Study of kinematics graphs through naval battle game and robotic activities

Abstract

The didactic experience described and analyzed in this article was developed in a state school in the municipality of Candiota, RS, in the format of two didactic modules, containing activities for the introduction to the teaching of the Cartesian plan and Kinematic graphs. In the first module, we emphasized the study of Cartesian coordinates, using the naval battle game and the construction of a Cartesian plan in the schoolyard. In the second module, the elaboration and interpretation of graphs in Kinematics, with emphasis in the use of computational technologies, was made use of the Arduino platform for construction of automated trolleys and of an apparatus using position sensor. The didactic experience was carried out in the light of the curriculum guidelines described in official teaching documents and based on Ausubel's meaningful learning theory. The intervention was developed in two classes of 1st year of High School and the results, based on statistical analyzes (level of statistical significance less than 0.01) and qualitative categories, showed that the proposed activities constitute an effective possibility for introduction to the study of graphics, especially Kinematics. During the intervention, students developed abilities to locate points on the Cartesian plane, collect and represent appropriately, in tables, time and displacement data, as well as construct movement charts. In addition, students demonstrated ability to interpret and analyze time, velocity, and velocity data on uniform motion graphs and reproduce this movement through an automated cart and motion sensor.