I hope everyone has been staying as safe as possible and practicing good social distancing. I also hope that people are taking advantage of going outside and exercising if possible. If you are working during this time, know that you are appreciated, important, and you are literally keeping society going.
Thank you.
It seems like the cases of coronavirus are leveling off in Illinois, so we may see some adjustments to the stay at home order that goes until April 30th. We have a mandatory mask ordinance now, which is meant to protect others. We are not returning back to our building this year, so the remaining school year will be done online. I would not be surprised if your school is in the same boat. If that’s the case I hope this lesson variations have been helpful.
While I am out of school, what I will continue to post lessons for free that I typically sell online, slightly rewritten to accommodate the fact that the game will be played by only a few people at a time (parents and kids) and at home (either inside or outside). What I want is everyone to have access to these games in this time of uncertainty; money and resources should not be a factor to have quality Montessori physical education instruction. If you are in a position to support me by purchasing programs and lessons, I would be very grateful, but the ultimate goal is doing the most good.
This is also a thank you to everyone who has already purchased my lessons and albums, those that have downloaded my free lessons, those who have attended my presentations, and for everyone who appreciates my work in person or through social media engagement. I appreciate the Montessori and physical education communities for showing interest in my philosophy of integrating physical education with the Montessori classroom.
Without further ado:
Human Science Experiments: How Powerful Are You?
Excerpts from Montessori Physical Education Volume Two (Both Volumes One and Two on sale for $29 each)
Montessori Physical Education
How Powerful Are You?
Introduction:
When we talk about an individual being powerful, we are usually referring to a personality trait. A powerful person usually means someone who is a strong leader that commands respect. However, in this lesson, we are not looking at someone’s power as a descriptor of their personality, but at the scientific definition of power.
When we measure power in the human body, typically look at the concept of work, which is defined as force times distance (force is mass times acceleration). However, for the vertical jump test that the student will perform, we will need to use equations to help estimate power using different bits of information. If you have a force plate at home to jump of off, then you can be very precise (if you can’t tell, this is a joke; no one has a force plate at home). While there are several different equations that we can use, I prefer the Sayers formula because it is the easiest for the students to use for their calculations (less chance of making errors. However, feel free to also use the Lewsi formula, or the improved version called the Harman formula. The Johnson and Bahamonde formula is also not a bad option.
In this lesson, the students are going to measure their body’s ability to produce peak anaerobic power. The students may have a hypothesis on who they believe is very powerful, but they may be caught by surprise as the students measure their abilities. This lesson reinforces the scientific method, as well as scientific terminology in relation to studying the basics of physics.
Materials:
· A tape measure
· A calculator (optional)
Prior Knowledge: The students should have had lots of exposure to basic concepts of physics, especially the term “power.”
Presentation
1. Choose a target for the students to try and touch as they jump. The easiest way to measure jumping height will be to measure the spot that a student touches on a wall. However, the wall prevents them from jumping full force because the student does not want to jump into the wall. If you have something to suspend a tape measure or rope, like a basketball hoop, this will allow the student to jump as high as possible without fear of hitting themselves on a wall since they will have space to land.
2. Have the instructions written down on a large pad of paper for all the students to read.
a. The student needs to find their maximum standing reach. Standing straight and reaching as high as possible without leaning, the student will touch either a point on the wall or the tape measure. When recording the measurement, check to see if the measuring tape has centimeters. If the tape measure only does feet and inches, the inches must be converted to centimeters. To convert, multiply the number of inches by 2.54 to get centimeters.
b. Next, jump as high as possible only taking one step to do so. As the subject jumps, they should outstretch with one arm. Record the height of the touch “as is” if the tape measure has centimeters. If not, multiply the inches by 2.54 to get centimeters.
c. Next, subtract the max reach in centimeters from the jump height in centimeters to get the vertical jump. You have made a mistake if your answer is a negative number.
d. For the equation, the subject must convert their bodyweight into kilograms. Divide your weight in pounds by 2.2 to get your weight in kilograms.
e. Now it is time to calculate peak anaerobic power output by using the following equation: Watts = (60.7 x vertical jump (cm)) + (45.3 x body mass (kg)) - 2055
f. Repeat steps A though E five times and find the average of the power output.
3. Once the students have read the instructions, it is time to discuss the scientific method and how this experiment pertains to it. Some of these questions will not be able to be answered until the students actually perform the experiment.
a. Hypothesis: How much power will the subject generate? Who might be the most powerful student in the class? Why?
b. Materials: Check to see if the ruler has centimeters or just inches. Are the subjects using calculators?
c. Procedure: What is the independent variable (The students)? What is the dependent variable (the height of the jump)? How is the average of the jumps working as the control?
d. Results: What is the average of the power outputs? Were they similar to each other, or was there an outlier?
e. Conclusion: Was the hypothesis similar to the results? Why or why not?
4. After the discussion, it is time for them to perform the experiment. If this is being done with a lot of students, pairing them up or making small groups that rotate will make the time more efficient.
5. Once the students have calculated their power in watts, ask them how many 60-watt light bulbs they could power momentarily with their jump if they were connected to electrodes.
6. Once everyone is done, ask he students if their hypothesis matches the results. If not, why? A common misconception is that smaller students are not capable of being powerful. Even more underestimated are the heaviest students, because even a little jump requires a lot of power to move their mass.
Aims:
Direct: For the students to perform an experiment using the scientific method.
Indirect: Reading directions
Measurement
Math skills
Physical skills practiced:
· Standing high jump
Control Of Error:
If the calculations are significantly different than other students, this is a sign that they should check their findings with a calculator, or have another student check their work.
Points of Interest: Students don’t commonly think that they generate power that can be measured; so seeing their power measured in Watts is interesting to see.
Ages:
Lower Elementary (with lots of calculation help)
Upper elementary (maybe with a little bit of calculation help)
Middle School