C-STEM Photogate Lesson Plan

Objective:

Students will assess their athletic form by designing experiments to correlate speed with height.

Materials:

Arduino, breadboard, photo-resistor, laser, stopwatch, and photogate application.

• Additional material can be incorporated in order to stimulate creative problem solving in the student’s hypothesis

Procedure:

1. Discussion
   • Who here plays a sport?
   • Can you show or describe to me what is athletic form?
     • Students generate examples
   • How can athletic form affect the performance of an athlete?
     • Explain how different forms can affect results differently, give examples (have student throw a ball 2 ways)
   • How can we measure form?
     • Students generate examples
   • In what ways can we use technology to measure form?
     • Students generate examples (but have an example of our own to help them out)
     • Provide example of the jump plate peer-reviewed journal
2. Introduce Students to Rarámuri Tribe
   • What do you think makes them successful?
   • Break down the actual techniques that make them successful
   • Ask if we can quantify these
   • Show video of Fire Feet
3. Introduce Photogate
   • Show what it measures
   • Explain technical information at a higher level
   • Show how to build
   • Measure running form
   • Student Roles:
     • Student running
     • Student on the timer
     • Student counting runners steps
   • Calculate the pace, compare to the height
   • Have students break into groups and build their own
4. Student Design Activity
   • Students brainstorm with or without additional materials provided
   • Students to create a hypothesis to test
   • Students test hypothesis
   • Students present their hypothesis to the group
5. Post Activity Wrap-up
   • Discuss the possibilities that technology can enable us to measure
   • Reflect on lessons discussed today

Assessment:

Students will be assessed on their ability to use the scientific method in designing a “form measuring” assessment