This week we are taking a closer look at one of the six simple machines - the screw. Screws are useful simple machines in that they help us hold things together by applying force through the item or items. They can also take a force that goes around and make it go up and down instead. One of the earliest versions of a screw was invented by Archimedes and used to move water to higher levels in ancient times. Other examples of a screw beyond the kind used to hold materials together are springs, cork screws, and slinkies because they have a spiraling inclined plane wrapped around a central (or imaginary) core. Screws can also be found in nature, especially in shells and shelled animals.
Primary students are comparing screws to bolts using large screws and bolts I found (purchased) at Lowe's, and creating Venn diagrams to help them compare and contrast the two "screws". We have been talking about the ease of installing a screw into a wall because of the wedge on the end whereas a bolt would need to have a hole drilled first. Screws also have their threads (inclined plane) spread wider apart that helps to cut threads into the inside of the hole it is being screwed into; while the threads on a bolt are more standard (to fit nuts on them) and are closer together than on a screw.
The students are able to see how the threads are really one long inclined plane wrapped around and around by taking a paper cut into a right triangle, coloring the angled edge, and then winding it back around itself to make a paper screw.
Fourth and fifth grade students are exploring screws using K'Nex as they construct a hand drill and comparing a drill bit to a screw. They are also learning the mechanical advantages of a screw and how they can calculate the mechanical advantage (MA) by taking length of the spiral and dividing it by the length of the body of the screw (or drill bit, in this case).
For more information on screws as a simple machine, check out these sites:
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
The Search for Simple Machines
This week marks the start of our Simple Machines unit. When we think of machines, quite often we think of some elaborate object with button or knobs that is powered by electricity in some way, either by battery or by a plug in the wall. However, simple machines are the simplest part of a machine, often made of one or very few moving parts. These simple machines make work easier for us by distributing the mass over a gradual slope, lifting items, splitting materials, applying force, or even changing the direction of the force and giving us a mechanical advantage. There are six simple machines: inclined plane, screw, wedge, pulley, wheel and axle, and lever.
As part of getting acquainted with the six simple machines this week, we will be scouring our school looking for and identifying each of the simple machines and talking about how they make tasks easier for us. Students are having to find at least two example of each of the simple machines around our school. (Kindergarten students love going by the flag pole and pointing out the pulley. :) Parents can challenge their students at home to locate examples of the six simple machines at home.
As part of getting acquainted with the six simple machines this week, we will be scouring our school looking for and identifying each of the simple machines and talking about how they make tasks easier for us. Students are having to find at least two example of each of the simple machines around our school. (Kindergarten students love going by the flag pole and pointing out the pulley. :) Parents can challenge their students at home to locate examples of the six simple machines at home.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
The Science of the Circus
Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls! Kids of all ages, step right up for some circus fun! This week our STEM class is going to the circus, or at least bringing parts of the circus into the classroom. We are taking a look at tightrope walkers, or funambulists, and other balancing acts of the circus and focusing on the physics behind the tricks that wow us from the center ring.
Students will be learning about the center of gravity, momentum, motion, balance, equilibrium, inertia, net force, and torque this week through video clips featuring tightrope walkers, trapeze artists, and other feats of balance, walking a line and a small balance beam, and making clowns balance on their fingers (paper clowns, that is). The balancing artist and acrobats featured in the videos depend on the laws of science to work for their safety. The main thing they must know as part of their act is where their center of gravity is at all times. If they lose this, they may not be around the perform their next act.
The students will be using the force and motion concepts they are learning this week and applying it in their Simple Machines unit, especially in their final projects for the unit.
For more information about the science of the circus, check out these sites:
Students will be learning about the center of gravity, momentum, motion, balance, equilibrium, inertia, net force, and torque this week through video clips featuring tightrope walkers, trapeze artists, and other feats of balance, walking a line and a small balance beam, and making clowns balance on their fingers (paper clowns, that is). The balancing artist and acrobats featured in the videos depend on the laws of science to work for their safety. The main thing they must know as part of their act is where their center of gravity is at all times. If they lose this, they may not be around the perform their next act.
The students will be using the force and motion concepts they are learning this week and applying it in their Simple Machines unit, especially in their final projects for the unit.
For more information about the science of the circus, check out these sites:
- Circus Physics at PBS
- The Science of the Circus: Physics
- Super Scientific Circus
- Circus Stunts on Dragonfly TV
- Balancing Act activity
- Center of Gravity: Pencil Balance
Friday, January 13, 2012
EDP - final week!
