PBL in Physics (Part 2 - the Standards)

Welcome back to my PBL journey!  In Part 1 students exercised their creativity in the Maker Challenge, now in Part 2 it is time to introduce them to the context of their project.  Before I unveiled  the standards, I wanted to see what they already knew about waves and what they wanted to know about waves.  I use the Verso App for formative assessments like this.  Verso keeps students anonymous to each other (but not to me for monitoring purposes), but still allows them to see each other's responses.  I asked my students to respond to the questions below, submit their response, and then take time to read their classmates responses.

Screenshot of the student view of Verso (with student anonymity)

I instructed them to read for 2 purposes:

• what are ideas that other students stated that are similar to my own?
• what are ideas that other students stated that are different from my own?

This provides me with information about where my students are with the content and allow my students to see where they are as well (btw this took about 15 minutes).

Next I presented the standards for this PBL unit on Waves.  I began with the required state standards selected from NGSS:

MA Department of Education/NGSS

HS-PS4-1. Use mathematical representations to support a claim regarding relationships among the frequency, wavelength, and speed of waves traveling within various media. Recognize that electromagnetic waves can travel through empty space (without a medium) as compared to mechanical waves that require a medium.

HS-PS4-3. Evaluate the claims, evidence, and reasoning behind the idea that electromagnetic radiation can be described by either a wave model or a particle model, and that for some situations involving resonance, interference, diffraction, refraction, or the photoelectric effect, one model is more useful than the other.

HS-PS4-5. Communicate technical information about how some technological devices use the principles of wave behavior and wave interactions with matter to transmit and capture information and energy.

I rewrote the standards in "essential questions" form to make them more student-friendly:

Project Standards

1. What is a wave?  How are waves produced?  Compare and contrast the 2 types of waves.
2. What is the relationship between f, T, λ, and v of a wave? (conceptual and mathematical)
3. What determines the velocity of a mechanical wave?
4. What are the necessary conditions for a wave to demonstrate refraction?  What characteristics of the wave change?
5. What are the necessary conditions for a wave to demonstrate diffraction?  What characteristics of the wave change?
6. What are the necessary conditions for a wave to demonstrate interference?  What characteristics of the wave change?
7. Does light behave as a wave or a particle?  Compare and contrast the two models using the behaviors of  interference and the Photoelectric Effect.
8. What is a device that uses waves and their interaction with matter to transfer information?  How do the wave behaviors of resonance, interference, or the Photoelectric Effect apply?  (Examples include solar cells, medical imaging, cell phones, etc.).

I told students I kept the standards general to "waves" on purpose.  As they have the choice as to which waves to use to demonstrate their learning of the standards.  I refrained from telling them about the different waves to preserve ownership of the content. (However, the types of waves they may chose from are light, sound, water/ocean, seismic, etc.). 

Students proceeded to explore the content.  I provided them with the 2 sources they are most familiar with for content:

• my video lessons on YouTube
• The Physics Classroom website

However, I also told them they could find other websites and other videos online to get some new perspectives.  Students asked me, "Should we take notes?"  I replied, "If you want to."  For the next 20-25 minutes I walked around to see what students were doing and to answer any questions.  I saw many of my students viewing my video lessons, but I saw some students  take advantage of the freedom and find other websites and videos.  

Students checking out an episode of Science Court

For example, one student found a website with a simulation of transverse and longitudinal waves.  While another student looked at a video lesson on YouTube from another physics teacher.  The most interesting had to be when another student remembered in 4th-grade his science teacher showed his class an episode of Science Court about sound.  He found it on YouTube and watched it with a classmate.  I forgot about that show and remembered how well it presented science concepts!  After about 20 minutes I got the students back together an asked them to share the resources they found and what they learned about waves.

Join me next time when my students experience Dan Jones' "Design Lab" to select a project.

* Note - the rewriting of the standards is subject to change.  I am still figuring out if it is best they are in question form or in statements.  This will shake itself out once I construct the rubrics. #comingsoon