Inquiry Lesson

Lesson Title: Marbles, Ramps, & Motion, OH MY!

This lesson will focus on the motion of different marbles traveling down
different ramps.
Grade Level: 6th Grade
Goals and Objectives for Learning Goal: Students will understand how motion is affected based on the
Student Learning: characteristics of an object’s mass and distance traveled.
Learning Objectives:
1) Students will be able to examine the factors that affect motion based
on its position over times. (Analyze)
2) Students will be able to calculate the average speed of an object
based on several trials. (Apply)
*Learning objectives are leveled based on Bloom’s Taxonomy
State Indicators: 1) An object’s motion can be described by its speed and the direction in which
it is moving. (PS.6.4)
2) Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization,
and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (W.6.4)
Cross Curricular 1) The following activities connect to the content area of math with
Connections: performing calculations to find the speed and constructing graphs based on
the data collected.
2) The following activities connect to the content area of English with
producing clear and coherent writing, in which the grammar or spelling
enhance the peers’ understanding.
Literature Connections: Vroom! Speed and Acceleration By Stephanie Paris (NF)
Newton and Me By Lynne Mayer & Sherry Rodgers (F)
Process Skill: In each lesson/inquiry starter students will use the process skills of observing
motion, investigating how specific characteristics affect speed, and
communicating their findings through graph constructions.
Differentiation: 1) Students will be working in groups which will support their learning in
making observations and collaborating on ideas.
2) Students will have the freedom to investigate factors that interest them in
relation to mass of the marble, slope of the ramp, and length of the ramp. This
will support students in making connections with the content.
Learning Activities: In the planned activities, students will use a ramp and a marble to observe
motion. They will be required to test three factors regarding the change in
speed of the marble. In the first activity, students will investigate how mass
affects speed by changing the size of the marble. In the second activity,
students will change the slope of the ramp. In the third activity, students will
change the length of the ramp. With each of the activities where the ramp is
modified, students will test different slopes and lengths with the same marble.
When conducting these experiments, students will generate questions based
on their findings. These activities would happen over a three day period with
students recording their questions during each activity. At the conclusion of
the three days, students will post their questions in a central area of the room
and present their results with connections to their everyday lives, by
describing how an object’s motion changes based on these factors. To test an
investigation, students will take a marble and place it at the top of the ramp.
While a student lets go of the marble, another student will start a stopwatch
to record the time. Each group of students will perform many trials and
construct graphs to display the marble’s speed in distance over time.
Materials: marbles, foam pipe insulation (ramp), stopwatches, flexible tape measures,
poster board, graph paper, markers, sentence strips (displaying questions)
Question Themes: 1) How will the mass of the marble change its speed?
2) How will the slope of the ramp change the marble’s speed?
3)How will the length of the ramp change the marble’s speed?
Possible Student 1)How will the mass of the marble change its speed?
Investigation: a. Will a heavier marble have a slower speed?
Students would use the same ramp to test a standard size marble
 compared to a heavier marble. To test a heavier marble the student
would be provided with a variety of marbles with different sizes. The
students would choose a marble with a greater size. Once they have
chosen the marble, they would need to record the time it took for the
original marble, along with their chosen heavier marble, to travel down
the ramp. They would record the length and the time. From their
observations, they would be able to answer whether or not the heavier
marble took a longer amount of time to travel down the ramp.
b. Will a lighter marble travel faster?
Students would do a similar exercise to the previous investigable
question to test a lighter marble. The original marble’s size would be in
between the smaller and larger marble options. The student would test
one of the smaller marbles. They may find that the smaller marble
traveled faster because it had less mass to carry down the ramp.
c. Will a heavier marble travel faster?
Students would do a similar exercise to the previous investigable
question. After choosing a larger marble, they would test the speed by
recording distance over time that was observed. They may conclude that
the acceleration of the marble increased because of gravity’s force that
would bring a heavier object down a slope faster.
2)How will the slope of the ramp change the marble’s speed?
a. Will a steeper ramp cause the marble to travel faster?
Students would create a ramp with a standard slope. They could change
the slope by modifying the angle at which the ramp slants. They could do
this by increasing the starting height of the ramp. This would change the
slope of the ramp because the marble would be starting a higher peak
while still traveling down a ramp with the same length.
b. Will a less steep ramp cause the marble to travel slower?
Students would do a similar exercise to the previous investigable
question, but would decrease the height of the peak of the ramp to test a
slope that is less steep. The students may observe that the time the
marble takes to travel down the ramp would be longer due to the slope
not causing as much acceleration.
c. Will the steepness of the ramp affect the marble’s final position on the
ramp?
Students would test this question be changing the slope to be steeper or
less steep. The students would test the slope’s effect on the final position
by observing whether the marble was able to travel the entire length of
the ramp. Students may conclude that if the ramp had a steeper slope
the marble’s final position would be greater than the distance of the
ramp. The marble would have enough speed to travel the distance of the
ramp and continue rolling once in hit the surface at the end of the ramp.
To measure this distance that would add the length of the ramp of the
distance the marble traveled from the end of the ramps to its final
position. For a less steep ramp the students may find that the marble was
not able to travel the whole length of the ramp because it did not have a
high enough acceleration.
3)How will the length of the ramp change the marble’s speed?
a. Will a longer ramp require more time for the marble to travel?
Students would test a ramp with a longer length by increasing the
distance the marble would need to travel. As above, the students would
have a standard length they would need to set for the initial test and then
explain why they chose to increase the length by the amount that they
did. This would change the distance traveled but the time would vary
depending on how they chose to modify the length. The ramps would still
have the same slope and carry the same marble.
b. Will a shorter ramp require less time for the marble to travel?
Students would use a similar procedure to test a shorter ramp. The may
conclude the that shorter ramp has a quicker speed because the marble
is traveling a smaller distance. They may also find the the times were
 closer in amount because they didn’t change the length too much or
because the slope of the ramp was the same.
c. Will the length of the ramp affect the marble’s final position on the
ramp?
Students would use a similar procedure as performed in part c of the
second theme. The student would choose whether to increase or
decrease the length of the ramp and test the time the marble takes to
travel down the ramp. The distance would not only be the length of the
ramp, but the distance the marble traveled after descending down the
ramp and across a surface. They may conclude that the final position
changes because the distance an object travels is influenced by the
factors of the ramp, which modifies the acceleration, and other forces
such as gravity.
Assessment Plan: The communication of each group’s results in the form of a presentation will
serve as the assessment as well as the handout to be completed. The scoring
rubric on pg. 6 will be used to assess the presentations.

