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Rate of Cooling Design
Task with Student Directions

9th Grade Performance Task
Developed by: RAND Corporation (RAND)
Stanford University and the Far West Laboratory, 1994

 

Rate of Cooling Performance Assessment
"MESSING AROUND"
Group Activity Card

The Alpine Outdoor Clothing Company has asked you, as skilled science students, for information on the following problem:

Find a way to accurately measure how quickly heat is lost through a fabric.

To investigate this problem, your group will be able to use the following materials:

Your group should have the following materials: Your teacher will supply the entire class with the following materials:
  • 1 Group Answer Sheet
  • 1 Celsius thermometer
  • 1 watch with second hand or stopwatch
  • 1 250-ml beaker
  • 1 large plastic container with lid, containing:
    • 1 standard soup size metal can with top lid removed
    • 1 fabric "sock," labeled Fabric B
    • 1 sandwich size re-sealable plastic bag
    • 2 rubber bands
  • water supply labeled "Warm Water"
  • water supply from faucet or labeled "Tap Water"
  • ice (cubes or crushed)
  • safety goggles for every student
  • paper towels (or other drying material)

FACILITATOR: Before the group "messes around" with the equipment, ask each group member (including yourself) the questions below. Be sure that everyone answers a question before going on to the next quesiton. Start with a different person each time you go to a new question. Your group's RECORDER will take brief notes on the GROUP ANSWER SHEET.

  1. What ideas do you have about how to measure heat lost through a fabric, using the equipment provided?

  2. How will you keep the fabric "sock" dry?

  3. How will you measure the rate of cooling for the fabric? What units will you use?

  4. Do you think that the rate of cooling will depend on how much hot water is in the can? If so, how?

After answering these questions, guide your group in "messing around" with the equipment. Try out as many of the group's ideas as possible. Remember that the fabric "socks" MUST STAY DRY.

 

Rate of Cooling Performance Assessment
"MESSING AROUND"
Group Answer Sheet

RECORDER: Write your name in the heading of this paper. Write each group member's name (inclduing your own) in the boxes below, one name per box. Take brief notes on each person's response to the questions in the table. Write these comments in INK (do not go back and change them!). You do not need to write in complete sentences.

  Name: Name: Name: Name:
What ideas do you have about how to measure heat lost through a fabric, using the equipment provided?        
How will you keep the fabric "sock" dry?        
How will you measure the rate of cooling for the fabric? What units will you use?        
Do you think that the rate of cooling will depend on how much hot water is in the can? If so, how?        

 

Rate of Cooling Performance Assessment
"MESSING AROUND"
Group Answer Sheet, page 2

RECORDER: In the space below, write down any notes you think are important as your team "messes around" with the equipment. You may use pen or pencil (you may change these notes if you wish). You do not need to write in complete sentences.

 

 

 

 

Rate of Cooling Performance Assessment
EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN
Student Instruction Sheet

You have recently been presented with a situation that can be approached scientifically. The Alpine Outdoor Clothing Company has asked you, as a skilled science student, for information on the following problem:

Given a choice of jackets mae from three different materials, which one would do the best job of slowing down the loss of body heat?

As explained earlier, the equipment available to investigate this problem includes:

  1. soup size metal can

  2. 3 different fabric "socks" that can be fitted over the can, one at a time, labeled Fabric A, Fabric B, and Fabric C

  3. 1 large container

  4. tap water and ice

  5. warm water (at or above 37 degrees Celsius)

  6. 1 Celsius thermometer

  7. 1 stopwatch (or similar timepiece to measure seconds)

  8. additional materials: 1 250-ml beaker, 1 sandwich size re-sealable plastic bag, 2 rubber bands, paper towels, safety goggles.

Your task is to design an experiment to solve the problem using this equipment.

You must explain how to use the equipment to measure the rate of cooling of warm water placed in the can. Remember that the fabric "socks" MUST STAY DRY.

When instructed to do so, answer the questions on your Student Answer Sheet.

When the time is up, turn in this sheet and your Student Answer Sheet as directed by your instructor.

 

Rate of Cooling Performance Assessment
EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN
Student Answer Sheet

TEAR OFF THIS PAGE.

Read through this table carefully, and use it to help you write answers that are CLEAR, PRECISE, and COMPLETE.

GUIDING QUESTIONS
CAUTIONS
CAUTIONS
CLEAR
WRITING
DRAWING
  • Can another student understand what you've written or drawn?
  • Answer in complete sentences when appropriate
  • Avoid crowding
  • Erase completely
PRECISE
WRITING
DRAWING
  • Did you respond directly to the question?
  • Are your measurements exact?
  • Do not use words like "it" unless you're sure the reader knows what "it" refers to
  • Specify units
  • Use labels and arrows
  • Specify units or dimensions
COMPLETE
WRITING
DRAWING
  • Did you responsd to all parts of the question?
  • Have you included all the parts normally expected (e.g., of a graph)?
  • Assume that the reader knows only what you tell him or her
  • Label/identify all parts and pieces

 

Rate of Cooling Performance Assessment
EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN
Student Answer Sheet

 

Write your answers to the questions below in pencil.
Feel free to go back and change your responses within the time allowed.
Make sure all your answers are CLEAR, PRECISE, and COMPLETE!

 

You have been given the following problem:

Given a choice of jackets made from three different materials, which one would do the best job of slowing down the loss of body heat?

The previous task gave you the opportunity to "mess around" with some equipment. For this task, you need to design an experiment that uses the equipment on the Student Instruction Sheet to measure the RATE OF COOLING for Fabric A, Fabric B, and Fabric C. Your experiment should include at least one experimental trial for each fabric.

  1. In your own words, what would you be trying to find out in such an experiment? In other words, what would be the experiment's purpose?








  2. List at least three measurements or quantities you would be sure to keep the same for each trial in your experiment. (These are factors that you need to control or standardize.)

    a)

    b)

    c)

    others:

  3. Think about how you would do a science experiment to investigate this problem. In the space below, write a set of directions that another student could follow to carry out your experiment. In addition to the guidelines given on the first page of this answer sheet, your directions should:

    • begin with a list/illustrations of the materials you will use
    • be a series of numbered steps (after the materials section)
    • have enough detail so that another student would know exactly what to do without extra help
    • include illustrations where you feel they are appropriate

    MATERIALS:

     

     

     

    Continue your answer to Question 3 in the space below as needed.
    Otherwise, GO ON TO QUESTION 4 ON THE NEXT PAGE.

  4. Draw a chart or table that you could use to record the data from your experiment. Make sure this chart or table allows you to organize the data so that you could compare the three different fabrics to one another.

     

     

     

  5. In what units does your experiment measure rate of cooling?

    ________________ per _________________

 

 


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