make a single cut on each of the two pieces.

Now there are four pieces. Tell s t udent s

this process can be repeated

several times.

Student activity

Tell the students to choose the large face of a

box with a picture and use this to make a jigsaw

puzzle. They can decide on the number and

location of the cuts. Some students may want to

plan the number of pieces (on a piece of paper

the same size as the picture) before they begin

to make the cuts. Utility snips can be used to cut

curved lines in cardboard.




marking and measuring using tools. Next ask

students how this information will help

them design and make a lever-operated

puppet of a savannah animal.

New vocabulary

none

40 minutes

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16

Teaching the Unit

17

Teaching the Unit

Resources requiredStimulus materials: variety of badges

Consumable materials: card in various colours, colour crayons, markers, colour stickers, PVA glue,

textured fabrics, buttons, safety pins, double-sided tapeTools: utility knife, safety ruler, cutting mat, utility snips

Safety checkDiscuss the hazards and risks involved in using cutting tools and how the risks can be managed by

taking care and using correct procedures.

suggested timing

Support Task 8: Boastful badges

Teacher input

Tell students that when they have produced the

body of their savannah animal puppet and then

designed and made the linkage they will have to

decorate it in some way. They are going to learn a

variety of techniques by making a badge that will

attract someone’s attention.

Student activity

Give the students a pre-cut circle of cardboard

for the badge. Show the students examples of

different colours (some shiny, some matte), lines

(straight, jagged, zigzag), and textures. Show

a selection of decorative colours and patterns

on camouflaged animals, textures on a variety

of fabrics (smooth, furry, rough), and edge

treatments using specialty scissors.

Show the students how to use felt tip markers and

how to stick on coloured paper or found materials.

Show the students how to fix a badge clip to the

back of the badge.




decorating with materials of different textures.

Next ask students how this information will help

them design and make a lever-operated puppet of

a savannah animal.

New vocabulary

texture

40 minutes

suggested timing

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18

Teaching the Unit

19

Teaching the Unit

suggested timing

The Big Task: Designing and making a lever-operated puppet

Teacher input

Tell the students that they are now going to design

and make a lever-operated puppet for a play on

the theme of African savannah animals. Each

student will need to make the following design

decisions:

Which savannah animal is to be chosen?

How big to make the puppet (this is likely a

class decision since all the animals must be in

proportion to one another).

Which scaling-up method to use.

Which part(s) of the animal do I want to

move?

What will the linkage look like?

How will I decorate my puppet?

Students should complete the BLM “Lever-

operated puppets: My design decisions.”

Once each student has decided on the animal

and its size it is important that they draw the

animal on paper before drawing it on cardboard.

Some students may find this difficult to do from

memory, so they can refer to books. When they

find a picture they like they can carefully trace

the outline of the animal. Once the student has a

small-scale drawing they must choose a method

of scaling-up to the size chosen by the class

(50 cm x 50 cm is a workable limit). The learning

from Support Task 6 will be used to do this.

Before the students trace the scaled-up drawing

of their animal onto card they should think about

which piece they want to move and try to plan

where the levers will be placed and particularly

where the fulcrum will sit. Some students may

find this too difficult to do in sketch form, and

should be allowed to experiment with three-

dimensional materials, for example with strips of

card to represent the levers.

Do not insist that students have worked out all the

operational issues before they begin to make their

animal and its linkage. The learning from Support

Task 5 will help students with this.

Students can cut out the shape of their animal

with scissors and either hold it or tape it in place

while tracing the shape, gluing it to the cardboard,

or by holding the outline onto card. The learning

from Support Task 7 will help students mark

and cut accurately. Some students may create

additional problems because the part they want

to move is narrow and floppy. They can tape extra

thicknesses of card to make the piece more rigid.

Students can then experiment with the placement

of the levers and fulcrum until they create the

type of movement they want.

The students will want to decorate their puppets

and learning from Support Task 8 will help them

be successful here.

