Sara E. Thomas
While students are researching a variety of boats they will begin to observe different types of boats from an aesthetic perspective as well.
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- Introduce students to the concept of machines, specifically boats, through close observation.
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- Introduce the idea of improving upon an invention.
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- Predicting changes which improvements on the boat might cause.
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- Observe two different boats in action from several angles.
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- Identify, compare and contrast the energy source of each boat.
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- Show how the parts in a machine relate to and affect each other.
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- Predict changes which occurred from this improvement to boats.
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- Create a detailed drawing of each boat, trying to label the parts.
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- Seven classes of 50 minutes.
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- DaVinci machine drawings
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- Teacher Exemplars, including breakdown of shapes
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- Diagrams of other machines
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- Paper
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- Pencils
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- Erasers
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- Canoes with Rowers (wind-up)
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- Putt-putt boats
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- Sailboats
Day One
- Have students break into small groups.
- Examine boat in detail, look at parts.
- Have students discuss:
- What is a machine?
- What is the function of the boat?
- Where does the energy come from?
- What parts move?
- How do the parts affect each other?
- Draw the machine at rest, including as much information as possible.
- Teacher should show student how to break down boats into shapes to draw.
- Teacher should encourage drawing “cut away” views to see what’s going on inside.
- Repeat above for other two boats.
- Have students compare and contrast the two boats they’ve studied.
- How are they different aesthetically?
- How are their functions different?
- How are their parts different?
- How do they use energy differently?
- What is their source of power?
- Which would you rather own and why?
- How would life be different if you had one instead of the other?
- Create a compare and contrast chart.
- Create a K-W-L chart for how boats work.
- Review what students want to know about how boats work.
- Have students draw conclusions about work, energy and machines.
- What is work?
- How can you tell who is doing work?
- What is a machine?
Day Six and Seven
- Use the canoe to explain work, energy and systems.
- Include smaller demonstrations to illustrate points.
From these lessons students will learn drawing through observation. The teacher will demonstrate how to break down each boat into different shapes, how to use a basic unit of measure to ensure correct proportions, how to draw different shapes at different angles and how to draw symmetrical shapes.
Once students have created drawings from a variety of viewpoints of each of the three model boats (sailboat, putt putt boat and canoe) students will begin exploring how each of these boats works starting with the canoe.
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