Rube Goldberg Machines- Inquiry & Project Based Learning

When introducing the Systems Unit to my grade 8 class, I was looking for a way to engage them with the subject matter from the beginning. A colleague of mine suggested having students create their own Rube Goldberg Machine.

Rube Goldberg was a 19th Century engineer and inventor best known for a series of cartoons depicting complex machines performing a simple task. 

In our first class in the Systems Unit, I asked students to construct their own Rube Goldberg with the materials I gave them in their tool-kit and any other materials from the classroom. They were asked to create a machine using a minimum of three different steps to get a ping pong ball into a plastic cup.

Students were given: a ping pong ball, a plastic cup, tape, popsicle sticks, string, paper, paper clips, toothpicks, a ruler, and a toy car.

Having never used this activity before or even making my own Rube Goldberg machine, I was uncertain how the activity would go. I was thrilled to see that my students were enthusiastic and engaged in the task. This activity is great for  kinaesthetic learners, and is a great way to introduce the unit. I have included a few videos of the Rube Goldberg Machines my students created.

As we progressed through the unit, I had students asking me if we could make another Rube Goldberg Machine. In response to the enthusiasm my students showed for creating their own inventions, I chose to use a Rube Goldberg Machine as a final assessment in the unit.  

The assignment was to invent a compound machine, made of 2 or more simple machines that will make a task easier for the show Dragons Den. The students were asked to submit

• A neat drawings of the machine complete with:

• The name of the machine
• The two simple machines labelled
• Measurements of the weights and distances 

• A short description of their invention answering the questions: 

• What problem does your compound machine solve or what task does it make easier?
• Why did you choose to use the simple machines you did to overcome the problem?
  
  

Students were also asked to calculate the Mechanical Advantage, Work, and Mechanical Efficiency of one of two of the simple machines used. Students presented their inventions to the class as though they were on the TV show Dragon's Den. 

                                                       

     

Industry & Quality of Life Lesson Plan- Teaching Empathy Through the Affective Domain

When teaching my grade 8 class about economic systems, we discussed the issue of quality of life, and its connection to industry. In a previous lesson we made the connection that countries with a low quality of life as determined by the United Nations Human Development Index (HDI) have predominantly primary industries, whereas countries with a high quality of life have mostly services industries due to our surplus incomes.
We then began to explore the idea that in recent years global companies have began to establish manufacturing plants in developing countries because they can keep their costs low and profits high by paying low wages. This activity was in response to come comments from students that the consumer has no power or responsibility to be concerned with the quality of life of the workers in the countries where the products we buy are manufactured. Students suggested that it was usually a positive thing to have factories established in developing countries because it gave opportunities for work. When the issue of child labour came up, some students suggested that since these students did not have the possibility of attending school that at least they could contribute to their family's income.
I used this activity to encourage students to make connections between their role as a consumer and the lives of people working in the factories that produce the products they buy.
By appealing to the affective domain, I was aiming to help students tap into their sense of empathy, and realize their power and responsibility as consumers.
The grade 8 class responded thoughtfully, and were able to make connections and develop empathy and a sense of their responsibility as members of a global community. We were able to get into a discussion on free trade versus fair trade and debate the advantages and disadvantages of each, a discussion informed by their understanding of quality of life in other countries.

Grade 8 Geography- Economic Systems Unit

New Industry in Your Community Activity Lesson

Focus of Lesson	Discussing the connection between industry & quality of life, and the question if consumers are responsible to be aware of the quality of life of the workers to manufacture the products we buy? In this activity students will learn about the impact of establishing a new industry, and will apply what they know about the location factors of industry, land use, and the impact of industry on quality of life. In small groups of two or three, students will consider the impact of a chosen industry if it were established in London.
Learning Outcomes	Specific Expectations Knowledge and Understanding outline the fundamental questions that all economic systems must answer: what goods are produced; how they are produced; for whom they are produced; by whom they are produced; and how they are distributed explain how the availability of particular economic resources (e.g., quantity and quality of land, labour, capital, entrepreneurial ability) influences the economic success of a region Inquiry/Research and Communication Skills formulate questions to guide and analyse research on economic influences and relationships locate relevant information from a variety of primary and secondary sources communicate the results of inquiries for specific purposes and audiences, using computer slide shows, videos,websites, oral presentations, written notes and reports, illustrations, tables, charts, maps, models, and graphs use appropriate vocabulary to describe their inquiries and observations. Map, Globe, and Graphic Skills use thematic maps to identify economic patterns Application investigate and describe how a new or existing industry affects the economy of a region.
Background	Prior Knowledge Required How the establishment of a new industry creates change in an area The location factors an industry considers when choosing where to set up their business Kinds of land use in a community How industry is tied to quality of life
Development	Ask students to look at the labels on the clothing they are wearing and make a list of the top ten countries the products were made in.  Locate these countries on a quality of life thematic map and ask students to identify patterns. What is the connection between industry and quality of life?  Discussion: Should consumers be concerned about the quality of life of the people manufacturing the products we buy? Positives and negatives of buying locally manufactured products: price etc.  Slideshow: pictures, information and statistics about China as the top manufacturer of clothing in our classroom. Discussion on the connection between child labour and HDI- does it really help an area? Homework: compare two companies that produce similar products, one company that manufacturers its products abroad and one that manufactures its products locally- compare prices.  Ask students to get into groups of two or three Explain simulation scenario The London municipality would like to attract a new industry to the area, and it is your job to research and pitch that industry to the Chamber of Commerce. Each pair or group will choose an industry, and determine the advantages and disadvantages of having that industry in London. You will present your findings in a Prezi presentation & the class will vote on which industry would most benefit London. You should consider: location factors of industry, land use in London, and the impact of industry on quality of life. Hand out & read the assignment instructions as a class. Introduce students to Prezi. Create success criteria together as a class Students will be given the rest of the period to brainstorm, and should have their industry selected & approved by the teacher by the end of the class.
Closure	Students will be given four class periods to brainstorm and research their industry, and to put together their Prezi Presentation. There will be two days of presentations and voting.
Assessment	Summative assessment of the quality of the presentation, information, vocabulary and key concepts used in the assignment.

