Science

State Content Standards: ** ==== D. Describe that energy takes many forms, some forms represent kinetic energy and some forms represent potential energy; and during energy transformations the total amount of energy remains constant. ====
 * Olympic Science Lesson **
 * Benchmark: **


 * Indicators: **

4. Explain how energy can change forms but the total amount of energy remains constant.

 * Technology: **

PowerPoint- this will be used to make a digital scrapbook of photos of the different types of energy.
LCD Projector
 * Description: **

==== For this lesson, students will be using one of the computer labs located in the school. They will first visit the following website on [|“How Stuff Works”] to help them gain a better understanding of the conservation of energy, potential energy (PE), and kinetic energy (KE). Another great video the students may watch demonstrates energy transfer through an [|Olympic ice hockey player's slapshot]. ====
 * ==== Once students have reviewed PE and KE, they will be directed to the Olympic website, and will be researching the media player tab. Here is a screenshot of what they will find. [[image:Screen_shot_2010-06-02_at_1.45.05_PM.png width="640" height="400"]] ====

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 * ==== The students will use this website as a type of imaging database. ====
 * ==== Their task involves searching the Olympic images to find: ====
 * ==== A minimum of 5 photographs that clearly represent Kinetic Energy (energy in motion) ====
 * ==== A minimum of 5 photographs that clearly represent Potential Energy (stored energy). ====
 * ==== The students have the freedom to choose the sport and event they would like to get their images from, as long as the images are a clear representation of the different types of energy. ====
 * ==== Once Olympic images have been chosen, students will take turns using the classroom digital camera to capture images of themselves demonstrating potential and kinetic energy. ====
 * ==== Each student will be required to include two images of themselves (one demonstrating PE, and one demonstrating KE) in their digital photo album. ====

In this lesson, the students were asked to create a digital photo album using PowerPoint to demonstrate their knowledge of different types of energy. Although PowerPoint presentations have historically been used for lecture purposes, and presentations, using this tool in a different way, such as a digital photo album, is a more innovative way to engage students in their learning. In the fall 2006 issue of Gifted Child Today, F. de Wet states that “Technology should be another way of presenting content that allows more individual students access to intellectual engagement with the content they are learning.” It was also encouraging to read in this article “student comprehension can be increased through visual learning, so PowerPoint can be effectively used, for example, to create graphical comparisons of ideas presented in class (Matheson et al., 2002),” (F. de Wet 2006). This is precisely what the Olympic Science Lesson has tried to do, create images and graphical comparisons to help students achieve understanding of new content. F. de Wet, C. (Fall 2006). “Beyond presentations, using PowerPoint as an effective instructional tool.” Gifted Child Today, Volume 29, Number 4, 29-39.
 * ==== As students collect their images, they should begin creating their PowerPoint presentation. ====
 * ==== The PowerPoint presentation will act as a digital photo album that demonstrates their knowledge of PE, KE, and the conservation of energy. ====
 * ==== Each slide should include a title, the image, a caption explaining the sport and event and a reason why it is under the energy category they placed it in, and a citation of the source the image was captured from. Students should take advantage of the arrow tools if they need to point out specifics in their image that help validate their decision. ====
 * ==== At the end of the activity, we will utilize the LCD projector to allow each student to present his or her digital photo album to the class. ====
 * ==== Students will be evaluated based on the fulfillment of the requirements per slide. A total of 12 slides were required of each student. ====
 * Resources: **

** Tried & True or New & Innovative: ** ==== I think this lesson would be an example of an activity that is “tried and true.” Many students have had to utilize PowerPoint in previous classes or various activities by this point in their education. The use of digital cameras has also become quite popular and most of our population of students may even own one personally. By combining the use of Internet research, digital cameras, digital photo albums, and science concepts, this lesson on energy takes on a new twist. A concept such as this quickly becomes relate-able to real-life situations by incorporating famous Olympic athletes and themselves. The more accessible this technology becomes to schools, the more comfortable teachers will become in putting it into practice. ====