National Standards and Guidelines Met through the Volleyball Challenge
National Science Education Standards
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Principles and Standards for School Mathematics
National Science Education Standards
Content Standards
Standard A: Students develop the abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry and understandings about scientific inquiry.
Standard B: Students develop an understanding of motions and forces.
Standard C: Students develop an understanding of matter, energy, and organization in living systems.
Standard E: Students develop abilities of technological design and understandings about science and technology.
Standard F: Students develop an understanding of personal and community health.
Standard G: Students develop and understanding of science as a human endeavor and the nature of scientific knowledge.
Teaching Standards
Standard A: Teachers develop a framework of yearlong and short-term goals for students. Teachers select content and adapt and design curricula to meet the interests, knowledge, understanding, abilities, and experiences of students. Teachers select teaching and assessment strategies that support the development of student understanding and nurture a community of science learners.
Standard B: Teachers focus and support inquiry while interacting with students. Teachers orchestrate discourse among students about scientific ideas. Teachers challenge students to accept and share responsibility for their own learning. Teachers encourage and model the skills of scientific inquiry, as well as the curiosity openness to new ideas and data, and skepticism that characterize science.
Standard C: Teachers use multiple methods and systematically gather data about student understanding and ability. Teachers analyze assessment data to guide teaching and guide the students in self-assessment.
Standard D: Teachers structure the time available so that students are able to engage in extended investigations. Teachers create a setting for student work that is flexible and supportive of science inquiry. Teachers make the available science tools, materials, media, and technological resources accessible to students. Teachers identify and use resources outside the school and provide a safe working environment. Teachers engage students in designing the learning environment.
Standard E: Teachers display and demand respect for the diverse ideas, skills, and experiences of all students. Teachers enable students to have a significant voice in decisions about the content and context of their work and require students to take responsibility for the learning of all members of the community. Teachers nurture collaboration among students. Teachers model and emphasize the skills, attitude, and values of scientific inquiry.
Assessment Standards
Standard A: Assessments are deliberately designed and have explicitly stated purposes.
Standard C: Assessment tasks are authentic. Students have adequate opportunity to demonstrate their achievements.
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Project 2061
Benchmarks for Physical Setting
• Whenever the amount of energy in one place or form diminishes, the amount in other places or forms increases by the same amount. [conservation of energy]
• Gravitational force is an attraction between masses. The strength of the force is proportional to the masses and weakens rapidly with increasing distance between them [forces]
Benchmarks of Habits of Mind
• Find answers to problems by substituting numerical values in simple algebraic formulas and judge whether the answer is reasonable by reviewing the process and checking against typical values. [solving conservation of momentum and energy problems]
• Consider the possible effects of measurement errors on calculations. [ping pong lab and conservation of momentum and energy labs]
• Use computer spreadsheet, graphing, and database programs to assist in quantitative analysis. [ping pong lab and conservation of momentum and energy labs]
• Learn quickly the proper use of new instruments by following instructions in manuals or by taking instructions from an experienced user. [ping pong lab and conservation of momentum and energy labs]
• Express and compare very small and very large numbers using powers-of-ten notation. [homework problems]
• Trace the source of any large disparity between an estimate and the calculated answer. [ping pong lab and conservation of momentum and energy labs]
• Consider the possible effects of measurement errors on calculations. [ping pong lab and conservation of momentum and energy labs]
• Use computers for producing tables and graphs and for making spreadsheet calculations. [ping pong lab and conservation of momentum and energy labs]
• Troubleshoot common mechanical and electrical systems, checking for possible causes of malfunction, and decide on that basis whether to make a change or get advice from an expert before proceeding. [conservation of momentum and energy lab]
• Participate in group discussions on scientific topics by restating or summarizing accurately what others have said, asking for clarification or elaboration, and expressing alternative positions. [class discussions]
• Use tables, charts, and graphs in making arguments and claims in oral and written presentations. [ping pong lab and conservation of momentum and energy lab reports]
• Choose appropriate summary statistics to describe group differences, always indicating the spread of the data as well as the data's central tendencies. [conservation of momentum and energy lab]
Principles and Standards for School Mathematics
Number and Operations
• Develop a deeper understanding of very large and very small numbers and various representations of them [work with very small and large velocities]
• Understand vectors and matrices as systems that have some of the properties of the real-number system [work with velocities, momentum]
• Develop an understanding of the properties of, and representations for, the addition and multiplication of vectors and matrices [work with velocities and momentum]
Algebra
• Use symbolic algebra to represent and explain mathematical relationships [conservation of momentum and energy]
• Draw reasonable conclusions about a situation being modeled [conservation of momentum and energy]
Geometry
• Use trigonometric relationships to determine lengths and angles [conservation of momentum; breaking vectors into components]
• Use geometric ideas to solve problems in, and gain insights into, other disciplines [using geometry to solve a physics/biomechanics problem]
Measurement
• Analyze precision, accuracy, and approximate error in measurement situations [conservation of momentum and energy lab]
Communication
• Organize and consolidate their mathematical thinking through communication [students must communicate the result of the conservation of energy and momentum lab to interpret their findings]
Representation
• Create and use representations to organize, record, and communicate mathematical ideas [use mathematical representations of conservation of momentum and energy]
• Use representations to model and interpret physical, social, and mathematical phenomenon [use mathematical representations of momentum, work, and energy]