Safety Alert
As an educator you are responsible for the implementation of the activities found on this site. You must have safety procedures and rules established for you classroom and make sure all of the students follow the rules to ensure a safe environment. South Dakota Public Broadcasting cannot in any way be responsible or liable for any injury as a result of using the activities. Use the activities you feel are appropriate and safe for your individual class. Have fun and stay safe.

Questions, comments or ideas for Kids Quest can be e-mailed to Edservices@sdpb.org

It is common knowledge that all kids love to play.
Unfortunately, some of the students you have in the classroom are not as thrilled about math, language arts or science class. Their minds may be on recess or a television show they watched the night before. The activity that follows is a very fun and easy supplement to bring your class alive without straying from learning. The kids will learn and have fun.

Activity:
     The focus of the following activity examines the effect differences in surface area have on air resistance. There are many examples of humans trying to reduce the effect of air resistance. For example new cars are made to reduce the amount of air resistance. Cars are sleek and rounded to allow the air to flow over and around the vehicle. Wax is also used to reduce the amount of resistance. Swimmers may cover their hair with a cap or cover their body with oil to reduce resistance

     One of the problems the shuttle has to overcome is temperature increase due to air resistance. This problem occurs during the re-entering of the atmosphere. The outer shell of the shuttle must be aerodynamic and covered with a special tile, which heat up but do not transfer the heat inside which could cause a failure. Disasters occur when the system fails.

Web sites about disasters in space:
http://www.nasa.gov/columbia/home/

http://www.pbs.org/lostliners/t_bigger.html

Friction can cause a heat increase on earth. The video clip below shows a few examples of friction.
Watch the Science Sample clip (13 min)

The Kids Quest episode "Fill Your Head With Space” explains some of these concerns involving friction. and gives the solutions NASA used to over come them. For your convenience, all of the Kids Quest episodes can be viewed on line at http://www.sdpb.org/.

Materials per group:
2 pieces poster board
1 weight (should be same in each group) Examples of weights: apple (slices), corn cob (piece), eraser, markers
1 stop watch or second hand 1 for each group
1 roll masking tape
1 ladder or something tall to stand on
1 ruler (inches may be better than cm when graphing area)
1 pair of goggles
graph paper
note: Amounts of material may vary depending on your class size.

Procedure:
Introduction of topic (space) (1-2 class periods)
1. Watch Kids Quest "Fill Your Head With Space”.

2. Cover information in your science text about air resistance.

3. Visit educational web sites about space.
http://www.pbs.org/teachersource/
http://education.nasa.gov

4. Review the scientific method section in your text book.

Process:
1. The activity involves the effect of air resistance on objects free falling toward the earth. This activity is a perfect lab to use to help students understand the basics of the scientific method. Before the lab begins you could introduce the activity and ask the students to hypothesis which design will fall the fastest or slowest. The students could use the steps of the scientific method to prepare a pre-lab investigation. The number of steps completed for the scientific method varies
depending on which book you use. Below are some sites which explain the scientific method in detail. Also, you will find an simple example shown below.
http://biology.clc.uc.edu/courses/bio104/sci_meth.htm
http://teacher.nsrl.rochester.edu/phy_labs/AppendixE/AppendixE.html

2. The students need to be placed in-groups of 2-3. They should be given all of the materials listed above. The students should place 2 pieces of poster board on their desk and tape them together. They should overlap about 10 cm. The papers should be taped on both sides.

3. This will be the largest surface area for the investigation. The students should measure the length and width in inches. Then the students should multiply the length times the width to obtain the surface area. The measurement should be recorded on a data table in inches squared. Inches squared will be an easier value to graph than cm squared due to large difference in numbers once multiplied.

4. The students should tape the weight in the middle of the large piece of paper. The paper is now ready to be dropped. The group should safely drop the paper weight side up from the drop site you have picked. One of the students in the group should hold the paper and say,” one, two, three” then drop the paper. Another student should start a timer when the paper is released and stops it when it hits the ground. The time should be recorded on the data table. The process should be repeated 2 more times.

