MATERIALS:  K'nex toys, Balance and Motion by Lisa Trumbaur.

OBJECTIVES: 1. Students will understand the concepts of weighing and balancing.
                                a.  Students will realize how to use different sizes of objects to
                                     balance.
                                b.  Students will realize that the placement of objects on the
                                     balancing beam will affect how it balances.
                        2.  Students will become better listeners by listening to the teacher
                             read a story.

PROCEDURE:
                        1. Teacher will read Balance and Motion aloud to the students.
                                a. Book will explain to the students how weight balances.
                        2. Review, by using a balancing beam, how to balance different
                           objects.
                        3. Divide the students up into groups.
                        4. Tell the students that they are responsible for making their own
                            balance beam and that it should successfully balance objects.
                        5. Pass out K'nex toys to the groups of students.
                        6. Allow enough time for the students to design and construct their
                            own balancing beam.
                        7. Each group should demonstrate how their beam balances objects
                            in front of the class.
                        8. The groups of students will write a brief paper discussing how they
                            constructed and built their balance beam.  The paper should also
                            include information on why their balance beam works.

EVALUATION:
        The teacher will know if the students met the objectives by observing them
build and construct their balance beams and by reading their final papers.
 
 

**According to the Indiana State Science Proficiency Guide Article 3.7, students should realize that
                "the earth's gravity pulls any object toward it without touching it."
   With this lesson we hope to have our students realize this concept by letting them experiment with
   gravity.  They will do this by balancing objects on their constructed balancing beams.