The third and fourth grade students concluded their first Project Lead the Way unit on the Science of Flight. For the final activity, they had to design a glider that would drop cargo into a relief area. They evaluated their original designs, and then made changes to the wings and horizontal stabilizer. They also decided where to add weight to their plane, based on their own test flights, as well as discussion and observation of their classmates' planes. They used binder clips to represent the cargo. We tested the planes, with one, two, three, and then four binder clips, making 3 trial flights for each weight distribution. They charted and graphed their results, and then discussed their findings with their partner, and their classmates.
The third and fourth grade students who participated in the after school We Do Lego Robotics Club presented their designs and program to all the third and fourth graders. The students shared that they were presented with real world disaster scenarios and had to work to solve the problems faced during these disasters. We learned about opening and closing flood gates, bringing supplies to remote areas, saving people from floods, pulling equipment and getting places quickly. Each team built a robot out of Legos and designed a computer programming code to make their robot move. The students answered questions from their classmates and shared what they learned while doing the project. Everyone was impressed with the work that was done over the few weeks with the support of Mrs. Derner and Mr. Stevenson.
November's topic explored the reasons why some birds stay in Vermont for the winter, and some migrate. Students participated in a puppet show, playing the parts of Orville Oriole, Chelsey Chickadee, or Wilbur Wood Thrush. They were given cards with the names of different birds, and a description of what they eat. Thinking about what Vermont is like in the winter, they had to decide if their bird would need to migrate, or whether it would be able to survive here. Students also looked at migration maps, and estimated the distances different birds traveled to their winter homes. After the indoor activities, we went outside to play a tag game that illustrated the hazards that birds face on their migratory routes. At the end we looked and listened for birds near the playground.
In the Science of Flight Unit, we talked about balanced and unbalanced forces. After we finished the unit, we decided to add one final acitivity. Students were challenged to find a way to balance a paper bird on the tip of their finger (or other body parts). They discovered that adding weight in strategic positions was the solution to the problem.