Intent

In this activity, students write up and justify their conclusions from Pendulum Variations using the concepts that have been developed in the unit. They are then asked to grade the work of the members of their groups during the activities in A Standard Pendulum.

Mathematics

Using the language and ideas developed in the activities in Statistics and the Pendulum and A Standard Pendulum, students will express in writing the idea that changing the length of a pendulum is the only way to change the pendulum’s period, beyond the changes one might expect from measurement variation.

Progression

Students will do this reflective work individually and share their conclusions with their group members and the whole class.

Approximate Time

10 minutes for introduction

25 minutes for activity (at home or in class)

15 minutes for discussion

Classroom Organization

Individuals, then groups, followed by whole-class discussion

Doing the Activity

Have students read Question 1, which asks them to summarize in their own words what they have learned from the experiments of the last few activities, using specific statistical language. You will also want to discuss Question 2, which asks them to grade their fellow group members on their work during the experiments of the last few days.

The conclusion of several days of group work offers a good opportunity for students to reflect on their ability to work collaboratively. Whatever grading criteria students use, ask them to provide evidence to support their evaluations. You may also want to assign your own grades evaluating each student’s group-work skills.

Students may want to know whether their group members will see the grades they assign. Some teachers think students will be more honest in evaluating their peers if the evaluations are not shared. Others believe it’s important for this information to be shared.

Discussing and Debriefing the Activity

You may want to let students read one another’s summaries of conclusions from Pendulum Variations and discuss their reasoning in their groups. This discussion should reinforce the class’s conclusion that length is the major factor in determining the period of a pendulum.

The follow-up of the peer grading might depend on whether students will see one another’s evaluations.

In either case, you can also lead a discussion on what students have learned about the components of successful group work. The discussion should lead the class toward the realization that cooperation and participation of all group members are essential for group success.