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| Focus: Describe the features of two different nutcrackers and evaluate them. | ||||||
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Questions
/ instructions: |
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|
%
responses
2000 ('96) |
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|
y4
|
y8
|
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| 1. Try to crack open the shell of this nut using only your hands. How did your hands feel trying to crack the nut shell open? | ||||||
| Give
student the metal nut cracker. 2. Have you ever used one of these? |
yes
|
32
(39)
|
45
(49)
|
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| 3.
Put the nut in the nut cracker and try to crack the shell open. How did your hands feel using this nut cracker? |
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| 4. How useful do you think the nut cracker is? Why? |
Responses
to 3 & 4
|
it cracks nut
|
53
(51)
|
54
(42)
|
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|
it's
easy to use (doesn't hurt hand)
|
31
(34)
|
46
(37)
|
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|
it's
easy to control amount of cracking
|
1
(0)
|
2
(3)
|
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| Give
student the wooden nut cracker. 5. Have you ever used one of these? |
yes
|
6
(8)
|
9
(5)
|
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| 6.
Now try to crack the shell with this nut cracker. How do your hands feel using this nut cracker? |
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| 7. How useful do you think this nut cracker is? Why? |
Responses
to 6 & 7
|
it
cracks nut
|
45
(41)
|
35
(35)
|
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|
it's
easy to use (doesn't hurt hand)
|
25
(31)
|
27
(36)
|
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|
it's
easy to control amount of cracking
|
4
(0)
|
6
(11)
|
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|
fragments
are contained
|
4
(0)
|
10
(15)
|
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| 8. Can you describe the differences between the two nut crackers and how they work? |
different
material (metal vs. wood)
|
23
(27)
|
21
(21)
|
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|
different
visual design
|
14
(19)
|
12
(14)
|
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|
operating principle
(screw vs. lever) |
73
(69)
|
81
(71)
|
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| 9. Do you think one of these nut crackers is better than the other? Which one? |
Choice:
|
wooden
|
58
(73)
|
51
(67)
|
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|
metal
|
29
(18)
|
35
(17)
|
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|
none
|
13
(9)
|
14
(15)
|
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|
Explanation:
|
strong
justification
|
2
(2)
|
7
(5)
|
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|
moderate
justification
|
39
(33)
|
51
(51)
|
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|
limited justification
|
53
(59)
|
37
(38)
|
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|
no
justification
|
6
(6)
|
5
(6)
|
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| 10.Why
do you think we have different types of nut crackers? Why? |
different
consumer preferences, resources
|
71
(64)
|
82
(73)
|
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|
inventors
come up with new ideas
|
4
(2)
|
10
(10)
|
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|
companies,
individuals competing for market share
|
1
(0)
|
4
(3)
|
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| 11.What do you think people in the future might use to crack open nuts? |
[not marked]
|
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| Commentary: Slightly higher percentages of year 8 than year 4 students gave better descriptions of the key differences between the two nutcrackers, and better justifications for their choice of nutcracker. Overall there was very little change between 1996 and 2000. |
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