X-Sieve: CMU Sieve 2.2
To: "Kenneth Brody W." <kwbrody@xxxxxxx>
From: Lois Kenick <loisly@xxxxxxx>
Subject: field testing opportunity
Date: Tue, 8 Jul 2008 18:52:41 -0400
SAE International and the Education Development
Center (EDC) are excited to announce that a new
engineering design activity will be added to
SAE's popular "A World in Motion" series. EDC is
currently recruiting sixth grade science and
technology education teachers to field test the
new curriculum module in fall 2008.
The field test version of the curriculum is
based on Spring 2008 pilot testing with
teachers. Teachers who are selected to field
test the new module will receive stipends for
their time and feedback. Materials needed to
teach the module will be supplied by EDC. We are
particularly interested in recruiting teachers
from rural schools.
More details about the new curriculum are below.
If you think you might be interested in field
testing the new curriculum, please contact
Sarita Nair-Pillai at spillai@xxxxxxx
Gravity Cruiser Curriculum Module
A World in Motion Curriculum from SAE International
Developed by Education Development Center, Inc.
Thank you for your interest in the new
curriculum module from SAE International. This
new module, The Gravity Cruiser, challenges
sixth graders to build and optimize a
gravity-powered toy car, immersing the students
in the engineering design process. This module
will become part of SAE International's popular
A World In Motion®(AWIM) program. Please see the
next page for a more detailed description of the
Gravity Cruiser.
Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC) has a
team developing the curriculum and is currently
recruiting sixth grade science and technology
education teachers to field test the new
curriculum module in September 2008. Field test
teachers will be testing a draft of the
curriculum that has been revised based on pilot
testing with teachers in the Spring of 2008.
Teachers who are selected to field test the new
module will receive stipends for their time and
feedback. Materials needed to teach the module
will be supplied by EDC.
Classroom Time: We recommend allocating 16 class
periods for field testing. The curriculum module
can be completed in 12 one-hour long class
periods, and there are several extension
opportunities for classes with more time to
devote to the project. The 12 hours of project
work could be scheduled in a variety of
ways-some classes might meet for 50 minutes
daily, while others might meet once or twice a
week in longer blocks of time.
Field Testing (begins late September 2008)
Below are the requirements for participating in
Gravity Cruiser field tests. Field test teachers
must be able to :
· Participate in a pre-field-test conference call
· Teach the curriculum as written and, to
the extent possible, within the stated amount of
time allocated. If teachers are unable to do
this, they must notify project staff in advance
and in writing.
· Complete a pre and post survey and keep a
log of their experience (a rubric or survey
instrument may be provided for this)
· Ensure their students complete pre and
post surveys and keep logs of their work
· Share both teacher logs and samples of student work with EDC
· Make recommendations for the module's improvement
· Participate in a post-field-test conference call
In addition, Field teachers will have
phone/email access to a project staff member to
assist with questions or issues that arise
during the field test. Representatives from EDC
and SAE will visit some field-test classrooms to
observe.
Description of New AWIM Module
The new Gravity Cruiser module is part of SAE's
A World In Motion®(AWIM) program which
introduces students to the engineering design
process through hands-on, team building
projects. To learn more about AWIM, visit
www.awim.org.
A Gravity Cruiser is an intriguing toy car
easily constructed from common materials. It is
powered by a lever mounted on the car body. At
one end of the lever is a weight; the other end
is connected to one axle by string. As the
weight rotates the lever, the string unwinds
from the axle, propelling the gravity cruiser
forward.
In this challenge, students work in teams to
focus on understanding the relationship among
the "sweep" of the lever arm, the number of
winds that the string makes about the axle, and
the distance the gravity cruiser travels. They
will also investigate how the diameter of the
wheels, the diameter of the axle, and the amount
of weight placed on the lever affect the gravity
cruiser's speed and distance. The interplay of
these factors is not simple: it offers a rich
challenge in critical thinking while at the same
time providing an enjoyable "vehicle" for
learning to use the experimental method to test
hypotheses and solve a tricky engineering
problem.
After learning how to control the performance of
this toy through a series of controlled tests,
student design teams create their own customized
toys. The set of toys student teams design will
constitute a fleet of toy vehicles that they
present at the end of this challenge.
As they work with the gravity cruiser, students will be asked to
* understand its construction
* observe its behavior
* reflect on its behavior
* develop hypotheses about how it works
* formulate experiments to test the hypotheses
* carry out the tests they come up with and/or the activities described
* design a system for a given performance requirement
* build, test, revise
* present to the class and explain their choices
In completing these steps, students will have
experienced design in an engineering context and
gained some understanding of the design process
and how the products they use have come to be.