3 x 60 minutes

18

Teaching the Unit

19

Teaching the Unit


Consumable materials: BLM “Lever-operated puppets: My design decisions,”

BLM “Lever-operated puppets: Thinking about design decisions,”

popsicle sticks, cardboard, PVA glue, coloured stickers, coloured paperTools: cutting mat, utility knife, scissors, safety ruler, pencils, markers, utility

snips, heavy-duty punch

Safety checkReview the hazards and risks involved in using cutting tools and how the risks can be managed by

working carefully and using correct procedures.

suggested timing

Teacher input

At the end of the design and make activity use the

following questions (also available on the BLM

“Lever-operated puppets: Thinking about design

decisions”) to help students think about their

design decisions.

How did I choose my savannah animal?

How did I decide what my puppet would look

like?

How did I make my puppet look like a …?

How did I decide which parts would move?

How did I make sure the parts moved the way

I wanted them to?

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20

Teaching the Unit

21

Teaching the Unit

Resources requiredStimulus materials: lever-operated puppets made by students

Consumable materials: BLM “Evaluating my lever-operated puppet”

Tools: pencils

Safety checkDiscuss the hazards and risks involved in testing lever-operated puppets and how these risks can

be managed by being careful and respecting the property of others.

suggested timing

Evaluating the Final Product

Teacher input

Tell the students that they will use two steps to

evaluate their lever-operated puppet.

Step 1: Each student will have one other student

evaluate their puppet using the questions

provided.

Step 2: Each student will evaluate their own

puppet using the questions provided.

Which animal was chosen?

Does it look like this animal?

Which parts did I want to move?

Do the parts move the way I want them to?

Can it be made to work better? If so, how?

Is my animal decorated the way I want it to

be? If not, how can it be improved?

Can my puppet be made to look more

realistic? If so, how?

Can my puppet be made more durable? If so,

how?

Did I change my puppet as I was making it? If

so, what did I change?

Why did I make these changes?

Student activity

Each student will discuss their lever-operated

puppet with a classmate using the questions on

the BLM “Evaluating my lever-operated puppet.”

Students will then complete the BLM.

30 minutes

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Teaching the Unit

21

Teaching the Unit


Consumable materials: paper

Tools: pencils

Safety checkDiscuss whether students used hazard recognition, risk identification, and risk management

when designing and making a lever-operated puppet.

suggested timing

Unit Review

Teacher input

Explain to the students that it is important to think

about how to get better at their designing and

making and that they can do this by discussing

the following questions:

What did you enjoy most?

What did you find easy?

What did you find challenging?

What did you get better at?

How did you help each other?

What could have been improved?

How could these have been improved?

Student activity

The students should discuss the questions in

small groups and when they have finished ask

each group to make a short report to the class.

Based on these reports the class should agree on

a statement of improvement for their next design

and technology unit.

30 minutes

suggested timing

22

New Vocabulary

23


Term Definition

class 1 lever a lever in which the fulcrum is between the effort and the load

class 2 lever a lever in which the load is between the effort and fulcrum

class 3 lever a lever in which the effort is between the load and fulcrum

climate the usual weather in a particular place over many years

effort the use of energy to do something

fulcrum the point of support, or the pivot, of a lever

habitat the normal locality of a plant or animal

input lever the lever in which energy is placed to create an output result

lever a mechanism which allows a greater force to be exerted, e.g. using a teaspoon as a lever on the lid of a tin, to increase mechanical advantage

linkage two or more levers joined to transmit motion

load force acting on a structure

output lever the lever that creates the opposite movement from the input lever

puppet a figure of a person or animal with jointed limbs

savannah a flat, grassy plain with few or no trees

texture the way a surface or substance feels to the touch, e.g. bumpy

vegetation plant life

22

New Vocabulary

23


Support Task Stimulus materials Consumable materials Tools

1 world map, storybook about

savannah animals

chart paper markers

2 video to show animal

movements

chart paper, BLM “Flip Book” markers

3 scissors, baseball bat, utility

dolly or other common

examples of levers

chart paper markers

4 variety of levers brought in by

the students

chart paper, sticky notes markers, 3 large tubs

5 none required popsicle sticks, paper

fasteners, cardboard, PVA glue,

BLM “Giraffe body and head

outline”

markers, scissors, heavy-duty

punch

6 none required BLM “Drawing things

bigger – blank grid,” BLM

“Drawing things bigger,” white

paper

pencils

7 none required cardboard boxes utility knife, safety ruler,

cutting mat, utility snips

8 variety of badges card in various colours, colour

crayons, markers, colour

stickers, PVA glue, textured

fabrics, buttons, safety pins,

double-sided tape

utility knife, safety ruler,

cutting mat, utility snips

The Big Task none required BLM “Lever-operated puppets:

