Design your own spaceship (#1) − 1 February, 2007
This article is the second in a series which starts here.
Well, welcome to my world. I'm not certain if I should call this a flash-back or a flash-forward. Yes, I'm talking about something fun we did in class last year. Yes, it ties in to something I'll be talking about later. Much later.
In my sixth grade science class, I like to cover Space in January and February. By that point, we have studied the basics of chemistry, physics, and earth science; I can use the space unit not only for new material, but also for review.
I don't really like traditional tests, so I avoid giving them unless its absolutely necessary. As I've said before, I like to teach practical skills. I also make sure they have enough background knowledge to accomplish their tasks.
Now, a very popular movie that ties in well to this unit is Apollo 13. But think about what happened in that movie: here are three astronauts, in a very small spaceship. Something goes wrong, and they only have the equipment on hand to solve their problems.
And there you have my test.
No, I don't actually put them in space. I'm a teacher, remember?
My budget is actually not in normal money, the green kind, but in this special denomination known as "UNmoney." UNmoney bills are red, and come only in negative denominations. So, your kids keep coming to school without pencils, or breaking them right when they need them --- your budget is negative 5 dollars in pencils (which of course means you lose that much money buying them yourself).
So given my negative budget, no, they don't actually build real spaceships.
However, they DO use their imaginations.
In the project, they are given the task of planning a mission to the Moon. During the weeks leading up to the project, we study space, the planets, the Moon, and so on. But we pay particular attention to the hazards of space travel: meteoroids, radiation, extreme heat and cold, that pesky oxygen problem, and so on.
The test? A simulation. On test day, we (theoretically) launch the missions.
Then, agent of chaos that I am, I draw a series of random disasters (written on index cards) out of a hat.
For each disaster, they have to create a workable solution, using only the equipment that they have thought to include on the mission. They must be scientifically realistic -- there's no "resurrection beam" in case the only crew member who knows how to pilot the ship dies from accidental food poisoning. There's no "transporter" to zap you back to Earth in case of a severe hull breach. There's no "force field" to keep away drifting bits of space junk as you boost out of near-Earth orbit.
I originally created this for the high schoolers. However, with some modifications, I adapted it for the 6th grade. They're actually very creative, and can think their way out of many situations that would more than likely wipe out a team of adults: they don't have as many preconceptions.
So, below I've given an example from last year. The 6th grade class of 2006-2007 was special; I'll always remember them as the first one I had that "clicked", and could handle seriously advanced topics.
In particular, there were two girls who, honestly, I came to view almost on even terms. By that, I mean they had a deep understanding of science --- not just the facts, but the connections between topics. I could give them a goal and turn them loose on it; without any help from me, they could not only achieve the goal, but surprise me with the depth of their solution.
Well, here's their ship, in the photos below. First is the overall design; then, I've included a closeup shot of the key. Notice the implicit paranoia in including the "escape pods / fully equipped" --- they were definitely listening to the instructions! And my favorite, of course, the "Do not push button unless DIEING [sic]".
So now you know how the story I'm about to tell began --- in the next school year.
Continued.
Well, welcome to my world. I'm not certain if I should call this a flash-back or a flash-forward. Yes, I'm talking about something fun we did in class last year. Yes, it ties in to something I'll be talking about later. Much later.
In my sixth grade science class, I like to cover Space in January and February. By that point, we have studied the basics of chemistry, physics, and earth science; I can use the space unit not only for new material, but also for review.
I don't really like traditional tests, so I avoid giving them unless its absolutely necessary. As I've said before, I like to teach practical skills. I also make sure they have enough background knowledge to accomplish their tasks.
Now, a very popular movie that ties in well to this unit is Apollo 13. But think about what happened in that movie: here are three astronauts, in a very small spaceship. Something goes wrong, and they only have the equipment on hand to solve their problems.
And there you have my test.
No, I don't actually put them in space. I'm a teacher, remember?
My budget is actually not in normal money, the green kind, but in this special denomination known as "UNmoney." UNmoney bills are red, and come only in negative denominations. So, your kids keep coming to school without pencils, or breaking them right when they need them --- your budget is negative 5 dollars in pencils (which of course means you lose that much money buying them yourself).
So given my negative budget, no, they don't actually build real spaceships.
However, they DO use their imaginations.
In the project, they are given the task of planning a mission to the Moon. During the weeks leading up to the project, we study space, the planets, the Moon, and so on. But we pay particular attention to the hazards of space travel: meteoroids, radiation, extreme heat and cold, that pesky oxygen problem, and so on.
The test? A simulation. On test day, we (theoretically) launch the missions.
Then, agent of chaos that I am, I draw a series of random disasters (written on index cards) out of a hat.
For each disaster, they have to create a workable solution, using only the equipment that they have thought to include on the mission. They must be scientifically realistic -- there's no "resurrection beam" in case the only crew member who knows how to pilot the ship dies from accidental food poisoning. There's no "transporter" to zap you back to Earth in case of a severe hull breach. There's no "force field" to keep away drifting bits of space junk as you boost out of near-Earth orbit.
I originally created this for the high schoolers. However, with some modifications, I adapted it for the 6th grade. They're actually very creative, and can think their way out of many situations that would more than likely wipe out a team of adults: they don't have as many preconceptions.
So, below I've given an example from last year. The 6th grade class of 2006-2007 was special; I'll always remember them as the first one I had that "clicked", and could handle seriously advanced topics.
In particular, there were two girls who, honestly, I came to view almost on even terms. By that, I mean they had a deep understanding of science --- not just the facts, but the connections between topics. I could give them a goal and turn them loose on it; without any help from me, they could not only achieve the goal, but surprise me with the depth of their solution.
Well, here's their ship, in the photos below. First is the overall design; then, I've included a closeup shot of the key. Notice the implicit paranoia in including the "escape pods / fully equipped" --- they were definitely listening to the instructions! And my favorite, of course, the "Do not push button unless DIEING [sic]".
So now you know how the story I'm about to tell began --- in the next school year.
Continued.
gwa_ship
gwa_key
