Learning Objectives:
- Fundamental Concepts: Introduction to measurement, simple forces, temperature changes, light, sound, and basic comparisons.
- Data Skills: Learning how to take basic readings, compare data points, and observe simple cause-and-effect relationships.
Session Grouping:
- Bootcamp (Sessions 1-2): Introduction to MeasureLab, temperature and touchpad sensors.
- Basic Measurement (Sessions 3-6): Understanding light, sound, weight, and force measurement.
- Hands-on Activities (Sessions 7-9): Investigating sound, temperature, and buoyancy.
- Creative Project (Session 10): Students design a simple experiment using their favorite sensors.
Data Analysis Skills:
- Basic Skills: Students will start taking basic measurements, make comparisons
Session 1: Meet MeasureLab
Details:
Students are introduced to MeasureLab and its sensors. They practice using simple sensors like the touchpad and temperature probe, learning how measurements appear on the screen.
Session 2: Hot and Cold Hunt
Details:
Using the temperature probe and thermocouple, students measure the temperatures of different objects (cold water, their hand, a warm object), comparing numbers to understand hot and cold.
Session 3: Light and Shadows
Details:
Students explore light and shadow using a bulb and the photogate sensor. They experiment by blocking light with their hands or objects to see how shadows form and how light intensity changes.
Session 4: The Weight of Things
Details:
Using the built-in load cell, students measure the weight of various classroom objects (blocks, pencils, erasers), learning to read numbers on the screen and compare heavier and lighter items.
Session 5: Push and Pull
Details:
Students explore force by using the load cell to measure how much force they exert when pulling a rope or pushing objects, introducing them to the basics of force and movement.
Session 6: Sound Detective
Details:
Using the sound intensity sensor, students investigate different sounds by clapping, talking, and making noises, observing how sound levels change and are displayed on the screen.
Session 7: What’s the Weather?
Details:
Students use the ambient temperature and humidity sensors to measure classroom conditions, connecting measurements to terms like “warm,” “cool,” “dry,” and “humid,” and discussing weather.
Session 8: Magnets in Action
Details:
With the magnetic flux sensor, students explore magnets by measuring the strength of different magnets and seeing how numbers change as magnets move closer or farther away.
Session 9: Float or Sink?
Details:
Students investigate buoyancy by measuring the weight of objects in air and then in water using the load cell, observing how water affects weight and discussing why objects float or sink.
Session 10: Design Your Own Experiment
Details:
Students design a simple experiment using their favorite sensors, with guidance from the instructor, to measure something interesting around them, applying their skills from previous sessions.