Professional Documents
Culture Documents
INTRODUCTION
Baird. S (2002) once stated Teachers have a responsibility to educate students in technological
literacy in order to ensure they grow up with informed decision making skills on these topics. (Baird.
S, p. 25, 2002). Therefore this lesson sequence aims to educate students in production and cause and
effect of systems.
This sequence of lessons is a 5-lesson unit designed for AusVELS Level 6 students and is dedicated
to the design and construction of Water propelled rockets. This sequence of lessons fits in with the
current inquiry unit of technology, while also use the skills such as researching, sketching,
constructing and problem solving.
Before this unit of lessons commences, students have already touched on some of the aspects and
skills required to engage in this topic such as: Basic design skills, sketching and idea generation have
been done in previous units.
Water Rockets are a fantastic way of introducing physics and Forces to this year level. The process of
researching, designing and building the water rockets is financially viable, as many of the materials
are recycled and or easy to come by and a very cheap price.
DESIGN,
CREATIVITY
&
TECHNOLOGY
(DCT)
FOCUS-
SYSTEMS
In the DCT there are three main focuses that can be broken into: information, systems and materials.
Through out the course of the 5 lessons the main focus of all lessons will be on teaching students
about the systems aspect of DCT. Through using water rockets as an experiment and design project
students begin to understand basic elements of how things work. As defined in systems can be
expressed through gaining knowledge and understand towards A combination of elements that work
together so that a specific outcome is achieved. (AusVELS, 2013) Therefore demonstrating through
the use of designing, building and creating a useable water rocket helps students to develop their
knowledge towards systems and a basic understanding of how elements work together to achieve a
desired outcome.
how to constantly be using critical thinking processes all throughout the process. It ensures students
are using problem-solving skills if materials are perhaps not working or the water rocket is
unbalanced. The idea is that students need to learn that their design may not always work when
entering the production phase and therefore they need to cater to changes during this phase through
critical and creative thinking and using their ability to problem-solve.
Analysing and evaluating
The final lesson is all about reflecting and putting together all data collection and presenting in a
clearly laid out graph. The purpose of a final reflection piece is to encourage students to work towards
analysing and evaluating their own work. As stated by Campbell, C. & Jane, B. (2012) Children do
not need to have fun as long as they gain some sense of achievement and fulfillment from what they
are doing. (pg. 9, 2012) Therefore when students are able to engage and take responsibility in their
own work and creation they are much more likely to be engaged in the learning taking place.
Therefore having a reflection at the end by written by students allows for them to look back and
reflect on the work that they have participated in and gain a complete understanding in their work. It
allows students to identify what worked in their project, what could be improved upon next time and
how well they went designing the project as a whole. It also acts as an aid for the teacher to see which
areas students were struggling in and therefore improve upon the approach to the topic for next time.
AUSVELS:
CROSS
CURRICULUM
Maths
Mathematics will be shown through the collection of data, measuring distances and graphing
information. The AusVELS standard can relate to Compare observed frequencies across experiments
with expected frequencies (ACMSP146)
Using maths across curriculum demonstrates to students how mathematics can be used in other areas
of study; thus demonstrating to students the importance of mathematical knowledge. Using data
collection also gives students a sense of purpose to their work as well as a clear understanding of how
effective their design was, as well as an insight to what made the best, most effective water rocket.
The graphing process allows for data to be presented in a visual and understandable manner.
Digital Learning and Teaching Victoria (2015) expresses on their website that Flow chart [was]
easy to follow and made it simpler to identify approaches (Digital Learning and Teaching Victoria,
2015) Even though it is a graph being used and not a flow chart it is still the same idea that using
mathematical imagery to depict findings makes it easier to comprehend and therefore understand.
Science
Science will be demonstrated throughout the topic through the form of basic physics. Students will
learn about the general physics of rockets as a whole and then more specifically water rockets.
Throughout the course of the 5 lessons students will learn the AusVELS standard The way energy
from a variety of sources can be used (ACSSU219)
In particular looking at air and water pressure as
an energy. Further to this science has been expressed by Norton, S. Ritchie, S. & Ginns, I. (2007) who
expresses that Science and technology are two domains in the curriculum that can complement each
other and therefore be integrated together. (Norton, S. Ritchie, S. & Ginns, I. p. 205, 2007)
Literacy
Throughout the course of the 5 lessons students should be applying their literacy skills such as oral
language, writing skills including correct spelling grammar and punctuation. The major aspect that
will reflect upon a students literacy skill will be that of the reflection. The AusVELS standard states
that students will need to Participate in and contribute to discussions, clarifying and interrogating
ideas, developing and supporting arguments, sharing and evaluating information, experiences and
opinions (ACELY1709)
Thinking Processes
Students will need to apply creative thinking and problem-solving skills to work towards developing
an appropriate design. Students will need to adapt to challenges they may face and work towards
fixing any problems that occur and use creative and critical thinking to reach their desired outcome.
