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Exploring What is Possible

Week 4 of our summer program started with straw rockets. Students explored how changing the nose of their rocket or the wings affected how far it would travel. With the help of an older student, we recorded the distance traveled by each rocket in a Google Sheet. We used this data later in the week for a math talk. We discussed how to organize the data to answer questions and make predictions about how far most rockets would travel. This math talk was mostly an introduction to data analysis but helped students what can be done with information they collect.




Our week continued with building wind powered cars. This activity comes from PBS.org. This activity has a high excitement level as students get to see their creations roll or even fly. As we have engaged in each of these activities it's been interesting to observe how students approach the engineering design process. Some students jump in with little to no instruction or models and are comfortable building and designing. Other students need some background information and then can go from there. The most challenging students for me are the ones who cannot enter the task or give up quickly. As a teacher I am learning how to support these students to determine what scaffolds they need to feel successful. I have realized that sometimes they just need more observation time and are happy to participate by watching. One student who joined us during the 4th week of the program was hesitant to engage in building a wind powered car. He only wanted to watch them as they were tested. As we moved into our next design challenge, bridge building he did not want to build with his team he only wanted to pull off long strips of tape. As I observed him during week 5 building a catapult, he was finally ready to build his own project. I overheard him say to another student that he had not had much experience doing these kinds of projects and was excited to be here. As I reflect on my observations of this student, I realize that each day he took in the process until he was ready to make it his own. My initial reaction to him not participating was frustration. I couldn't understand why he did not want to jump and try it. As I look forward to our upcoming school year and our transformation to a STEM school, I am thankful that I had the opportunity to observe this student. I know there will be others like him in our classrooms and as an instructional coach I will need to support teachers who may be frustrated like I was when a student does not engage right away.

Here's a wrap up of our activities from week 4

Bridge Building

This bridge was so strong it held a student










Wind Powered Cars



Students researching how to build a better car.
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