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Neighbors | Zack Shively.The force and motion projects were made out of everyday materials, such as cereal boxes and tissue boxes. The students had to place a marble into their contraption and have a beginning point, a change of direction, a point where it slowed down and sped up and an ending point. Pictured, clockwise from left, are Kaylee Bushling, Milo Wright and Christopher Solvesky.
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Neighbors | Zack Shively.The Stadium Drive Elementary teachers Brittany Krestel and Jessica Koehler sorted the class into groups of four and gave each group a leader. Pictured is a group leader Kaylee Bushling next to her poster for her force and motion project, "The Horror Ride."
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Neighbors | Zack Shively.Second grade students at Stadium Drive Elementary constructed contraptions during their Force and Motion unit to demonstrate their understanding of the basic physics learned through the lesson. Pictured, clockwise from left, are Mia Martin, Mitchell Evans, Logan Miller and Calli Walker.
By ZACK SHIVELY
Students at Stadium Drive Elementary School learned about basic physics through a project during their Force and Motion unit in January.
The students got a chance to show their understanding through the Force and Motion project. They created contraptions, that they often designed as amusement park rides, from boxes and dropped marbles through the contraptions.
Second-grade teachers Jessica Koehler and Brittany Krestel placed their students in groups of four. Each group created a project to show they understood the unit. The groups had different leaders for the project.
They first began planning the look and design of their contraptions on paper. The finished projects started at an elevated point where a group member placed a marble at the top of the contraption, and it worked its way down to the bottom.
The teachers gave the students the guidelines that their projects had to have a designated starting and ending point, a change of direction, and a slow down and speed up points. When the students placed their marble at the start of the final project, it went through tubes and boxes until it reached the finish.
After they planned the projects, the students began constructing them with everyday materials, such as cereal boxes, tissue boxes and cardboard rolls. The students had to make changes to their designs to make the marble move better and had to adjust if the marble got stuck or fell off the project.
The students painted their projects after making sure that the contraption met all of the guidelines as well as knowing the marble would go through the project without any issues. The students named their projects, such as one group’s project called “The Horror Ride.“
The school does this project every year during the Force and Motion unit in science class.