Thursday, September 7, 2023

K-W-L Charts for Gravity

Today was the start of this year's Science Club! Before we dive into all of our building projects we are beginning with Forces. The first topic is Gravity.

If you're not familiar with the K-W-L Chart, it's a simple graphic organizer where you fold a sheet of paper into thirds. The first third is K, where you write things you know about the topic. The second third is W, where you write things you want to find out about the topic. The final third (which you fill in afterwards) is L, where you write things you learned about the topic.

A K-W-L chart is used for teachers to assess prior knowledge about a subject. And it can lead to some surprises when you ask about their questions! This helps you make sure you address common misunderstandings and that you tailor the lesson to their interests as well.


Here is what my students (ages 7-11) put on their charts:

K

    makes things go down depending on the mass of the object

    when you go up you always go down

    a hidden force / cannot see gravity

    the Sun uses gravity to keep the planets in place

    keeps things on Earth / keeps things down

    there is antigravity in space

    pulls things down


W

    can it ever make things go up?

    why does the moon go around the Earth instead of the Sun?

    do the stars move at all? if so, does gravity make them move?

    can gravity change in the future?

    when you stand, are your legs making gravity?

    how does gravity work?

    why does gravity not make things float?

    how can things fly when there is gravity?

    everything falls at the same speed / the bigger the object the faster it falls (these two statements were both initially in K but since there was a lot of disagreement we moved them from Know to Wonder)

    does gravity help Earth?

    what would the world be like if we didn't have gravity or if gravity was reversed?


Next we began Harry Milgrom's excellent First Experiments with Gravity: Exploring the force of gravity and its effects with 20 basic experiments.


This book is great for teachers and kids alike because there's a complete list in the beginning of all of the supplies needed for each project! I'll share here which experiments I did and what materials we used.


Thu Sep 7

Experiment 1, p.13 - Before you start to explore the earth's gravity, find out what you have to do to make something move.

    strip of wrapping paper (6 in x 2 ft)
    book
    baseball
    a few other household objects
    a few other balls (rubber ball, small felt ball, golf ball, etc.)


Experiment 2, p.14 - Now, here is a puzzle. You know that the earth's gravity acts on all things. Why, then, do they not all fall to the ground?

    large jar of water
    lead fishing sinker
    disposable vinyl exam gloves


Thu Sep 21

Experiment 3, p.16 - Which object does gravity pull to the ground faster, a light one or a heavy one?

    dime
    quarter
    kitchen scale


Experiment 4, p.18 - A falling weight can move other things.


Experiment 5, p.20 - When certain objects drop, another force becomes important enough to change the speed of fall.

    give each team of 2 children:

    scissors
    piece of paper
    pencil
    quarter


Experiment 6, p.22 - How can air resistance be used to slow the fall of a heavy object?

    give each team of 2 children:

    kitchen string
    scissors
    square of tissue paper (12 in x 12 in)
    two clothespins


Experiment 7, p.24 - In what other way can you slow the speed with which an object falls to the ground?


Experiment 8, p.26 - How can you find out which way is down and which way is up?


Experiment 10, p.30 - There is another way to measure time with the help of gravity.


Experiment 17, p.40 - How can you turn a pail upside down without having what is inside fall out?


Experiment 18, p.42 - A whirling object will move up against the pull of gravity.


Note that this book was published in 1966. This shows in the sentence, "Through space research, scientists will soon free man from the earth to journey to other planets."

Humans walked on the moon for the first time on July 20, 1969. If your child is interested in more details about how exactly we got to the moon, I highly recommend How We Got to the Moon: The People, Technology, and Daring Feats of Science Behind Humanity's Greatest Adventure by John Rocco.


This post contains affiliate links to materials I truly use for homeschooling. Qualifying purchases provide me with revenue. Thank you for your support!

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