Term 3 Topic 3 Elastic & Springs

• We can make things move in many ways including using stretched or twisted elastic and compressed springs.
• When we stretch or twist elastic or a compressed spring we store energy in it (INPUT).
• When we release the elastic or spring we create movement and energy (OUTPUT).

• Greet the learners.
• Give each learner an elastic or rubber band and tell them to stretch it.
• Allow four learners at a time to shoot their bands up at the roof.
• Have a competition to see who can hit the roof first.
• The learners must collect their elastic bands afterwards.
• The learners are told that they will watch a video about elastic and spring forces.

• Show Video Clip 1 (2.24 minutes). The video explains potential energy in elastics.
• Show Video Clip 2 (6:53 minutes).    
• Revise the meaning of the terms: INPUT and OUTPUT ENERGY by means of the Presentation 1.
• Ask the learners what happens when we eat an egg.

Possible Answers:

The egg has STORED ENERGY (INPUT). When we eat it we have that energy inside our bodies. We can then use that energy to run a race or play, etc. (OUTPUT)

• Ask learners what they did to make the elastic shoot up (stretched it).
• Tell them that when we stretch the elastic we store energy in it (STORED ENERGY/POTENTIAL).
• When we shoot the elastic band we release the MOVEMENT ENERGY.
• Show Presentation 2. On slide 3, show learners your example of a spring, and how it changes shape when you push it (apply force).
• Continue the presentation.

• Hand out Worksheet A.
• Tell learners that two videos about potential energy that is being stored in a spring will be shown after everyone had completed their answers in Worksheet A.

• Show Video Clip 3 (2:52 minutes).
• Show Video Clip 4 (0:41 minutes).

• Ask learners to describe the slinky that they saw in Slide 5 of Presentation 2. The descriptions should include full detail.

Possible detail: colourful, light, moves easily, flexible, shape, material, etc.

• One learner is identified to write words on the board that describes the slinky.

• Show Video Clip 5 (1:57 minutes).  

This video slows what happens when a tennis ball is tied to the bottom of a slinky.

• Visit the link below and let learners design and make their own Jack-in-a-box or any other toy that uses an elastic or a spring.
• Find April Fool Jack in the Box. A list of what is needed to make one, picture and 6 steps to follow will guide the learners.

LINK: http://bkids.typepad.com/bookhoucraftprojects/2012/03/project-106-april-fools-jack-in-the-box.html

• Learners complete Quiz 1.

• Potential and kinetic energy - https://youtu.be/T5WJoup-RD8

• Static electricity experiment - http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/experiments/staticelectricity.html