The Slo Mo Guys: You Tube Videos

Contributor
Gavin Free and Dan Gruchy
Type Category
Instructional Materials Assessment Materials
Types
Image/Image Set , Tool/Software , Demonstration , Animation/Movie
Note
This resource, vetted by NSTA curators, is provided to teachers along with suggested modifications to make it more in line with the vision of the NGSS. While not considered to be “fully aligned,” the resources and expert recommendations provide teachers with concrete examples and expert guidance using the EQuIP rubric to adapted existing resources. Read more here.

Reviews

Description

None of these boxes quite fit what this resource is: It is a number of short videos of objects hitting other objects in extremely slow motion. Liquids hitting liquids, solids hitting solids, and all other combinations. Personal teaching favorites are the tuning fork in water, a drop of water falling into pink liquid, and the soccer ball hitting a person's face. (Note to teachers, be sure to preview the videos before sharing them with students. While the majority of these videos are wonderful resources, some may be innapropriate for younger children.)

Intended Audience

Learner
Educational Level
  • Elementary School
Language
English
Access Restrictions

Free access - The right to view and/or download material without financial, registration, or excessive advertising barriers.

Performance Expectations

2-PS1-1 Plan and conduct an investigation to describe and classify different kinds of materials by their observable properties.

Clarification Statement: Observations could include color, texture, hardness, and flexibility. Patterns could include the similar properties that different materials share.

Assessment Boundary: none

This resource was not designed to build towards this performance expectation, but can be used to build towards it using the suggestions provided below.

Comments about Including the Performance Expectation
The teacher could take two of the materials in the video (a ball and a stuffed animal) and ask about the properties of the materials compare how they respond to an action (being dropped, etc). The students could watch the video, see something they have a lot of familiarity with, eg. getting hit with a ball, and ask questions about why it hurts when they are hit with a ball, as opposed to a stuffed animal. They could be guided to think of some patterns: things that are squishy don't hurt as much as things that are hard, and then watch the video to see if it supports their understanding. The videos support the gathering of evidence about different materials including liquids and solids, and would be an engaging addition to an investigation about properties.

Science and Engineering Practices

This resource was not designed to build towards this science and engineering practice, but can be used to build towards it using the suggestions provided below.

Comments about Including the Science and Engineering Practice
This resource is useful for the teacher in planning investigations about properties of material with students either by generating questions, or gathering data about materials. She/he may also use the resource as an assessment to probe the students understanding for how properties are different.

Disciplinary Core Ideas

This resource was not designed to build towards this disciplinary core idea, but can be used to build towards it using the suggestions provided below.

Comments about Including the Disciplinary Core Idea
The investigation could be based on one video that the students observe one time or many times. It also could involve students looking at many of the slow motion videos to classify the different materials and how they interact. Different liquids and solids are included in the various videos. Comparisons could be made between the various materials.

Crosscutting Concepts

This resource was not designed to build towards this crosscutting concept, but can be used to build towards it using the suggestions provided below.

Comments about Including the Crosscutting Concept
The patterns observed through the slow motion videos could be extrapolated by the teacher. They are not inherently part of the series, but the students could be led to use the resource to identify patterns.

Resource Quality

  • Alignment to the Dimensions of the NGSS: I think the resource is stronger depending on how the teacher chooses to use the resource. The videos by themselves do not meet the standard for three dimensional learning.

  • Instructional Supports: The videos may provide a strong support as part of a larger unit, but only as it is included by the educator as part of the investigation. The use of the videos and inquiry-based investigations together allow for data collection, questioning about materials, and assessment of the investigation.

  • Monitoring Student Progress: This resource would not be useful in monitoring student progress.

  • Quality of Technological Interactivity: Easy to access and every teacher would have the tools to use the technology.