I gave the students a wonderful challenge on day 3 of the program: build a marble ramp to demonstrate the concept of gravity. The marble must start at the top and travel to the bottom of your "marble ramp".
Materials: cardboard boxes of various sizes, toilet paper rolls, egg cartons, strawberry plastic containers, tape, straws, and other various recyclable materials.
Students were given the choice to work alone, or with a partner.
The students had to demonstrate their marble ramp at the end, and explain how they designed it.
For safety reasons, I would help them cut out holes, etc., using an exacto-knife. These were grade 3's after all!
The students worked from 9:00 am until 11:30; straight through, with a 15 minute recess break. All were engaged, and focused.
I loved leaving it wide open, allowing them to problem solve and create, and be true designers, creators, and problem solvers.
I think this is real learning: building and creating, and figuring it out in a hands-on manner. The students loved it!
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