A paragraph of text about road safety is loaded.

 

Prompt a discussion about the language and tone of the message within the text.

 

Introduce the different persuasive devices that could be found within a piece of text.

 

Ask the children if they can find some of them within the passage displayed.

 

Click on the buttons at the foot of the screen to highlight some examples.

 

Starting with the whole class or group, open the activity in a window.

 

Invite a child to the front of the class and ask he/she to read the paragraph of text aloud to the remainder of the group.

 

Discuss with the group their feelings on hearing the text.

 

Which section(s) of the text put across the issue of road safety most clearly to them?

 

Point out the different buttons at the foot of the screen.

 

Discuss with the group the meaning of each of them and ask them to point out these features of the text.

 

Highlight the different sections of text by switching on/off the beliefs, opinions, facts etc.

 

Every child should then be able to highlight the section of text that they thought best put across the message to them. Which elements were most persuasive?

 

Ask the children to investigate parachutes. Does the size of a parachute affect how long it takes to fall? Ask them what they would need to know in order to answer the question.

 

They need to carry out a fair test: e.g. "I used a parachute with the same weight each time and changed the size of the parachute."

 

Use the simulation to record the time taken for the parachute to fall and the weight it carried. Explain patterns from the results in terms of air resistance: e.g. "The largest parachute took longest because it trapped most air. This stopped it falling quickly."

 

Children may be aware of the term 'gravity'. It might be appropriate to talk about gravitational attraction or balanced forces. It is sufficient to think of the parachute as an object which is moving downwards and air resistance as a force which is opposing that motion. Main focus of the investigation: controlling variables making predictions, recording.