Comic Book Creation as Learning

         Before I attended the Faculty of Education at Western, I was teaching English as a Foreign Language abroad in South Korea. Before I had learned about differentiated instruction and assessment, I was always looking for creative ways to keep the students engaged. Learning a new language can be frustrating, and usually the hour they spent with me three times a week was the only time they were using English. Most of my students were only studying English because their parents pushed them to, and because it is considered a requirement to be considered successful.

        Teaching at a private language institute in South Korea typically involved rote memorization through repetition in both speaking and writing. Students would drill vocabulary and sentence structure, but very rarely had the opportunity to use their creativity and express anything other than routine, scripted conversation.

        My students were so excited when I presented them with the assignment to create their own comic book, with no restrictions on content or required vocabulary. The success criteria for this project was simple: tell any story using English in a 3-4 page comic book. This exercise demonstrated the importance of allowing students to express and demonstrate their learning in non tradition and creative ways that play to their strengths as learners.

If we can find ways to make learning and assessment both valuable and fun then students will not only be more invested in their learning, but may also be more likely to want to continue studying that subject.

        Just as there is more than one way to learn, there is of course more than one way to express that learning. As a student of history and English I of course see and recognize the value of traditional assessment through essays and exams, but I believe that there is room in our instruction for assessment that allows students to make connections between their academic knowledge and the things they enjoy.

        This comic strip is a first draft done by one of my grade 5 student named Lily. When I came back from Korea I brought some of the comic strips my students had created as keepsakes of my time there. Now I realize that this was the birthplace of my belief in constructivist student centred learning, where we place students as key contributors to their learning. What better way to ask a student to buy in, and invest in their own learning than by giving them the option to express that learning in ways that cater to their interests and strengths as learners.

Teaching Literary Analysis

While talking with my parents over lunch, the subject of teaching the novel and analysis came up. My Dad was reflecting on his English education at Rosseau Lake College, saying that his teacher would have him read a book, then ask "So, what was it about?". As a high school student, he would of course respond with a literal summary of the story, but have no idea of the great significance, themes, symbols or intertextuality present in a text. His teacher would then explain "The Meaning"of the novel, and my Dad would respond by saying "Yeah....I didn't get that". My Dad went on to philosophize that this seems to the the backwards way of teaching analysis. He explained that he would teach a novel by telling his students the greater significance before they read a chapter, telling them what to look for, what themes to watch for, so that students can read a text with purpose and interest. I explained that analysis is something that has to be learned, and that we don't "give away" the answers before students read because it is meant to be a constructivist inquiry process where students create their own meaning and are responsible for their own learning. He argued that this method is obsolete if students don't have analytical skills under their belt yet. I explained that analysis comes with practice, and that the more texts you read the greater your understanding of themes, archetypes and intertextuality.
Teaching English seems to have evolved from a focus "the basics" such as grammar, punctuation, and the parts of a sentence to more of an emphasis on "the bigger picture", on identifying greater themes and connecting them to our lives. My Mom couldn't remember the name of a single book she read in high school, suggesting that aside from teaching her to write well, her English education had little impact on her life. In a recent interview to teach overseas in the U.K. my interviewer informed me that in England the focus remains on the structure of writing, instead of the big picture. These conversations got me thinking about what is most important in an English education. Is it more important that our students understand how to use commas and pronouns or that they are able to identify bigger themes in a text? Are these ideologies mutually exclusive? Should structural writing be taught in elementary school so that we can move on to textual analysis in the secondary years? Are we doing our students a disservice by focusing on one more than the other? Something to ponder as I continue through my career as an English teacher.

Aggressively Inarticulate...

