Duration: 20 minutes
SPIRIT Skills:
- Problem-solving
Brief Description:
At the end they make in sand with falling objects
lunar landscapes with different crater sizes.
Final task: Create a lunar landscape with 4 craters
- 1 large/long and deep crater
- 1 small/short and shallow crater
- 1 large (long) and deep crater
- 1 large (long) and shallow crater
Take a photo in black and white:
- once with the stones next to the craters
- once without the stones.
Afterwards, students explain how they formed this landscape.
They must use the scientific vocabulary they have learned.
How does this develop particular SPIRIT skills
Problem-solving (open-ended questioning).
What do we want to achieve regarding SPIRIT skill development (student understanding and/or behaviour)?
Children learn problem-solving thinking about gravity when they drop different types of stones (large/small, heavy/light) into a sandpit to create a lunar landscape. Through experimentation, they discover how the stones create craters and what role gravity plays in this, how deep they sink, and what effects the weight and height of the drop have. You can see problem-solving thinking in:
- Trying out different stones and heights to see what effect this has on the sand
- Comparing results (‘Which stone makes the biggest crater?’)
- Adjusting their approach if something doesn’t work (‘Maybe I should hold the stone higher’)
- Looking for solutions when a crater does not turn out well (‘Can I press the sand differently?’)
- Their behaviour shows curiosity, experimentation, comparison and improvement. Their results show different types of craters and a lunar landscape that shows they have thought about cause and effect.
Academic/Curriculum Objective connection
- The application of gravity and its force on the impact when objects fall
- Creating an image (2D or 3D) by deliberately placing objects in space.
- Students learn the basic principles of doing scientific research: careful observation and fair comparison.
In the translation it must be adapted! They are the national curriculum!
Materials and tools needed for implementation
Sandbox, stones, measuring tools, windscreen wiper.
Preparation notes
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Guided Questions
Why do objects fall to the ground and not upwards? (Because of gravity).
Stage Debriefing Questions (Optional)
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Tips and Tricks for dealing with stage challenges
- Fewer craters requested
- Provide a photo of a possible solution
- Carry out as a whole-class activity