:Hot Air Balloon
Trend Task
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Approach: Group  Level: Year 8
Focus: Preparing a structured summary
Resources: 2 “Hot Air” articles, 4 highlighters, 2 strips of blank stickers, instruction card; answer sheet, scissors
1.6MB

Questions / instructions:
In this activity you are going to work together to list the things you would do to get a hot air balloon ready to fly.

To start you will be working in pairs. Each pair will have a copy of the first couple of pages of the book called Hot Air.

You can have a few minutes to read the pages together. When you are reading, decide what things the people are doing to get the hot air balloon ready to fly. As you decide each thing, mark it with the highlighter. After that we will talk about the things you have highlighted.

Give teams text and highlighters and allow sufficient time.

[Readable version available through PDF]

Now your team is going to make a chart which shows the things you would do to get a hot air ballon ready to fly. You will write each thing on a separate sticker. Cut out the stickers then put them in order. After that, you will stick them down on this sheet to make a chart. You don’t have to use all of the boxes. Work together, so everyone is helping.

This instruction card will remind you what you have to do.
Show and read instruction card.
Give stickers, scissors, pencils and answer sheet.
Allow sufficient time.
To finish off, I want you to read your chart to me.
   
% responses
2005 ('01)
Y4
Y8
Flow chart included:
drag balloon out into safe take-off area (open)
94 (93)
 
check weather/wind suitable
91 (91)
connect poles to basket
98 (97)
attach burner and fuel hoses
98 (96)
light burner (to test pressure)
92 (93)
connect balloon wires to basket
82 (82)
tie balloon to towbar of car (so it won’t take off)
89 (89)
pump cold air into balloon (inflate)
90 (91)
turn on burner (to heat air and lift balloon)
83 (87)
hold onto basket (so it won't lift off)
67 (72)
Order of ‘things’:
all ‘things’ in order
71 (61)
 
1 or 2 things out of order
25 (28)
any other response
4 (11)
Total score:
12
23 (26)

11
37 (25)
10
22 (23)
9
11 (9)
7–8
5 (9)
0–6
2 (8)

Commentary:
Year 8 teams enjoyed a high level of success with this task, with 60 percent getting all or almost all key steps recorded and in an appropriate order. There was little change overall between 2001 and 2005.
 
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