Its definitely the final week on our Engineering Design Process unit, and what a unit its been! The next time I do this unit, I will be putting more caps on the amount of time we spend on different parts. This is somewhat difficult to do with our short classes, but one I think we can manage. For starters, I've changed up the reviews for more student interaction and have been using more Kagan structures, such as paired sharing. Its taken a bit to get the students accustomed to the structures, but I think it will help all students in the classroom become more involved in their own learning.
This week the students are writing a reflection piece about how they worked together as a team to accomplish their products, reflecting on the highlights, what went well, what could have gone better, and what changes they would make as far as working as a team the next time.
I have one second grade team that has been trying to finish their project - they got a late start in that it took them several weeks in the beginning to decide on what they were going to make, but I think now they have gotten most of it together, they don't really want to stop. They were so excited and pleased with themselves when they finally figured out they could add other items to their drinking straw that they drew out of the bag originally, and decided to make a garden using straws as slats in fence surrounding the garden. They also could not decide who was going to take it home, so they have decided diplomatically that they would each take it home for a week and add to the garden with paper flower cut outs and toothpick stems. They needed some help with the hot glue adding the straws and wooden craft stick posts on, but the rest they each tenderly worked on as if it were their own garden.
This week the students are writing a reflection piece about how they worked together as a team to accomplish their products, reflecting on the highlights, what went well, what could have gone better, and what changes they would make as far as working as a team the next time.
I have one second grade team that has been trying to finish their project - they got a late start in that it took them several weeks in the beginning to decide on what they were going to make, but I think now they have gotten most of it together, they don't really want to stop. They were so excited and pleased with themselves when they finally figured out they could add other items to their drinking straw that they drew out of the bag originally, and decided to make a garden using straws as slats in fence surrounding the garden. They also could not decide who was going to take it home, so they have decided diplomatically that they would each take it home for a week and add to the garden with paper flower cut outs and toothpick stems. They needed some help with the hot glue adding the straws and wooden craft stick posts on, but the rest they each tenderly worked on as if it were their own garden.
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| Wooden craft stick fence posts hold plastic straw fencing that surrounds this garden of green felt grass and construction paper. Plastic trees from a cake topper were found for the trees, with miniature pompom bushes, and a pipe cleaner flower. On the back side is another flower cut from sheer printed ribbon with a straw stem. |
Crazy scheduling is coming up next week with Dr. Martin Luther King Day on Monday and Record's day on Friday, with a zero Fine Arts day on Wednesday as we meet together with all of the classes, leaving just Tuesday and Thursday for classes. But, I keep telling the kids that the fun part of STEM, the really fun part, that is, is just around the corner! (Legos, K'Nex, and more!)
Kindergarten is taking a look at screws this week and comparing them to bolts, which are also screws in simple machines terms. I find it interesting how enthusiastic they can get over holding the real things and being able to see the differences between the two themselves. We've also compared a jar lid to a screw and talked about how the lid was like the inside of a hole for the screw, in that it has threads, just like when a screw goes into a hole and cuts threads.
Kindergarten is taking a look at screws this week and comparing them to bolts, which are also screws in simple machines terms. I find it interesting how enthusiastic they can get over holding the real things and being able to see the differences between the two themselves. We've also compared a jar lid to a screw and talked about how the lid was like the inside of a hole for the screw, in that it has threads, just like when a screw goes into a hole and cuts threads.
Monday, January 9, 2012
And we are back!
Welcome back, STEM fans! We've had a good break, somehow those 16 days off do not quite seem long enough, but I'm excited to be back in school for the second half of the school year. (Well, not quite - the semester ends on the 20th.) I had a couple of wonderful workshops on the teachers' first day back, Twitter for Teachers, and Balsa Wood Bridge building. We also had a special guest engineer join us for TSA today, but more about that in the TSA blog.
We are down to the final two weeks of the Engineering Design Process. I have a couple of groups who would love to spend the whole year just working on their project, but we have to move on. I'm past where I should be and still have 3 more units to get through before the end of the school year - time to get moving!
Most of the classes are finishing up their write up in their journals this week. This is a challenge for some of them, I've noticed, but I have been allowing them to complete this part as a group, in discussion, but each one responsible for writing it down in their own journal. The students are writing and explaining to me the process they took (their group took) to create their solutions/projects. I'm tying this into their Language Arts by having them work on process writing. Since this class is only about 35 minutes long (at the most) and they see me once a week, the students will not be able to fully go through all of the writing process on this piece in their journals. But I'm looking for complete thoughts, standard writing elements (capitalization and punctuation in the lower grades; detailed explanations in the upper grades, along with correct grammar), and the ability to take their words, if they were to verbally explain it to me, and retell it in written format.
