Inclined Plane Experiment

1. Bellringer - Students will brainstorm and quickly write as many different uses for ramps and where they have seen them in the real world. 
2. They will pair-share their classmates with their answers.
3. The teacher will discuss their answers.
4. The teacher will have the students watch the video (can be downloaded and assigned via LMS): https://scetv.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/idptv11.sci.phys.maf.d4ksim/simple-machines/ (Resource 1)
5. Students are to answer the following questions in their journal or on their digital devices - 
   1. List the simple machines mentioned in the video.
   2. How does an inclined plane make work easier?
   3. Which simple machine is used to split things apart or hold a door open?
6. The teacher will introduce the vocabulary (see the list in resources) to the class by using the Marzano method of teaching vocabulary words (Teaching Basic and Advanced Vocabulary: A Framework for Direct Instruction). The teacher introduces the word by using the student's background knowledge, students write the vocabulary words and definitions in their journal using their own definitions, students draw a picture of each word in their journal (the teacher might want to skip the vocabulary terms dealing with reproduction for this part), and students pair-share the vocabulary words with a partner. 
7. The teacher will give the students the following problem: You are asked to help a friend move into their new home.  You want to figure out the easiest way to move the boxes upstairs while using an inclined plane. You have to change the inclined plane to require less work to move the boxes. 
8. The teacher will have wooden planks with a box with a 10-pound weight in it (10 textbooks can work) next to the raised surface. The students will have to create inclined planes using the planks and raised surfaces. They will need to measure the distance of the plank from the bottom to where it intersects with the raised surface. They will also measure the angle of the inclined plane using the protractor. They will write the data in their journal and draw a sketch in their journal using a scaled-down version with the same angle as their plane Then, they will push the box up the plane. They will change the angle and distance, and determine if they are using more or less force. They need to record the angle, distance, and sketch, then write if they used more force or less force to move the box. They will then change the angle, distance again, plus record the angle, distance, and sketch in their journal. They will push the box up the plane and record if they used more force or less force from the first attempt and the second attempt. The teacher needs to observe the students’ participation during the experiment. 
9. Hopefully, the students will draw the following conclusion: By increasing the distance the effort force moves (length of the ramp) relative to the distance the object/load is moved (height of the ramp); an inclined plane can reduce the effort force needed.
10. The students will write their conclusion in their journal and determine the most efficient way to move the box up the inclined plane. 
11. The teacher will then tell the class that by increasing the distance the effort force moves (length of the ramp) relative to the distance the object/load is moved (height of the ramp); an inclined plane can reduce the effort force needed.

12. Closure - The teacher will share the background reading page on Inclined Planes found in the support materials: https://scetv.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/phy03.sci.phys.mfw.galileoplane/galileos-inclined-plane/support-materials/. Students will work together to summarize the information from the text in their journal or on their devices.  Then, the students will watch this video on Inclined Planes - https://scetv.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/phy03.sci.phys.mfw.galileoplane/galileos-inclined-plane/. The students will then answer the discussion questions, located on the support materials page referenced previously. This can be done orally or in their journal.

Students will be assessed by their journal and participation: https://docs.google.com/document/d/157BHDJ78QK_HmhjByPB7oQQmdWvBIeR1GXJoFwYdE0U/edit?usp=sharing