This week the team of architects that designed the new Tonganoxie Elementary School came and spoke to students about the project. Students from both Basehor-Linwood and Tonganoxie school districts attended the presentation. Students learned about the design process, obstacles in designing and constructing buildings, and training required to become an architect. After the presentation Basehor-Linwood students were given a tour of the facility. We thank HTK Architects for taking time to meet with our students.
Students have been learning that all structures need to be sound (able to withstand forces), serve a purpose (shelter, transportation, etc.), and have pleasing aesthetics (looks good). We have also been learning about ways engineers are designing buildings to better withstand earthquakes. This week students had to use what they know about strength of shapes to design structures to withstand the forces of gravity, compression, and tension. One challenge was to build the tallest structure they could out of 20 pieces of dry spaghetti and have it support the weight of a large marshmallow on top. Another design challenge was to build a structure that would support the weight of heavy textbooks only using 10 sheets of paper, tape, and paper clips. Afterwards, we tried to stand on them to see if they would support our weight! Currently we learning about the three main forms of bridges which are beam, arched, and suspension. Students have looked and different famous bridges (engineering masterpieces) for inspiration and to discover how the use of different shapes have been utilized for strength. We are currently building our own bridge models following certain criteria. Watch for pictures soon! We are off to a great start to the school year! Currently we are investigating the concepts of Newton's laws of motions and are working on a hands-on activity to put them to the test. We are also discovering engineering concepts of structures that make them strong. We are combining these concepts into a interactive game where students will experiment by creating their own version of the popular game Angry Birds. Student teams are creating math problems (using different operations), designing catapults and structures, then testing their hypothesis for their project design. After testing (competing), students will reflect and make modifications to their creations and retest. This will be a fun way to use the scientific method in an engaging and challenging way.
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February 2016
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