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Contents

• Introduction
• Kit Topics
• Objectives
• Themes and Concepts
• District Standards
• Assessment

Introduction

The Variables unit is a Full Option Science System (FOSS) kit created by the Lawrence Hall of Science at the University of California, Berkeley. It is published by Delta Education.

The Variables kit introduces students to the concept of a variable. Students identify variables, control variables, and conduct controlled experiments using a variety of multivariable systems: pendulums, airplanes, boats, and catapults.

Kit Topics

Activity 1: Swingers

Part 1: Making swingers

Part 2: Testing New Variables

Activity 2: Lifeboats

Part 1: Boat Building

Part 2: Inspect the Lifeboats

Part 3: Inspect Other Boats

Activity 3: Plane Sense

Part 1: Plane Construction

Part 2: Investigating Variables

Part 3: Flights of Fancy

Part 4: Graph Results

Activity 4: Flippers

Part 1: Flip Stick Construction

Part 2: Flip Out

Part 3: Controlled Experiments

Objectives

Students are expected to:

• gain experience with the concept of variable.
• gain experience with the concept of system.
• design and conduct controlled experiments.
• construct materials that will be used in the investigations.
• acquire some understanding of the behavior of pendulums.
• gain experience with buoyancy.
• use data to make predictions.
• apply mathematics in the context of science.
• record and graph data concretely, pictorially, and symbolically to discover relationships.
• acquire the vocabulary associated with controlled experimentation.
• gain experiences that contribute to their understanding of several pervasive themes that point out connections among scientific ideas: patterns, interaction, change, and system.

Themes and Concepts

Activity 1: Swingers

Themes:

• Pattern
• Interaction
• Change
• System

Concepts:

• Variables are things you can change that might affect the outcome of an experiment.
• In a controlled experiment, only one variable is changed and the results are compared to a standard.
• The length of a pendulum determines the number of swings in a unit of time. .

Activity 2: Lifeboats

Themes:

• Pattern
• Interaction

Concepts:

• Variables are things you can change that might affect the outcome of an experiment.
• Capacity is the maximum volume of fluid a container can hold. .

Activity 3: Plane Sense

Themes:

• Change
• System

Concepts:

• Variables are things you can change that might affect the outcome of an experiment.
• In a controlled experiment, only one variable is changed and the results are compared to a standard.
• A system is a set of related objects that can be considered in isolation for study.

Activity 4: Flippers

Themes:

• Pattern
• Change
• System

Concepts:

• Variables are things you can change that might affect the outcome of an experiment.
• In a controlled experiment, a set of investigations is conducted in which only one variable is changed by increments, and results are compared to determine how the variable affects outcomes.

District Standards

The Variables kit meets the following State/District Standards:

Standard 1. Students understand the processes of scientific investigation and design, conduct, communicate about, and evaluate such investigations. (1.a., 1.b., 1.c., 1.d., 1.e., 1.f., 1.g., 1.h., 1.i., 1.j.)

Standard 2. Students know and understand common properties, forms, and changes in matter and energy. (2.1.a., 2.2.a., 2.2.b., 2.3.a., 2.3.b., 2.3.c., 2.3.d., 2.3.e.)

Standard 5. Students know and understand interrelationships among science, technology, and human activity and how they can affect the world. (5.d.)

Standard 6. Students understand the processes of scientific investigation and design, conduct, communicate about, and evaluate such investigations. (6.a., 6.d., 6.f.)

Assessment

The Variables kit contains a set of assessments which can be used to monitor learning during or at the end of the module. The set contains (1) Hands-on Assessment that uses materials from the module to assess performance and learning; (2) a Pictorial Assessment that requires the students to apply what was learned and communicate understanding; (3) a Reflective Questions Assessment that requires the student to reflect upon the content, recall information, and use knowledge in a way that is different from the way the information was presented in the activities. Using the assessments to monitor students over the course of the instruction will provide a record of individual progress as well as the overall progress of the class.

This web page is maintained by Joan E. Grant.