The AusVELS standard describes that student will be required to Increasingly focus on tasks that
require flexible thinking for decision making, synthesis and creativity.
SAFETY
FEATURES
The creation of a water rocket does not in fact require many safety features. The only tools that
students will be required to use are scissors. Therefore at the beginning of the production lesson the
teacher will be encouraged to give a safety chat with students about general safety within the
classroom i.e. no running around, mindful of other people and there working space. The only
demonstration that may be required is to show students how to correctly cut plastic, cardboard and
paper as well as the correct way to handle scissors.
ASSESSMENT
10-9
Research and
development is in
depth and provides a
clear direction for
design
9-7
Research and
development is clear
and provides
appropriate direction
for design
Scientific
Knowledge
Knowledge gathered
and applied throughout
the research and
development stage of
design
Knowledge gathered
and applied to the
research and
development stage of
the design
Construction Materials
Function
Data Collection
Presentation
7-5
Research and
development is
present and
influences the
direction of the
design
Knowledge gathered
and applied loosely to
the research and
development stage of
design
Data and
observations taken
after each launch
DAta and
observations
collected are
presented nicely
5-1
Research and
development is
present but does not
provide a clear
direction for the
design
Knowledge gathered
and applied
minimally to the
research and
development stage of
the design
minimal safety
aspects adhered to
and safety procedures
not followed during
construction
Materials provided
are poorly used and
excessive waste is
produced during
construction
The Water Rocket
did not perform as
expected even after
modifications
Data and
observations not
recorded to the
required standard
Data and
observations are
presented poorly
APPENDIX
1st
appendix:
AusVELS
Standards
Key
Domain
Standards/Skill
Solve problems involving the
Maths
comparison of lengths and areas using
appropriate units
English
ICT
Creative
thinking
processes
Code
Key
(ACMMG137) 1.1
(ACMMG140)
1.2
(ACELY1712) 2.1
(ACELY1714) 2.2
2.3
(ACELY1717)
2.4
(ACELY1709)
No
code
3.1
No
code
3.2
No
code
4.1
No
code
4.2
DCT
Science
No
code
No
code
4.3
4.4
No
code
No
code
No
code
5.1
5.2
5.3
6.1
6.2
6.3
6.4
(ACSIS103)
(ACSIS104)
(ACSIS221)
(ACSIS108)
2nd
appendix:
DESIGN BRIEF
Name:
Year: 6
Context
At
the
end
of
the
term
the
school
fate
is
on,
and
one
of
the
attractions
for
this
year
will
be
the
water
rocket
exhibition.
The
school
wants
to
showcase
your
skills
that
you
have
learned
through
the
year
so
far
in
designing,
contsructing
and
presenting
data.
In
Pairs
you
will
research,
design,
construct
and
record
data
relevant
to
your
rocket.
You
will
then
create
a
poster
presenting
your
data,
observations
and
rocket
to
go
with
the
exhibition
at
the
school
fair.
Rockets
will
be
fired
on
the
Day,
but
there
will
be
a
class
competition
to
see
whos
Rocket
travels
the
furthest.
Challenge
Some
of
the
challenges
you
will
face
during
the
design
process,
construction
and
launch
of
the
rockets
During
the
design
process
challenges
wil
include
o Researching
an
efficient
design
o Designing
something
viable
with
the
materials
specified
During
the
Constructiong
process
challenges
will
include
o Attaching
certain
parts
to
the
main
body
of
the
rocket,
they
must
be
able
to
hold
on
during
quick
acceleration
o Ensuring
the
construction
matches
the
design
o Balancing
the
build,
so
the
rocket
isnt
uneven
During
the
launch
of
the
rockets
some
of
the
problems
encountered
will
be
o Possible
repairs
to
the
rocket
o Modifications
to
improve
results
o Possible
failures
of
components
Specifications
Below
is
a
list
of
the
specifications
that
will
be
needed
in
order
to
create
a
water
rocket:
1.25
Litre
bottle
80
psi
air
pressure
between
150ml
and
250ml
water
Card
paper
Cardboard
Timeline
of
build
from
start
to
finish
is
5
lessons