As many of you already know, we are in the process of building catapults in science. A catapult system is a great device to teach Physics concepts through. We are currently discussing the transfer of energy, force, elasticity, and Newtons Laws...all of which are NECESSARY principles to explain how and why a catapult works.
The students are in groups of 4-6 and are coming up with fantastic "blue prints" of what they want to build. They can build a catapult with an arm as big as 4 feet long, but this is NOT a requirement. I have seen a number of smaller catapults that work great! I am also NOT requiring that money be spent to build these catapults...household scraps and materials can most definitely be used. The students were shown an example of one catapult built with pens, pencils, rubber bands, and a water bottle cap. However, students do LOVE to challenge themselves in this project either way! I promise you, the rubric I use to assess the students does NOT grade based on the size of the catapult or the money spent to build.
Some students are bringing in tools from home. These tools are placed in a LOCKED cabinet and are closely watched by me. We begin the building phase, Monday, May 10th and continue for the next couple weeks. If any parents/guardians would like to help or join us, please email me at aohlander@ccsd66.org. We could always use a few extra hands!
Mrs. Ohlander
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