I was exposed to this video during a class discussion on slam poetry. At first it made me genuinely laugh out loud, but then after the second & third viewing- it made me really think.  Initially I was struck with the idea that this was simply a product of the older generation lamenting their increasingly obsolete role in a world full of growing & changing technology which they may fail to master. The idea that every single generation since "you know, a long time ago" has philosophized about & criticized the next generation for their: taste in music, books, movies, dance, fashion, moral character, family values, ingenuity, resourcefulness, and the ability to express themselves. If we consider the way the English language was spoken even one hundred years ago, we will see how it has evolved, how the way that we express our thoughts has changed. My first thought was that the Baby Boom Generation has no right to critique the way we express ourselves- the hypocrisy would simply be unbearable. To be criticized by the generation who changed the world in terms of their: taste in music, books, movies, dance, fashion, moral character, family values, ingenuity, resourcefulness, and the ability to express themselves......would simply make no sense. Well....yes.... there is slang, and short forms meant to accommodate the ever increasing pace of our technological lives & yet I would venture to speculate that Shakespeare would take issue with the way that even the more articulate person of the older generation expresses themselves today. Expression through language has always been an ever changing force.............however, this was only my first thought.
I then began to consider why it is that we attach "invisible question marks" & "parenthetical- you knows" to the ends of declarative sentences. Is Mr. Mali correct? Is it "uncool to sound like you know what you're talking about"? Or to "believe strongly in what you're, like, saying"? What has caused this phenomenon? What has happened to us as a generation to cause us to be uninvested in our own opinions? Who has infected us with this uncertainty & insecurity? So much so that we feel the need to invite others to agree with us & validate our thoughts and feelings by using "right?" or "you know?" at the ends of our sentences? I do not believe that it is a lack of internal conviction. I also believe that it is dismissive to suggest that it is because this generation has "nothing to say". How can we as teachers encourage our students to speak with authority & conviction if we fail to understand the causes of the generational condition of uncertainty.
Is the internet responsible? Have we become so accustomed to having ways of finding people who share our exact taste in music, books, movies, dance, fashion, moral character & family values- that we have lost any reason to have to support & defend out beliefs with logic, reason and conviction? If someone disagrees with our beliefs & opinions- we can simply refuse to engage in thoughtful debate, because we have an online community who believes what we believe.
I don't know.
Have people have become so afraid of any kind of conflict or confrontation that we have lost our desire and ability to thoughtfully express ourselves? Have we have become "aggressively inarticulate" in order to protect ourselves from having to expose the truth of our thoughts, beliefs & feelings, in order to shield ourselves from disagreement?

Lesson Plan..... All Redesigned Up

When redesigning this lesson, I was looking for a way to incorporate visuals to my short story organizer and character web. The short story "The Kayak" does not have a visual component to present to students. For reluctant readers or visual learners, my previous lesson did not have an aspect to appeal to them and engage their interest. By using Glogster to have students both create a short story organizer and a character attribute web, you are giving them a chance to demonstrate their knowledge both in writing and visually. Students would be able to use their creativity to represent what they know about setting, characters, conflict, plot, theme and point of view. Incorporating Glogster into my short story lesson plan is a great way to utilize differentiated instruction in the classroom and hook student interest.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XRFgthPlvOyURfdC5IyxRIYfymqOoaiQ7o1-6Tl-ueA/edit?usp=sharing

Is it literature?

The English Curriculum in Ontario requires students to learn specific reading skill sets such as "Reflecting on Skills and Strategies", "Reading for Meaning", "Understanding Form and Style”, and “Reading with Fluency”. Nowhere in the English curriculum documents will you find a list of canonical texts that students “need” to have read and understood in order to become “literate” in today's world. As English teachers we have the ability to choose the texts which will best serve as vehicles for student learning. If we have this freedom, why is it that year after year English teachers hand out Heart of Darkness to their grade twelve classes, and have their students act out Romeo & Juliet in grade ten? If it is our responsibility to ensure that our students master the ability to “read with fluency”, and to “read for meaning”, then why don't we choose texts that will appeal to our reluctant readers and engage all students? The definition of literacy is changing, and Canadian teachers are moving away from traditional British canonical texts and towards modern ways in which to teach literacy skills. Graphic novels in the English classroom represents a wave of progressive and inclusive literacy. Using graphic novels to engage reluctant readers and to promote visual literacy and a knowledge of semiotics is something that should be embraced. However, as young teachers we fear the backlash and resistance of incorporating these new ways of engaging and promoting literacy skills. One questions looms in the back of our minds as we consider teaching Romeo & Juliet with a graphic novel........ “is it literature?” It is important to consider the skills that we want our students to walk away with, and the best ways to help our students achieve these goals. Using graphic novels in the English classroom is a move away from the British tradition of literature and towards promotion of teaching skills instead of content. It isn't important that students be able to quote MacBeth, but that they have the skills needed to read and make meaning of any text they read. We are preparing our students for a world that doesn't yet exist, so we will arm them with critical literacy skills that can be delivered through use of graphic novels in the English classroom.