Intent

This activity asks students to summarize where they are in the process of solving the unit problem and, specifically, to reflect on the role of measurement variation.

Mathematics

As this set of activities draws to a close, students reflect on the mathematical ideas raised so far: the idea of a controlled experiment, the variables that might affect the period of a pendulum, and the distribution of error when measuring.

Progression

Students will work on this reflective activity individually and then briefly share their results with the class.

Approximate Time

20 minutes for activity (at home or in class)

10 minutes for discussion

Classroom Organization

Individuals, followed by whole-class discussion

Doing the Activity

This is a chance for students to use their writing skills to clarify what they have been thinking about as they conducted their initial experiments and collected and analyzed data in the previous four activities.

Discussing and Debriefing the Activity

You might have a few volunteers share their views of what the problem is, how the work they have done so far might relate to its solution, and the role of measurement variation in their work. If students have questions about the unit or items they don’t understand so far (Question 3), you might list the questions and ask whether anyone can help answer them.