As a reminder, Nearpod is a fun app that allows students to share their slideshows. The class enters a code, which allows the presenters to control their device. Students can answer multiple choice and open ended questions, and even submit drawings to the presenter for evaluation.
At first, the students were answering many of the questions wrong, as they were not able to differentiate between the 3 laws. As more groups presented, the class developed a better understanding of the concepts. By the end of our presentations, the students were answering every question correctly. Two other things stood out during our lesson. First, we had a great variety of sports represented by the different groups. Everything from football and basketball to camel wrestling and zorb ball was presented. Next, most students included a drawing question at the end of their slideshow. The class enjoyed submitting their illustrations of the laws, and having them judged by the presenters, as the winners received Gator Bucks! In addition to being entertaining, it allowed me to see the depth of their thinking and the creative ways they can express their scientific opinions.
Overall, I believe this was a successful activity because it stretched the science curriculum, provided the repetition necessary to understand the concepts, and allowed the class to showcase their creativity. It was very enjoyable to watch the students improve, and compete for Gator Bucks with their conceptual drawings. Newton's Laws certainly reign supreme in the ASPIRE 5 court!
