Building Crash Barriers: An Impulse Engineering Project

NCNAAPT, April 24th & 25th, 2015

Created in collaboration with Dan Burns of Los Gatos High School and Jon Brix of Amador Valley High School

 

This project was inspired by a conversation with Dan Burns and developed by Jon Brix and I. We continue to work on this project to refine it.

Poster (ppt or pdf) and handout (pdf or google doc)

NGSS Science & Engineering

New Teacher Institute, March 7th, 2015

Presented with Geoff Gould

Powerpoint shared today (pdf or ppt)

Science & Engineering Practices Highlights (pdf or google doc)

More complete text of Science & Engineering Practices Activity (pdf or google doc)

Blank Practices chart (pdf or google doc)

Workshop Notes graciously collected by Mac of our discussions

Just some of the ideas for implementing the Science & Engineering Practices that participants had:

NGSS Sample Performance Assessments

The sample Performance Assessments were released last month and I'm just now getting a chance to sit down and look at it. And it will take some time to digest it. Each is 17 pages and includes background information, description of the tasks, time lines and examples. The Solar Oven is the only one that seems primarily Physics. As you read it, you may come to realize its a fairly complex assignment as I did. Each time I thought I understood how to implement it in my classroom another page reveals another layer. I don't know how this can be achieved with hands on materials in my classroom.

Blinky Lights 2014

Exploratorium's STEAM Conference, November 22nd, 2014
Blinky Light materials are here.

Solar Dancer

Share n' Tell, NCNAAPT Fall Meeting, City College of San Francisco - November 15th, 2014

I found this Solar Dancer at the local Dollar Tree. It has a photocell (light sensitive panel) that collects light and causes the dancer to move side to side. The photocell sends current through the coil which creates a magnetic field. The magnetic field from the coil interferes with the permanent magnet's magnetic field and causes the small figure to move.

Literacy & Kinematics

Share n' Tell, NCNAAPT Fall Meeting, City College of San Francisco - November 15th, 2014 

 Traffic Survey article from Los Altos (pdf or google doc), Dan Burns editorial (pdf or google doc) and activity questions (pdf or google doc). Definition of a "speed Trap" according to California Vehicle Code:

V C Section 40802 Speed Traps

Speed Traps

40802.  (a) A "speed trap" is either of the following:

(1) A particular section of a highway measured as to distance and with boundaries marked, designated, or otherwise determined in order that the speed of a vehicle may be calculated by securing the time it takes the vehicle to travel the known distance.

NGSS Interactive Pathway resource

While searching for an image to use for a poster submission four my upcoming NCNAAPT meeting I found this image that I really enjoyed from the Concord Consortium. Conceptually I think it helps with understanding how the three strands are brought together. I was amused when I found a "fortune teller" template about NGSS. I was thrilled to see this interactive pathway page. If you choose a Discipline Core Idea, then a Practice you would like to use and finally a Crosscutting Concept. Then an activity is suggested for you that meets all those needs! The materials look great and were developed with a grant from NSF. The activities are very detailed, including images and other multimedia and has pacing information with teacher support. Some have questions next to the pictures for students to answer. After the questions are answered students can create a report that can be printed with their responses.

The poster I submitted to the NCNAAPT conference is available here and is meant as an introduction to NGSS for teachers and administrators alike.