Flickinger Elementary students are learning the ups and downs of engineering.
The third graders conducted an engineering challenge as part of our Force and Motion unit seeing how to make a steel ball go slower or faster by changing the design of a rollercoaster.
Some of the other challenges included:
· Can you make the ball go over one hill? Two hills?
· Can you make the ball go through a loop?
· Can you make a curve?
“I wondered if we could make the ball go very fast," third grader Elizabeth Shimmell said. "Now I know we had to make the tube very steep.”
Hannah Upchurch explained: “We made our rollercoaster curve but the ball kept falling off. So, we decided to move the cup so the ball fell into the cup instead of on the floor.”
Students will continue to engage in engineering challenges with each science unit. These challenges create an opportunity for students to imagine, create, and communicate.