ICT at key stages 1 and 2 (Year 5)
Unit 5F: Monitoring environmental conditions and changes
Section 3: SHORT FOCUSED TASKS
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Objectives |
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- key idea: that a computer can take samples of data for a set period of time
- technique: to use the program set-up features to set variables such as selected sensor and time span of recording
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Activities |
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Outcomes |
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Children: |
- Set a light sensor to monitor the classroom over 24 hours. Discuss the difficulties that such an investigation would face without the use of ICT. Ask the children to interpret the resulting graph.
- As part of an investigation into insulation, pour equal quantities of hot(ish) water into two beakers of different sizes and types of insulation to compare rates of cooling. Use temperature sensors to compare rates of cooling over a given period of time, eg 20 minutes. Print data and graphs. In both cases, children will need to change variables for the timings of the readings and discuss how often readings need to be taken in each case.
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- understand that computers can be used to take a series of accurate readings, over a period of time, without being 'distracted' by other events
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Points to note |
It may be necessary to create a peak artificially for the 24-hour light monitoring experiment. This may require someone to switch on classroom lights for a short period after the class has gone home, and to turn lights on when it is dark during the monitoring period so as to see the effect of a sudden change. The change in the trend of data is then discussed. Why did it occur? What happened to cause the sudden change?
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This unit is divided into sections. Each section contains a sequence of
activities with related objectives and outcomes. You can view this unit by
moving through the sections or print/download the whole unit.
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