My design decisions,” BLM

“Lever-operated puppets:

Thinking about design

decisions,” popsicle sticks,

cardboard, PVA glue, coloured

stickers, coloured paper

cutting mat, utility knife,

scissors, safety ruler, pencils,

markers, utility snips, heavy-

duty punch

Evaluating

the Final

Product

lever-operated puppets made

by students

BLM “Evaluating my lever-

operated puppet”

pencils

Unit Review none required paper pencils

24

MOE Expectations

25

MOE Expectations

MOE ExpectationsLinks to Support Tasksand the Big Task

Overview 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 BT students will develop their understanding of the concept of stability in

structures and the function of specific mechanisms. They will design and build structures that are rigid and strong, and will incorporate mechanisms in these structures. Students will also gain some understanding of the concept of balance, which is a necessary foundation for the later study of equilibrium

Overall expectations 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 BT demonstrate an understanding of the factors that affect the stability of

objects

design and make structures that include mechanisms and that can support and move a load, and investigate the forces acting on them

describe, using their observations, systems involving mechanisms and structures, and explain how these systems meet specific needs and how they have been made

Specific expectations: Understanding basic concepts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 BT describe, using their observations, ways in which the strength of different

materials can be altered (e.g., folding increases the strength of paper)

describe ways in which forces alter the shape or strength of different structures (e.g., a load may cause a cardboard box to buckle)

describe ways to improve the strength and stability of a frame structure (e.g., use of triangulation or a cross-member)

describe, using their observations, the role of struts (e.g., to resist compression) and ties (e.g., to resist tension) in structures under load (e.g., describe the effect of adding a strut to a wooden frame)

describe, using their observations, the changes in the amount of effort needed to lift a specific load with a lever when the position of the fulcrum is changed

describe, using their observations, how simple levers amplify or reduce movement (e.g., in operating the limbs of a puppet)

describe the effects of different forces on specific structures and mechanisms (e.g., a structure collapses when the load is too heavy; a latch on a gate opens when pressed)

Specific expectations: Developing skills of inquiry, design, & communication 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 BT ask questions about and identify needs and problems related to structures and

mechanisms in their immediate environment, and explore possible answers and solutions (e.g., investigate the effects of folding on the shape and strength of materials)

plan investigations to answer some of these questions or solve some of these problems, and explain the steps involved

use appropriate vocabulary to describe their investigations, explorations and observations (e.g., use terms such as fulcrum, load and effort when describing levers)

record relevant observations, findings and measurements, using written language, drawings, charts and graphs (e.g., record the modifications they have made to increase the stability and strength of their structures)

communicate the procedures and results of investigations for specific purposes and to specific audiences, using demonstrations, drawings, simple media works and oral and written descriptions (e.g., make a mobile that illustrates their discoveries about balance)

24

MOE Expectations

25

MOE Expectations

25

Specific expectations: Developing skills of inquiry, design, & communication 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 BT design and make a stable structure that will support a given mass and perform

a specific function (e.g., a bridge, a photo frame)

use appropriate materials to strengthen and stabilize structures that they have designed and made and that are intended to support a load (e.g., use gussets, struts, ties, buttresses)

design and make a levered mechanism (e.g., a model of an animal whose legs are moved with a lever)

design and make a stable structure that contains a mechanism and performs a function that meets a specific need (e.g., a drawbridge, a crane)

use appropriate equipment and adhesives when making structures that they have designed themselves (e.g., transparent tape for paper; low-temperature glue gun for wood)

use hand tools (e.g., hand saws, scissors) and equipment (e.g., templates, mitre boxes) appropriately to cut a variety of materials (e.g., wood, paper, cardboard, plastic)

