Drawing the Invisible: An Action Research and Lesson Study on Grade 9 Students’ Understanding of Conservation of Momentum Through Sketchbook Learning

This action research, conducted within a lesson study framework, examined how integrating a structured sketchbook routine into Grade 9 physics instruction supported students’ understanding of the Law of Conservation of Momentum. Although drawing-to-learn appears to have strong empirical support in recent meta-analyses, there is little research outlining how iterative lesson study cycles develop a sketchbook’s scaffolding for an abstract concept such as momentum, particularly in mixed classrooms for English language learners. It looked at how the students performed on a momentum test, how the sketchbook helped them turn their drawings into equations, and how the lesson study helped the teachers improve the lesson. A team of three teachers from Waukegan High School, Illinois, collaboratively designed, taught, observed, and refined a research lesson through the plan–teach–observe–reflect cycle. The intervention employed a custom 10-page sketchbook scaffolded through a gradual-release model: six independent Before/After collision problems, three guided “We Can Do It!” problems, and three analyze-and-solve problems using pre-drawn sketches. A post-test–only descriptive design measured student performance in all 3 classes (N = 57, two regular and one sheltered class) with a 16-item summative momentum test and qualitative data obtained from teacher reflections, semi-structured interviews, and students’ sketchbooks. Students had a combined post-test average of 12.63/16 (78.9%, SD = 2.72), with 73.7% exceeding proficiency. The sheltered class of English learners scored lower than the regular classes, but most of them still reached at least the developing level, which shows that the drawing-based design gave them a fair way to join in. Teachers described how sketchbooks helped students externalize Before/After reasoning, minimize sign errors, and get to grips with algebraic translation. These findings should be viewed in the light of the limitations of the study: a post-test–only descriptive design precludes pre-to-post growth claims, the study was restricted to three classes in one public high school, and qualitative evidence was obtained from limited teacher interviews. The findings indicate that a combination of sketchbook routines and lesson study provides an accessible, equity-oriented way to incorporate abstract physics instruction in K-12 classrooms.