Engage (approximately 5-10 minutes)
Show students the YouTube video (length 3:25) entitled "Skywest Airlines Flight Dives 20,000 Feet In Minutes: 3 People Pass Out" in order to capture the attention of the students. Following the video, engage students in a discussion of what they think made the passengers pass out to lead into the introduction of the gas laws and how they are associated with aeronautics.
Explore (approximately 40 minutes)
Begin by giving each student a copy of the following handouts from the NASA Education Guide Pushing the Envelope: A NASA Guide to Engines: Gas Law Problems - Boyle's Law (pg 29-30); Gas Law Problems - Charles's Law (pg 31-32); Gas Law Problems - Gay Lussac's Law (pg 33-34). With each of the three handouts, introduce the specific gas law and the relationship that it represents between the variables of temperature, volume and pressure. After the students have been introduced to the three gas laws, work through some of the practice problems as a collaborative group and then allow students time to work practice problems in teams. After students have worked as a team, the teacher will use Plickers as a formative assessment to gauge student understanding of the laws and the mathematics associated with the three gas laws prior to moving on to the extension lab for the lesson.
Elaborate (approximately 30-40 minutes)
Place students in teams (2-3 students per team). Each team should receive a copy of the PhET Simulation Lab Handout. Each team should also have access to a computer and/or handheld device in order to access the PhET simulation website. The teacher will read directions from the PhET Simulation Lab Handout before allowing the teams to work on collecting data and completing the lab.
Following completion of lesson, teacher will have students do a 3-2-1 activity of 3 new things that they learned, 2 connections that they were able to make between the lesson material and everyday life/situations, and 1 question or concept they are still unsure about. Students will be asked to volunteer to share responses and teacher will allow collaborative class discussion to close lesson.