Although the students will not be able to physically complete the Improvement part of the Engineering Design Process, they will be completing this part in theory in their journals. I've asked them to tell me, if they were able to make improvements to their pieces, what would they do to make it better, and how would they go about accomplishing this.
First and fourth grade classes are also taking the Engineering Design Process test this week since they missed time during the week we were in the Cafeteria for Christmas program practice. They have already taken a pretest several weeks ago, before the break, and are reviewing before the test, so it should still be fresh in their minds.
A few of the groups are still working on completing their creation step this week, like a group that is working on creating the London Tower Bridge from a plastic tray used to hold an laser printer ink cartridge in shipment - they have been gluing the towers and supports for the suspension cables, after painting and trying to cover up the bright orange plastic before Christmas. Another group is working to complete their garden, using plastic straws for the fencing. One of the first grade groups finished working on their snowflake made from plastic spoons this week. I can see the likeness of their finished project to their blueprint drawing they made months ago in their journal.
We are down to the final two weeks of the Engineering Design Process. I have a couple of groups who would love to spend the whole year just working on their project, but we have to move on. I'm past where I should be and still have 3 more units to get through before the end of the school year - time to get moving!
Most of the classes are finishing up their write up in their journals this week. This is a challenge for some of them, I've noticed, but I have been allowing them to complete this part as a group, in discussion, but each one responsible for writing it down in their own journal. The students are writing and explaining to me the process they took (their group took) to create their solutions/projects. I'm tying this into their Language Arts by having them work on process writing. Since this class is only about 35 minutes long (at the most) and they see me once a week, the students will not be able to fully go through all of the writing process on this piece in their journals. But I'm looking for complete thoughts, standard writing elements (capitalization and punctuation in the lower grades; detailed explanations in the upper grades, along with correct grammar), and the ability to take their words, if they were to verbally explain it to me, and retell it in written format.
Although the students will not be able to physically complete the Improvement part of the Engineering Design Process, they will be completing this part in theory in their journals. I've asked them to tell me, if they were able to make improvements to their pieces, what would they do to make it better, and how would they go about accomplishing this.
First and fourth grade classes are also taking the Engineering Design Process test this week since they missed time during the week we were in the Cafeteria for Christmas program practice. They have already taken a pretest several weeks ago, before the break, and are reviewing before the test, so it should still be fresh in their minds.
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| A snowflake ornament made from spoons and painted craft sticks. |
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| Its difficult to make out the writing in this picture of their journal but on the left it says, "Engineering DP Loop 1. Ask the problem - How can we build from a straw popsicle craft stick? 2. Imagine - Brainstorming - See Jasmin's journal (Jasmin recorded the brainstorming list for this team, but was not the one who recorded the written plans as in the drawing of the snowflake on the right page.) |
Kindergarten is beginning on the Simple Machines unit this week and touring the school looking for examples of Simple Machines in action. They all got so excited when we went up to the front and saw the flag pole. They all recognized the pulley on the flagpole and expressed how it saved the patrols from climbing up and down the pole each day for the flags.
Friday, December 9, 2011
EDP - It all comes together!
Wow! I finally got to see the rocket and launch pad put together today! It was one of the single most amazing moments I've experienced thus far in the classroom as a teacher. I finally got to see into their minds and see how they were putting it all together, even though they drew it out AND explained it to me before building it. I feel they truly captured the essence of the whole unit today with their rocket on the launch pad made almost entirely of a single floppy diskette that the group had taken apart. This group needed my head in putting it together only in that I was needed for the hot glue gun, but they worked together as one team in assembling it before my eyes. It was amazing to watch them in action consulting with one another talking about how each piece was to adhere to the other pieces. I wish I had my video camera handy and had recorded them working together. Each student in their group was fully engaged in the design process and contributed equally to the group's discussion and work.
I've included a few images I captured with my cell phone, but I feel these images do not do this piece justice. Nor were the images able to capture the mechanics of the team work I saw in these 4th graders today. They have one more thing left to glue on there and that is a bit of cut apart red yarn they were using for the ignition flames underneath the launch pad.
