This week is the last week for our matter unit and we were busy working on our final project, our chemical reaction cars.
On Monday, students arrived in class ready to build. I am thrilled to say that most groups had a vehicle that was able to roll across the floor by the end of the class. This is the first hurdle in our design challenge.
Tuesday and Wednesday we tested, rethought, redesigned, and retried. Students were enthusiastic throughout the process, eager to try to make their cars work and once they did, to make them go further. Below are images of students testing their designs.
Each race team met with challenges that they had to overcome. Some had design issues with wheels that kept falling off, some had chemical reactant issues with reactions happening too quickly or not at all, and some had issues that seemed to have no source. I was impressed with the tenacity of my students, those who met with challenges, refusing to give up. By the end of the second day, all but a few students had a vehicle that moved - even if only by a few centimeters. Below are pictures of student teams when they finally got their cars working. These jump shots may be my favorite student pictures. They are literally jumping for joy.
Thursday was race day! Although some cars did not move once they made it to the starting line, the experience was an important one. We learned that failing is a part of the scientific process and that it is okay. Though frustrated and disappointed, I think overall, the kids enjoyed themselves. Sadly, because I had to observe chemical reactions and movements, I was unable to take pictures of the races themselves, however, below are the winners for each of my three class periods.
On Friday, we began our new unit in Social Studies, "A Nation Divided". By the title you may be able to tell that it will be about the events leading up to and including the Civil War. As with last quarter, there will be some heavy topics covered in our unit which we will discuss with openness, respect, and care.