Galileo's "Two New Sciences"

Lesson Plan Title: Galileo's "Two New Sciences"

Concept / Topic To Teach: Physics - Culminating unit on Motion

General Goal(s):
Students will be able to take a selected quote from Galileo's "Two New Sciences" and be able to use scientific inquiry to interpret, conduct and analyze the quote resulting in a lab report/paper.
Students will make a teaching video about their quote interpreting the quote in simple language and teaching others as to the meaning of the quote and the physics model applicable to it.


Specific Objectives:
Students will interpret a quote by Galileo based on previous classwork/experiments and relate that quote to either a constant velocity model or a constant acceleration model.
Students will design and conduct an experiment about the quote, trying to understand the process Galileo used to understand motion. They will identify appropriate data sources, data collection methods and experimental guidelines.
Students will use video capture to collect data and use Logger Pro, and Excel to analyze data, based on previous classwork experiment.
Students will compare analyzed data to proposed model and make adjustments/modifcations to experiment if necessary.
Students will compare their results to the quote, and analyze the quote in regards to the experiment they just conducted.
Students will create a written lab report of their findings.
Students will create a teaching video illustrating findings and appropriate model.
Students will reflect on their learning through written reflection.

Required Materials:
Flip Video Camera
Logger Pro Software
Excel software
Assorted lab supplies

Step-By-Step Procedures:
Day 1. Students enter class and are handed a quote from Galileo's "Two New Sciences". They get a small white board and marker and are told to interpret the quote in light of what they have previously learned in class on motion. They are told they have to explain the quote in simple language, identify which of the two models the quote applies to, and think of an experiment Galileo may have conducted leading to that statement.
Teacher leads with a quick group discussion of Galileo, relating why students should be interested in his work, and why he is still relevant today. Teacher then leads student centered dialogue about quotes. Students stand up and read their quote and talk about what they think it means using words and diagrams and try to express how they might design an experiment . Students question and probe to gain understanding.
Day 2. Teacher leads a session on student expectations and gives an outline and grading rubric for the experiment and video. Students then are randomly selected and they pick a quote they want to do day one. They have a sheet of quotes to remind them/choose from. All other students who want to do the same quote stand up and two partners are selected. This makes the team. The students are given a copy of “Two New Sciences” to help faciliatate.
Day 3. Teams start to design experiment, and begin data collection after a teacher/group conference to check for understanding, hypothesis, experimental outline, appropriate model and data sources. Students start work.
Day 4-6. Students work on experiment, data collection, data analysis/lab report
Day 7-8 Students work on teaching video’s
Day 9 -10 Student presentations of work/class feedback.
Students each write a personal reflection using a guide sheet

Closure:
Student presentations
daily check-ins with teacher

Assessment Based On Objectives:

Student lab report/rubric grade
Teaching video/rubric grade