5. The students need to reduce the surface area by about half. They should keep the same amount of mass, so the paper must be folded or cut and then taped together. Steps 3-4 should be completed. The students should continue to reduce the surface area until at least 10 measurements are obtained.

6. The students should graph the data. The students should conclude how surface area affects the drop rate of objects.

7. The activity can be modified to meet your needs.

(example graph- can be completed on paper)
(does not represent real data)

(example graph, can be completed on paper)
(does not represent true data)

State Standards:
If completed correctly, the following standards are used in the activity above. More standards could be used by including spin-offs of the activity. For example, a paper could be written about the Columbia disaster.
State content Standards
Number indicates standard number

FIFTH GRADE ALGEBRA STANDARDS- THE STUDENT WILL:
5. use information taken from a graph or equation to answer questions about a problem situation or create a "story".
8. analyze tables and graphs to identify properties and relationships.
9. represent situations and number patterns with concrete materials, tables, graphs, verbal rules, and algebraic notation.

FIFTH GRADE MEASUREMENT STANDARDS - THE STUDENT WILL:
1. identify equivalent periods of time and solve problems. (example: relationships among days, months, and years; hours and minutes, A.M. and P.M.) - (could convert sec to minutes and hours)
3. use and convert measurement units. (example: inches to feet) - (could complete activity in inches and feet)
4. use formulas in measurement situations. (example: perimeter, area)
7. use appropriate tools to measure length, weight, temperature, volume, and area.

FIFTH GRADE PATTERNS, RELATIONS, AND FUNCTIONS STANDARDS - THE STUDENT WILL:
5. describe and explain how one quantity determines another quantity in a functional relationship based on a linear pattern.
6. use information from a graph or equation to answer questions about a problem situation or to create a "story".

FIFTH GRADE STATISTICS & PROBABILITY STANDARDS- THE STUDENT WILL:
1. collect, organize, and display data in a variety of forms.
2. use statistical data about life situations to make predictions and justify reasoning.
3. analyze data to determine the appropriate uses of the measures of central tendency.
4. compare data sets of different sizes to determine reliability. (extension-some groups collect smaller data sets)
5. use models including tree diagrams to display possible outcomes and predict events. (extension activity)
7. explain how summary predictions about large collections of events are usually more accurate than summary predictions about just a few events. (extension-some groups collect smaller data sets)


FIFTH GRADE NATURE OF SCIENCE STANDARDS- STUDENTS WILL:
3. explain how scientific theory, hypothesis generation, and experimentation are interrelated.
6. formulate hypotheses based on cause and effect relationships and use observed patterns to make predictions.
7. make predictions, utilize observations, and draw conclusions.
8. define variables that must be held constant in a specific experimental situation. (example: mass)
9. collect, record, and report data using the appropriate graphical representation. (example: graphs, charts, and diagrams)
10. recognize numerical data that are contradictory or unusual in experimental results. (example timing errors)
11. use appropriate scientific equipment for investigations.
12. use proper safety procedures in all investigations.

FIFTH GRADE PHYSICAL SCIENCE STANDARDS- STUDENTS WILL:
1. explain that matter takes up space and has mass. (example: air and resistance)
2. explore that matter is made up of elements and molecules. (example: carbon dioxide, water) (air)
6. describe the effect of various external energies on the states of matter. (example: temperature, mechanical, chemical) (Columbia breakdown)
10. identify forces in specific situations that require objects to interact, change directions, or stop.
11. analyze the structure and design of simple and complex machines to determine how the machines make work easier. (Tile on shuttle)
12. demonstrate that temperature change can produce phase changes in matter. (Columbia)

FIFTH GRADE SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENVIRONMENT, AND SOCIETY, STANDARDS- STUDENTS WILL:
1. explain how people continue to invent new ways of doing things, solving problems, and getting work done. (extension-shuttle topic)
2. describe the effect new ideas and inventions have on people. (extension-space topics)
3. investigate the improvements science has made in transportation, health, sanitation, and communication. (extension-space travel on human travel)
6. evaluate a product or design based on constraints. (extension-limits on space travel)

Credits:
Resource: South Dakota Department of Education Content Standards.