Back by popular demand, students once again participated in this challenging and fun engineering science unit. By drawing blueprints with different views and using metric scale and measurement, students designed and built several structures. They used hand tools and basswood to first learn how to make strong, square corners and angled joints to build a model catapult.
With their models, they then chose a variable to test to see how far the catapult would fling an object. Using the engineering and technology aspect of the STEM model of science learning, students observed in their models the effect of differing weights being flung with no change in force. Much discussion about mass, force, momentum, gravity and acceleration ensued around the use of the catapults.
After this, students used all that they learned to design and construct their own moving vehicle, which also was tested and refined.
Some cars used wind power, some used motors, some used rubber band/propeller power, others used gravity down a ramp. Everyone's vehicle passed the challenge -- to travel a distance of three meters.
Celebrating Science Afternoon was an exhibit in the Soule Program that concluded this month of work in this class and in all of the other Soule Program classes, even the art class!
Students shared what was learned in each class during the past month and prepared activities to highlight their learning and to allow parents and students to participate. Besides the Design and Build class, other science displayed at the fair included a class about Sound, a class about Sink and Float, and a class about the physical and chemical properties of clay and glazes.
