Title: Football 2 Grade Level: Grades 6-8 Time: 3 hours Authors: Kira Bonk, Golden Apple Scholar; Susan Bisinger, IMSA; Nicole Hoffman, IMSA; Morgan Schertz, Golden Apple Scholar (2013) Key Concepts: Velocity Acceleration Mass Force Motion Newton s Laws Angle measurements Learning Outcomes: The students will plan and investigate a scientific experiment. The students will communicate findings of a scientific experiment by creating a poster presentation. Students will be able to explain how the release angle of a football affects its distance travelled. Students will be able to recognize how Newton s third law applies to football. Learning Standards: Common Core State Standards Math (CCSSM): 6.SP.B.5b Describing the nature of the attribute under investigation, including how it was measured and its units of measurement. Standards for Mathematical Practice (SMP): MP2 Reason abstractly and quantitatively 6.SP.B.5c 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. MP4 Model with mathematics Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): MS-PS2-2 Plan an investigation to provide evidence that the change in an object s motion depends on the sum of the forces on the object and the mass of the object Science and Engineering Practices (SEP): SEP1: Asking questions and defining problems SEP3: Planning and carrying out investigations SEP6: Constructing explanations and designing solutions
SEP7: Engaging in argument from evidence SEP8: Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information Materials: Science Journals Pens 1 poster paper per group 1 box of markers per group 1 football per group 1 protractor per group 1 long metric tape measure per group Space Requirements: Classroom Outdoor field (or indoor gym for bad weather) AV Requirements: Computer Projector with screen Speakers Internet Safety Considerations: Be aware about obstacles and dangerous objects around the field or gym. Make sure you don t throw to someone who isn t looking at you. No diving on the floor. All students should be wearing tennis shoes. Be sure that students are not allergic to any materials. Background: Motion energy is properly called kinetic energy; it is proportional to the mass of the moving object and grows with the square of its speed. The motion of an object is determined by the sum of the forces acting on it; if the total force on the object is not zero, its motion will change. The greater the mass of the object, the greater the force needed to achieve the same change in motion. For any given object, a larger force causes a larger change in motion. Activity #1: Introduction (5 minutes) 1. Toss a football to your partner teacher. Ask students what scientific and mathematical concepts were present in the action. Sample answer: velocity, time, speed, force, and direction 2. Ask students what they know or need to know as far as maximizing the distance of a football pass. Write their ideas on the whiteboard. Sample answer: angle of the arm, force of the pass, wind resistance, impact of gravity, footwork, or spiral on the football 3. Review independent, dependent, and control variables in experimental design before letting students begin their investigation.
Sample Answer: The independent variable is the variable that you change or manipulate and the dependent variable is the variable that we are measuring. It changes in response to the independent variable. Control variables remain the same throughout the investigation. Activity #2: Science Journaling (15 minutes) 1. Tell students that they are going to do an investigation in order to try to determine the best way to maximize the distance of a football pass. 2. To conduct the experiment, the students will work in scientific teams of 4 students. 3. Possible variables include the angle of the arm, force of the pass, wind resistance, impact of gravity, footwork, or spiral on the football. Have students collaborate in their groups to fill out the following in their science journals: a. Purpose (We want to find out): b. Hypothesis (This is what I think will happen): c. Independent variables (We will be testing this variable): d. Dependent variables (This is what we are measuring): e. Control variables (These variables will stay the same): f. Materials (This is what we need for our experiment): g. Set Up (Draw a picture of the experiment): h. Procedure (This is how to carry out the experiment): i. Results (This is what happened): 4. The teacher should approve each investigation before students begin. Note: The most popular variable will most likely be the angle of release, in which case the long metric measuring tape and protractors will come in handy. Other variables include the grip and position on the football, the type of ball used, and whether an individual uses a running start or not. Activity #3: Warm Up and Stretching (10 minutes) 1. Take the class to the field (or indoor gym for bad weather). 2. Guide them through stretching activities (i.e. jogging, doing jumping jacks, butt kickers, high knees, burpees, etc.) Activity #4: Investigation (45 minutes)
