Overview

Based on seeing a few prototypes, students identify materials, and describe what they plan to make. They are introduced to the concepts of energy and energy storage. Students can then start making their own wind-ups.

Advance Preparation

• Construct the three sample wind-ups: Wind-up that goes straight, Wind-up that turns, and Wind-up that spins.
• Photocopy worksheet, Lesson 1: My Wind-up
• Prepare Science Notebooks and plastic bags for students.

Materials

• Three sample wind-ups: one that goes straight, another that turns; and a third that spins in place, or doesn’t go at all.
• Materials for Making Wind-ups:  rubber bands, plastic lids, paper cups, wooden sticks, paper clips, pony beads, thin wire or fishing line, masking tape.
• Two-gallon plastic bags for storing work-in-progress – one per student.

Procedure

1. Looking at wind-ups: Gather students for a class meeting. Demonstrate each of the wind-ups. When I turn the stick I twist the rubber band and store energy in it. The energy stored in the rubber band makes the car go. Ask students if they would like to make their own. Then compile a class list of materials that students think they will need to make a wind-up.
2. Students do Worksheet 1
3. Starting to make wind-ups: Provide students with materials. Most of the materials students have listed will probably be available. If any are not available, ask what materials could be substituted. Allow students to experiment freely with the materials, and record any problems that come up.
4. Clean-up: Allow adequate time for clean-up. Provide each student with a plastic bag for storing work-in-progress, and tape for putting his or her name on the bag.
5. Students write reflections:  Students respond to sentence starters such as: “What I did; What I learned; How I feel about it”; or “Today I did; Tomorrow I will; I still don’t understand”; or other such writing stimulus.
6. Outcomes:

• Students observe the winding up and subsequent motion of the device, and conclude that it needs to be wound up to make it go. Energy must be put in to get the outcome of motion.
• Students notice the materials that a wind-up is made from, and develop interest in making one.
• Words for the word wall: wind-up, energy, stored energy

Troubleshooting

Through doing Fantastic Elastic activities, students practice thinking like engineers.  They do troubleshooting!  We identify three essential aspects of troubleshooting: 1. identify the issue (for example, the wheel turns when held by the stick in the air, but not when placed on the ground), 2. analyze the cause of the issue, and 3. design a way to fix what causes it not to work.  Students must engage in each aspect of troubleshooting.

The Issue: The starting point to improve a wind-up (and anything else)  is to identify, and clearly state, what is wrong.

The Cause: The next step is to analyze what is causing the issue. This is cause - effect thinking.  What is the cause that leads to the issue with the wind-up?

The Fix: If the analysis is right, and the cause of the issued is corrected, it will lead to a new effect: the wind-up will move and it is fixed.

Sometimes there are multiple causes of the issue.  When one cause is fixed, more analysis is needed to identify the remaining causes of the issue.

See Lesson 2 for many troubleshooting suggestions.

My Wind-up