Cardboard challenge Videos & Pics

The 2017 Cardboard Challenge is officially complete! The kids rose to this very challenging task of creating working Rube Goldberg machines to showcase their knowledge of energy transfers.  Rube Goldberg machines are challenging enough, but we added the additional challenge of constructing as much of the machine as possible out of cardboard.  This project was a culmination to our science unit, but also contained many other important lessons.  The kids learned lessons in persistence, perseverance, flexible thinking, problem solving, collaboration, as well as trial and error.  They experienced such pride when their machines worked.  Please take a minute to view their videos by clicking the link below.  I think you'll be impressed at what they were able to accomplish.  Also, how many forms of energy can you find transferring during each step? The day after the Cardboard Challenge, the kids demonstrated their machines for each other, and they had to record and document all the energy transfers that occurred in each other's machines.  That was one of their assessments on this unit.  It's trickier than you think!


Cardboard Challenge Rube Goldberg Videos

Below are some pictures of the kids' displays at our school wide Cardboard Challenge celebration on Tuesday.  They had the chance to display their Rube Goldberg machines in the gym for the 3rd, 5th, 1st graders, and Kindergarteners to see.  They also got to see what the other students created.  What a fun afternoon.  So much creativity, imagination, and effort went into each and every project.  I was so proud of each student. 

Cardboard Challenge + Rube Goldberg= Fun & Learning!

As a culmination of our energy transfer science unit, we are working to make Rube Goldberg machines.  Rube Goldberg machines transfer energy through a variety of steps to perform a simple task.  We decided to combine this project with the cardboard challenge and see what type of Rube Goldberg machine we can build out of cardboard.  

We took some time to make sure that our 1st step would  transfer enough energy. We ran some experiments in which we tested the affects that different variables, such as ramp height, would have on the movement of our energy.  We formed hypotheses, tested variables with three different trials, and were able to draw conclusions. Our experiments showed that the more gravitational energy we stored at the beginning of our Rube Goldberg, the farther our objects (marbles, balls etc.) would travel.  This means that energy impacts speed and distance traveled. 

We're now working to design our next steps.  Stay tuned to see our finished projects.  Next Tuesday, Dec. 19 is the cardboard challenge celebration, where we will share the finished projects with the school.  

Light waves fun with flashlights by Kenan & Mrs. Greazel

In science we've been learning about waves. We learned about sound waves, water waves, and now we are learning about light waves. To make a sound wave you need noise. The sound waves move by causing molecules in the air, in liquid, or in solids to bump into each other.  Sound waves bounce off of things when they're moving. We discovered that light waves reflect or bounce off of things too. We used flashlights to discover how light waves worked and observed how the light from the flashlights moves through, bounces off, or gets absorbed by certain things.  We had a lot of fun experimenting and learned so much!

How did the light get on the ceiling when the flashlight is facing down? There are mirrors below. 

 

Ancient Explanations for Hurricanes

     Hurricanes have been the focus of our attention during the last month.  As we tracked  Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma, Hurricane Maria, and Hurricane Jose many students were asking why there were so many  bad storms this season.  We researched the scientific reasons why the hurricane season has been so bad this year.  Then, we discussed the fact that people that lived thousands of years ago didn't have the luxury of researching on the internet.  They didn't understand all of the scientific reasons why storms were created, so they had to come up with other explanations for these terrible storms.  We looked into ancient cultures from Mexico, Greece, and the Caribbean and discussed the mythological explanations they had for hurricanes.  We looked at the similarities between all these mythological explanations and also looked at where these cultures were located on a world map and thought about why these cultures would have needed these explanations for hurricanes and why other cultures didn't.  We had some great conversations!

Here is a chart that summarizes what we discovered.

Soccer ball design engineering challenge

      As a part of our reading instruction, we read some books that included details about characters who were playing with soccer balls that they made out of available resources. We then connected this to our map skills unit for S.S., by researching how people around the world make soccer balls out of various odds and ends that are available. We plotted the countries on the map as we shared our information.  We discussed the countries, continents, and hemispheres of each country and also discussed its proximity to the equator and the affect that has on climate. We found examples of makeshift soccer balls from Dubai, Brazil, Uganda, Kenya, Russia, and a few others.  Through the course of this project, we also discovered that Pakistan manufactures a large portion of the world's soccer balls and Columbia manufactures many, as well.  This research also helped us hone our researching skills, by using appropriate keywords, changing the focus of our research, and looking at all available resources in print and video.      
    Following this research, the kids were inspired to try and make their own makeshift soccer balls using some of the supplies found in our research. They formed groups based on the materials they were interested in using and designed their balls. During the design process, they listened to all group members' ideas and formulated a plan together. Once everyone was in agreement, they began constructing their balls.  The engineering of the balls involved some adjustments and modifications to plans, as some of the original plans didn't work out the way they thought they would.  Students had to problem solve through difficulties, use flexible thinking, and persevere through difficulties they encountered.  They also had to learn to compromise, listen to each other, and make sure everyone in the group had a job.  I'm so proud of the work that they've done so far!  Here are some pictures of the process. 

How can we turn these materials into a soccer ball?

Designing the soccer ball

Designing



And the construction begins.....

Stay tuned to see our final products after testing and modifications!