I was pleased to see how the students used the pieces of the plastic diskette cover and made angled supports for the underside of the launch pad rather than a standard box design for a base. (It should be noted that the students did this part on their own, in fact, the whole design was theirs without any real guidance from me.)
We had taken a short break from first and fourth grade STEM classes this rotation as the Fine Arts team supported Dr. Katz, our music teacher, in preparation for last night's Christmas performance, but now both of these grade levels are back on course.
Other pieces that were finished this week included a bird made originally from a plastic spoon with other additions from the materials cart, an airplane made from a plastic spoon and a craft stick, a book mark made from a craft stick, a kite made from straws and paper, a few rockets made from straws, another book mark - this was made with small drinking straws taped together then covered in decorative paper, and Breast Cancer Awareness pins made from clear straws tied into a knot shape with pink ribbon and a small safety pin on the back. Most of the items were team created items and only one creation per team, but I allowed this team to each make one of their own pins, since the supplies needed were minimal, and they had asked to be able to share them around the school with some teachers. (I still have my pin on my desk. I need to get a picture of someone wearing their pin to upload here.)
I've included a few images I captured with my cell phone, but I feel these images do not do this piece justice. Nor were the images able to capture the mechanics of the team work I saw in these 4th graders today. They have one more thing left to glue on there and that is a bit of cut apart red yarn they were using for the ignition flames underneath the launch pad.
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| The only added pieces here are the pipe cleaners used to make the USA. |
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| A side view of the launch pad showing the metal plate used as a side wall. |
I was pleased to see how the students used the pieces of the plastic diskette cover and made angled supports for the underside of the launch pad rather than a standard box design for a base. (It should be noted that the students did this part on their own, in fact, the whole design was theirs without any real guidance from me.)
We had taken a short break from first and fourth grade STEM classes this rotation as the Fine Arts team supported Dr. Katz, our music teacher, in preparation for last night's Christmas performance, but now both of these grade levels are back on course.
Other pieces that were finished this week included a bird made originally from a plastic spoon with other additions from the materials cart, an airplane made from a plastic spoon and a craft stick, a book mark made from a craft stick, a kite made from straws and paper, a few rockets made from straws, another book mark - this was made with small drinking straws taped together then covered in decorative paper, and Breast Cancer Awareness pins made from clear straws tied into a knot shape with pink ribbon and a small safety pin on the back. Most of the items were team created items and only one creation per team, but I allowed this team to each make one of their own pins, since the supplies needed were minimal, and they had asked to be able to share them around the school with some teachers. (I still have my pin on my desk. I need to get a picture of someone wearing their pin to upload here.)
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| Bird made from a plastic spoon, with craft stick legs, foam sheet body, googly eyes, and pipe cleaner beak that is holding a small piece of yarn for a worm. The group found a piece of round cardboard and covered it with green felt for the grass. |
As we rap up this unit, students this week, except for first and fourth graders (and Kindergarten) will be taking the Engineering Design Process test for a grade (but not a large portion of their grade, since this is mostly a hands-on participation based class).
Kindergarten, on the other hand, will be exploring the science of how candy canes are made and creating their own, although not so sticky, versions to take home. They will be view two different short video clips from Discovery Education about how candy canes are made and contrasting the two methods.
Kindergarten, on the other hand, will be exploring the science of how candy canes are made and creating their own, although not so sticky, versions to take home. They will be view two different short video clips from Discovery Education about how candy canes are made and contrasting the two methods.
Friday, December 2, 2011
New Logo for a New Program
The new logo is finally in from the graphic designer (hired)! You may have noticed it at the top with the black lightning bolt going through the first "E" in Engineering forming the center in the cog/gear. (I say new logo for a new program in that at the start of the year a graphic artist/designer was hired to create a new logo for the Inspiring Elementary Engineering program and to show a change from last year's Engineering by Design. Refer to the July 2nd post.) I've been playing around with where I want it in the banner, and haven't settled on a place, yet. I got used to my original graphic having styled it to match the colors and feel of the background on the blog. (You may have noticed I snuck the old IE2 and gear logo in next to the head on the left.) It might just be a matter of pride, professional one over mine. But, I'm going to try it out for size for a while.
You may see the graphic moving from place to place and change sizes with the next few posts as I get used to seeing it there. As always, feedback is more than welcomed. Let me know your thoughts on the new graphic.
You may see the graphic moving from place to place and change sizes with the next few posts as I get used to seeing it there. As always, feedback is more than welcomed. Let me know your thoughts on the new graphic.
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