Specific expectations: Relating science and technology to the world outside the school 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 BT distinguish between the structure of an object (e.g., the chassis of a vehicle)

and its mechanical parts (e.g., the wheels and axles)

recognize that geometrical patterns in a structure contribute to the strength and stability of that structure (e.g., a climbing frame)

demonstrate awareness that the strength in structures is due to bulk (or mass), number of layers (e.g., layers in particle board) and shape (e.g., triangulation)

identify a number of common levers (e.g., crowbars, scissors, hammers, pliers, wheelbarrows, tweezers, tongs) and describe how they make work easier

identify efficient ways of joining the components of a mechanical structure or system (e.g., construct a right-angled corner; use an axle at a right-angle to the frame)

describe, using their observations, how different balance points of different masses affect the stability of a structure

predict which body positions provide the most stability in various circumstances (e.g., standing with legs apart; lying on the ground)

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Blackline Masters

26

Language

Reading

read independently, using a variety of reading

strategies express clear responses to written materials,

relating the ideas in them to their own

knowledge and experience and to ideas in

other materials that they have read understand the vocabulary and language

structures for this grade level use conventions of written materials to help

them understand and use the materials

Oral and Visual Communication

communicate messages, and follow and give

directions for a variety of activities listen to discussions and ask questions to

clarify meaning apply the rules for working with others view, read, and listen to media works that

convey messages or information and talk

about what they have learned create a variety of simple media works use the conventions of oral language that are

appropriate to the grade level

Mathematics

Measurement

demonstrate an understanding of and ability

to apply measurement terms

Geometry and Spatial Sense

describe location and movements on a grid

The Arts

Visual Arts

produce 2D works of art that communicate

ideas for specific purposes and to familiar

audiences identify the elements of design and use them

in ways appropriate for this grade use correctly vocabulary and art terminology

associated with the specific expectations for

this grade

Drama and Dance

compare their own work with the work of

others in drama through discussion, writing,

movement, and visual art work

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27

Blackline Masters

Title Used In…

Flip Book Support Task 2 on page 8

Giraffe body and head outline Support Task 5 on page 12

Drawing things bigger – blank grid Support Task 6 on page 14

Drawing things bigger Support Task 6 on page 14

Lever-operated puppets: My design decisions The Big Task on page 18

Lever-operated puppets: Thinking about design decisions The Big Task on page 19

Evaluating my lever-operated puppetEvaluating the Final Product on page 20

Name: Date:

Flip BookAssembly instructions: 1. Use a pair of scissors to separate the rectangles of paper and stack them neatly

in order. 2. Put two staples in the top of the stack.

staple staple

1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

10 11 12

cut

cut

cut

cut

cut

cut

cut

cut

cut

Name: Date: Name: Date:

Giraffe body & head outline

body

head


Drawing things bigger: blank grid


Drawing things bigger

Name: Date:

Lever-operated puppets: My design decisions

1. The savannah animal I am making is the .

2. The body part(s) that I want to move are

.

3. Here is a drawing of the outline of my animal.

continued...

Name: Date:

4. Here is a drawing of how my levers will be positioned on the back of my puppet.

5. I will scale up (make this bigger) by

.

6. I will decorate my animal puppet with

.


Lever-operated puppets: Thinking about design decisions 1. How did I choose my savannah animal?

2. How did I decide what my puppet would look like?

3. How did I make my puppet look like a ?

4. How did I decide which parts would move?

5. How did I make sure the parts moved the way I wanted

them to?


Evaluating my lever-operated puppet 1. What animal is it supposed to be?

2. Does it look like this animal?

3. Which parts do I want to move?

4. Do the parts move the way I want them to?

5. Can it be made to work better?

If so, how?

6. Is my animal decorated the way I want it?

If not, how can it be improved?

7. Can my puppet be made to look more realistic? If so, how?

8. Can my puppet be made more durable? If so, how?

9. Did I change my puppet as I was making it? If so, what did

I change?

10. Why did I make these changes?

playful puppets in the - queen's...

Documents