1. Students should have their notebooks and pens. They will need these items to collect the data from their investigations. 2. Between their groups, students will conduct their investigations to determine the best way to maximize the distance of a football pass. 3. All students should be checking their group s control variables in order to keep the investigations consistent. 4. Try to space groups of students out so that they are not throwing footballs close to students who are measuring distances. Activity #5: Olympic Passing Competition Activity (15 minutes) 1. A measuring tape should be spread out onto the field. 2. Have each student stand on the end of the measuring tape and throw the football as far as they can. Be sure to record the distance that the football is thrown for each student. 3. Once all students have completed the task, the student with the farthest distance will represent their team and compete in the Olympic Football Passing Competition (against the opposing teams). The winners from each team will repeat this process and determine the winners of the competition. Suggested Break and Snack Activity #6: Poster Creation (30 minutes) 1. Give each group a piece of poster paper and markers. Have them create a poster to present to the class. 2. Posters should include: a. Title b. Purpose c. Hypothesis d. Independent, dependent, and control variables e. A data table f. A graph of the data i. Bar Graphs: Relationships with a qualitative variable that are measured quantitatively. Sample investigations: Qualitative Data (i.e. Type of balls vs. Distance, Types of Bats vs. Distance, Air pressure vs. Height)
ii. Linear Relationships: A relationship that occurs when variable quantities are directly proportional to one another. A linear relationship can be represented on a graph as a straight line Sample investigations: Quantitative Data (Percentage/ Number of shots vs. Distance from goal, Force vs. Distance) iii. Quadratic Relationships: As the independent variable increases at a constant rate, the dependent variable increases by smaller and smaller amounts until it reaches a maximum point and then the dependent variable increases by larger and large amounts (for a down-ward facing parabola). Sample Investigations: Quantitative Data (i.e. Time vs. Height, Distance vs. Time, Height vs. Distance, Angle of bat vs. Distance) Activity #7: Poster Discussion (30 minutes) 1. Before the students present, ask the other groups to predict what they think might have happened based on the presenting group s investigative question. Give each student a chance to predict. Have students share their predictions with the class. 2. After each group presents their results, consider asking the following questions (student answers will be determined based on their experiments): a. What went as expected during the experiment? b. What was unexpected? c. Were there any challenges in keeping the independent variables constant? d. Did the results surprise you? e. What improvements could be made to the experiment to get more accurate results? 3. If time permits, do the following activity: Activity #8: Newton s Laws Videos (15 minutes) 1. To introduce the next topic, ask students why it is advantageous for football players to have a lot of mass. a. Show them this video of a quarterback being tackled at about 1:00: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsxxyzuqnfc and ask students who experienced the larger force: the player tackling or the quarterback (being tackled)? b. After hearing some of their answers, explain to the students that each player experiences the same force.
2. Introduce Newton s third law of motion: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. 3. Ask students to think of everyday situations in which they experience Newton s third law and give examples. Sample Answer: Feet coming into contact with the floor; Picking up an object; High-fiving a friend 4. Explain that for every force that they inflict upon an object, the same force is inflicted upon them, and that this reaction force actually happens at the same time. 5. Ask students why the quarterback in the video goes flying if he hits the other player with the same amount of force. This brings up conservation of momentum. Ask again why it is advantageous to have a lot of mass as a football player. Students should recognize that having a lot of mass causes someone with less mass to have a higher velocity after being tackled, resulting in what we see (even though it doesn t always look like the players are exhibiting the same force). 6. Show the Newton s third law so that students can visualize Newton s third law in the context of football: http://www.nbclearn.com/nfl. Ask students to determine how momentum affects the tackle. Sample Answer: It causes one of the players to be disrupted from their original path of movement. 7. If time permits, do the following activity: Activity #9: Projectile Motion App (15 minutes) 1. Use the projector and computer to show this applet: http:// www.goalfinder.com/downloads/projectilemotion.swf 2. Choose a velocity by moving the sliding bar in the upper left hand corner. 3. Ask students to use what they learned from their experiments to predict what will happen when the angle is changed. Ask which angle they think will send the ball the farthest. 4. Test a variety of angles by moving the sliding bar and pressing the smash button. Note: When you refresh the browser, the hole changes position. Recruit a few different volunteers to try and get a hole in one. 5. Use the applet to explain why a forty-five degree release angle gives the longest distance. All projectiles have a vertical and horizontal component of motion. When you throw or hit something at a 45-degree angle, the vertical and
horizontal components are equal so the object is able to move the furthest distance. If the object is thrown at an angle greater than or lesser than a 45-degree angle, the object will be pulled in a vertical or horizontal direction, so the football will not go the furthest distance. Resources: http://www.nextgenscience.org/ Reflection To incorporate math, students can use trigonometry to find the highest point of the football pass. Students will also use a protractor to estimate the angle they used to throw the football. First, students throw the football and observe where it hit the ground (this will be their distance used). Students will then divide this distance by two to estimate the horizontal position of the highest point. Finally, the students will use the distance and angle to calculate the altitude.