*Handout on pgs. 4-6

*Rubric for Assessment on pgs. 7-8
 Marbles, Ramps, and Motion, OH MY!
Today, we will be investigating the factors that impact speed. As a group you will use various
marbles to travel down constructed ramps of different lengths and slopes.
Inquiry Learning Objectives:

1) Students will be able to examine the factors that affect motion based on its position
over time.
2) Students will be able to calculate the average speed of an object based on several trials.

Remember to organize your investigations around the

Scientific Process:

1) Identify the Question you would like to investigate.

2) Formulate a Hypothesis to predict what will happen.
3) Follow a detailed and precise Procedure during experiment.
4) Collect and Analyze data.
5) Communicate your results to peers.

Generating Questions - PART ONE

Work with a partner to construct a ramp using the foam tubing provided. Your ramp should
slope down from a high point to a low point and be no longer the 3ft/1m.

Record Your Data, Remember to include units of measurement.

Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Trial 4 Trial 5 Trial 6

Distance

Time

What questions do you have after your initial test about factors that can impact speed?
Record your questions on sentence strips to post in the room. Write at least three questions.

Using the same ramp, grab a new marble of a different size. This will help you to investigate
the effect of mass on an object’s speed.

Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Trial 4 Trial 5 Trial 6

Distance

Time
Generating Questions - PART TWO

Work with a partner to construct a ramp using the foam tubing provided. Your ramp should
slope down from a high point to a low point and be no longer the 3ft/1m.

Record Your Data, Remember to include units of measurement.

Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Trial 4 Trial 5 Trial 6

Distance

Time

What questions do you have after your initial test about factors that can impact speed?
Record your questions on sentence strips to post in the room. Write at least three questions.

Using the same marble, change the steepness of your ramp. This will help you investigate the
effect of slope in ramp on an object’s speed.

Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Trial 4 Trial 5 Trial 6

Distance

Time
Generating Questions - PART THREE

Work with a partner to construct a ramp using the foam tubing provided. Your ramp should
slope down from a high point to a low point and be no longer the 3ft/1m.

Record Your Data, Remember to include units of measurement.

Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Trial 4 Trial 5 Trial 6

Distance

Time

What questions do you have after your initial test about factors that can impact speed?
Record your questions on sentence strips to post in the room. Write at least three questions.

Using the same marble, construct a ramp with the same slope and change its length. This will
help you investigate the effect of distance traveled, on an object’s speed.

Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Trial 4 Trial 5 Trial 6

Distance

Time

When you are finished INVESTIGATING…

Use the poster board provided to construct a product that will communicate your results to the
class.

Be sure to include:
● A Graph of your initial test in each part
● The Question you chose to investigate in each part
● A formulated Hypothesis to answer the question
● A Graph of your results after changing the size of the marble, the slope of the ramp, and
the length of the ramp.
● A Calculated Average of distance over time for each data table.
● A Conclusion about your hypothesis, and your understanding of how various factors
impact the speed of an object.
 Exceeds Expectations
Category 5 Expectations
Questions The questions asked are
investigable and show
evidence of higher-order
thinking.
Hypothesis Stated clearly and uses an
if/then statement.
Data Raw data from the tables
Collection used are present,
appropriate headings and
units are included, and the
calculated average for each
table is correct.
Graphs All graphs are related to the
product and make it easier
to understand. Student
created a graph for the
average distance traveled
over the time it takes for the
marble to go down the ramp.
Student connected the slope
of the graph to the marble’s
speed and acceleration.
Conclusion Original question is
answered, correctly cites
specific claims and
evidence, and evidence that
does not support claim is
discussed. Evidence
demonstrates connections to
real-world.
Required The product includes all
Elements required elements as well as
additional information. Each
of the required elements
includes the usage of
science vocabulary as
needed to explain why the
factors investigated provided
different results. Students
should share how the slope,
length, and mass of the
marble work to create
acceleration as the marble
travels down the ramp.
Student also discusses how
Meets Progressing Toward
Expectations
4 3
The questions asked The questions asked are
are investigable. non-investigable.
Stated but not clearly Hypothesis is missing.
or does not use an
if/then statement.
Raw data from the No data or units included
tables used are or incorrect data.
present and there is a
calculated average for
each table.
All graphs are related Graphs do not relate to
to the topic. Student the topic or are not
created a graph for present.
the average distance
traveled over the time
it takes for the marble
to go down the ramp.
Student connected
the slope of the graph
to the marble’s speed
and acceleration.
Original question is Conclusion is missing or
answered, and incorrect based on the
content is related to evidence found.
the concept of speed
in the world around
them.
The product includes Several required
all required elements. elements were missing
Each of the required from the product. Each
elements includes of the required elements
usage of science includes little usage of
vocabulary as needed science vocabulary to
to explain why the explain why the factors
factors investigated investigated provided
provided different different results. The
results. Student student is unable to
discusses discuss the effect of a
acceleration, speed, change in slope, length,
mass, and other or mass of the marble on
outside forces. acceleration or other
outside forces.
 the modified factors interact
with outside forces such as
gravity.
Knowledge Student can accurately
Gained answer all questions related
to the product and
processes used to create
the product. Students will
connect their observations to
scientific content. They will
state why the marble
traveled a specific distance
in a specific time based of
the factors they tested.
Students will also include
additional terms such as
acceleration and
gravitational force to support
their conclusions on how
each of the factors
influenced the marble’s
speed. Students would also
provide specific examples
from their observations that
demonstrated a change in
speed, acceleration or an
outside force such as
gravity.
Mechanics The grammar or spelling
enhance their
peers’ understanding of the
content presented.
*The presentation would be scored out of 20 points where those students who
meet all expectations receive full credit. Those students who exceed expectations
can earn up to 5 extra credit points.
Student can Student appears to have
accurately answer insufficient knowledge
most of the questions about the product or
related to the product processes used in the
and processes used product. Students will
to create the product. connect their
Students will connect observations to scientific
their observations to content. They will state
scientific content. why the marble traveled
They will state why a specific distance in a
the marble traveled a specific time based off
specific distance in a the factors they tested.
specific time based off
the factors they
tested. Students will
also include additional
terms such as
acceleration and
gravitational force to
support their
conclusions on how
each of the factors
influenced the
marble’s speed.
The grammar or The grammar or spelling
spelling distract their distract their peers from
peers from the the content presented.
content in few or no
areas of the
presentation.