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Discovering Motion: An Introduction to Mechanics

SKU
044550
ISBN
9798986863757
Grade 7-12
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Teaching Method
Traditional
Teacher-centered curriculum commonly used in classrooms that may include a text, teacher manual, tests, etc.
Charlotte Mason
A methodology based on the work of a 19th century educator who maintained that children learn best from literature (Living Books), not textbooks.
Classical
A methodology based on the Latin Trivium (three stages of learning), including the grammar stage (memorization and facts), logic stage (critical thinking), and rhetoric stage (developing/defending ideas).
Unit Study
A thematic or topical approach centered around one topic that integrates multiple subject areas.
Montessori (Discovery)
A methodology based on the work of a 20th century educator that emphasizes student and sensory-driven discovery learning and real-life applications.
Other
Other methodologies
Religious Content
Secular
Contains content contrary to common Christian beliefs (i.e. evolution).
Neutral
Avoids religious or theoretical topics or presents multiple viewpoints without preference.
Christian/Religious
Faith-based or including instructional religious content.
Learning Modality
Auditory
Learns through listening, talking out loud or reading out loud.
Visual
Learns through seeing, prefers written instructions and visual materials.
Kinesthetic/Tactile (Hands-On)
Learns through moving, doing and touching.
Multi-Sensory
Curriculum that employ a variety of activities/components.
Presentation
Sequential
Curriculum progresses through well-defined learning objectives. Emphasizes mastery before moving to the next topic.
Spiral
Topics and concepts are repeated from level to level, adding more depth at each pass and connecting with review.
Conceptual/Topical
Focus is on the “why,” often with a unifying concept as well as specific skills; coverage may be broader.
Teacher Involvement
Low Teacher Involvement
Student-led materials; parent acts as a facilitator.
Medium Teacher Involvement
A mix of teacher-led time and independent student work.
High Teacher Involvement
Teacher-led lessons; may utilize discussions, hands-on activities and working together.
Additional Materials Required
No other materials needed
Everything you need is included.
Other Materials Required
There are additional required resources that are a separate purchase.
Other Materials Optional
There are additional resources mentioned or recommended but are not absolutely necessary.
Consumable
Consumable
Designed to be written in; not reusable.
Non-Consumable
Not designed to be written in; reusable.
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Product Overview

  • Learn mechanics in a fun, time-travel narrative that follows the discoveries of famous scientists
  • Discovering Motion is a hands-on adventure that asks students to do an activity alongside the famous scientists they are studying, which allows them to discover physics of motion with the scientists who made the discovery
  • All in one book with Student and Teacher sections
  • Household/easily found items required for hands-on activities
Discovering Motion: An Introduction to Mechanics

Description

Discovering Motion: An Introduction to Mechanics provides students with an adventure of a lifetime as they read a fun, time travel narrative and clearly explained text, stopping along the way to complete a variety of integrated activities. Varied activities include a dedicated You-Tube® Playlist, hands-on experiments, student worksheets with review questions, math problems, songs to learn and more. The Discovering Motion: Introduction to Mechanics book is an all-in-one resource that is divided into 2 sections: Student and Teacher. The student section includes textual reading, hands-on activities, student activity pages and templates; while the teacher’s section provides answers, optional quizzes, and additional activity suggestions. There are numerous tools and materials that you will need to purchase. Items can often be found around your house or easily found online and are chosen for their ease of use in a home-setting.  An optional, Student Text is available and includes the textual readings with integrated hands-on activities for additional students if desired. Discovering Motion: An Introduction to Mechanics is an engaging, cost-effective science course for families to learn science together.

Book topics include center of mass, simple machines, mechanical advantage, levers, pendulums, oscillation, inertia, mass, weight, newtons, static and kinetic friction, gravity, velocity/terminal velocity, acceleration, big G, Newton's laws, momentum, collisions, Cartesian grid, graphing, parabolic, and uniform circular motion, centripetal force, kinetic/potential energy, and much more.

Publisher's Description of Discovering Motion: An Introduction to Mechanics
The fingerprint guys are back! They’ve been hired to run a “time machine” that can spy on famous scientists who are making discoveries about the physics of motion. This is the most hands-on adventure they’ve done! In many cases, the reader is asked to do an activity where they can discover for themselves the same things that the scientists are discovering.

Target age group:  grades 7-10 (but can also be used for science-shy grades 11-12 who need a physics credit but don’t want to do a regular high school physics class)

Prerequisite: Students need to have enough math skills to be able to use simple formula like D=RT, plus multiplying and dividing fractions, and using decimals.  The amount of math in this book is far less than in standard physics programs. Graphs and formulas are explained as we go along.

Note about format:  If you used any of my other books, here is a heads-up about this one. The format is very different. Most of the activities are embedded right into the text, so you read a page, do an activity, read another page, do another activity, etc. You don’t read the whole chapter first then do the activities (like my other books). You literally discover motion as you go along, often discovering for yourself the same things that were discovered by the famous scientist you just read about.

Scientists you learn about in this book:  Archimedes, Galileo, Newton, Descartes, da Vinci, Cavendish, Foucault

Other scientists that are briefly mentioned: Euclid, Eratosthenes, Blackburn, Hooke, Einstein, Marey, Stokes, Maxwell

Each chapter has many activities, including hands-on labs and activities, solving math problems and watching supplemental videos. There are also some extra activities listed in the teacher’s section at the back of the full curriculum book.

The activities mostly use things you have around the house or can easily buy at any grocery or department store. The only specialized items I recommend are a few spring scales, a stopwatch, a bag of marbles, and two good quality meter sticks.

Category Description for Discovering Motion (Gr. 7-12)

Introduce students to the fascinating world of mechanics through ten adventures (chapters) written in a fun, time travel narrative that includes integrated hands-on activities. Lead by the “Fingerprint Guys”, our learning journey follows famous scientists as they discover the physics of motion. Unlike other curricula from Ellen McHenry, Discovering Motion integrates hands-on activities throughout the readings to help students uncover vital concepts for themselves. Students will join Archimedes, Galileo, Newton, Descartes, da Vinci, Cavendish, Foucault, and others as they read and investigate mechanics. Required, the Discovering Motion: Introduction to Mechanics Book is an all-in-one book that is divided into 2 sections: Student and Teacher. The student section includes textual reading, hands-on activities, as well as student activity pages and templates; while the teacher’s section provides answers, optional quizzes, and additional activity suggestions. There are numerous tools and materials that you will need to purchase. Items can often be found around your house or easily found online and are chosen for their ease of use in a home-setting.  An optional, Student Text is available that includes the textual readings with integrated hands-on activities for additional students if desired. A basic understanding of Prealgebra is expected, while Algebra 1 topics are minimal. Reproducible for purchasing families or classrooms.

Details
More Information
Product Format:Paperback
Grades:7-12
Brand:Ellen McHenry's Basement Workshop
ISBN:9798986863757
Length in Inches:11
Width in Inches:8.5
Height in Inches:0.625
Weight in Pounds:1.4
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