Hi all! Lots of fun continuing in middle school science (and also some work - I promise).
These past few weeks, that work has taken the form of skateboarding and scootering around campus. Hear me out though. Our Skateboard Science unit is all about exploring the principles of physics and kinematics as they apply to rolling vehicles. These include Newton's 3 Laws Of Motion,, momentum, velocity and acceleration, as well as work and power. We also reviewed the six simple machines and how they alter or redirect force, as well as how mechanical advantage applies to ramps.
Besides working through situational physics problems, the kids also developed their own independent inquiry-based experiments. This was kind of a "trial-run science fair" wherein the students asked a question, developed a hypothesis, crafted a procedure to test it, and evaluated the data. These included releasing skateboards of varying weights down hills, riding them with increasing numbers of pushes or from higher positions on a hill, throwing heavy objects off of them and measuring the resulting motion, and more. The whole practice helped re-acclimate the kids to the connection between independent and dependent variables and the Scientific Method in general. They presented their findings in class, and. did a great job.
Throughout our exploration of this content, we have taken time outside to actually ride the vehicles we have been studying. It has been fun and gratifying to see their confidence build as they simultaneously learn the conceptual skills. In celebration of our completion of the unit, we drove a few miles north to Mooresville Skatepark and put our hard-earned skills into practice on the ramps. We got a beautiful afternoon, and the class did an awesome job of exploring their limits while still being safe, and I think everyone who was able to attend had a great time. (So great, in fact, that we are looking at taking another afternoon to enjoy the park again in the spring.)
Now we find ourselves in the midst of our intercession, and our focus has turned to our annual winter production. It is great to see the MS'ers flex their organizational skills as they develop this stage event on the fly, and look forward to seeing you at Davidson Town Hall on the 19th!
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