Archive for June 2008
Building a Tetrahedral Kite
Posted by: Scott on: June 25, 2008
- In: Activities | Outdoor | Physical Science | Projects
- 5 Comments
This is a very cool activity. If you look at how this kind of kite is built, you will see it grows like a pyramid. The result is that you have a set number of cells that have to be built to make this work. Here is the link where I got the project in [...]
Big to Small or Small to Big (Rant? Thoughts? You decide.)
Posted by: Scott on: June 25, 2008
How do you present your material? How do you learn? I seem to be in the minority of learners, I like to get a big picture, then the details make sense. Am I alone? I can’t understand the idea of studying all the little parts without first understanding what I’m trying to do with them. [...]
Inertia Example #517 – The Sledge Hammer & Anvil
Posted by: Scott on: June 25, 2008
Do I really have 517 demonstrations of inertia? It feels that way, but of course I don’t. I max out at around 300. Anyway, this is similar to putting an anvil on your stomach and then hitting an anvil with a sledge hammer. I’m just not that trusting. Here’s how I made it safe for [...]
Astronomy Project
Posted by: Scott on: June 22, 2008
- In: Projects
- 3 Comments
This year I wanted to include a unit on astronomy in my Physics classes. Rather than teach the material myself, I felt this was worth having the students do as a project. I broke the material into the following areas: The Earth The Sun & other stars Space Travel & Space Ships The Big Bang [...]
Rollerblades
Posted by: Scott on: June 22, 2008
My wife asked me why my Rollerblades were in my trunk. She knows I don’t use them where we live, there are too many hills. I’m a Physics teacher, the answer should be obvious – Conservation of Momentum. Tell me the truth, don’t you look to do something unexpected to get you students’ attention. In [...]
Inertia Example #406 – Which String Breaks?
Posted by: Scott on: June 20, 2008
I do so many demonstrations of inertia, you’d think it would sink in. Anyway, this is a nice little one I usually start a class with soon after I discuss inertia. The string at “A” is tied to a solid surface. In my room, it’s the TV arm on the wall. String “B” is the [...]
Final Exam – Roadrunner
Posted by: Scott on: June 18, 2008
- In: Assessment
- 1 Comment
Yes, I showed a five minute episode of a Roadrunner cartoon as part of my Physics final exam. The students were instructed to watch it through the first time and maybe jot some quick notes. They were shown the video a second time in order to have enough time to get their thoughts together. Their [...]
Tissue Paper Hot Air Balloon
Posted by: Scott on: June 15, 2008
- In: Activities | Outdoor | Physical Science
- 19 Comments
This is a really enjoyable projects for the students. I’ve done this with kids from 7th grade to 12th grade and always with positive results. Allow two days for the building of these balloons. Use the template design to make a full size template. Even better, make several templates, it will make the project go [...]
IMAX Glasses and Polarized Light
Posted by: Scott on: June 11, 2008
I was just at the IMAX this week on a school trip and I asked to keep two pairs of the glasses for my classroom. I asked. I’m not one to steal, even something like these inexpensive 3D glasses. The way IMAX creates 3D is by polarizing the image on the screen so that light [...]
Building Model Rockets
Posted by: Scott on: June 7, 2008
- In: Activities | Outdoor | Projects
- 7 Comments
I started building model rockets with my students this year and I’m glad I did. Most of my students have never built or launched rockets before. A few did in eighth grade, I think maybe two or three did with their parents, but out of the 100 or so seniors that I teach, that’s was [...]
The Egg Drop
Posted by: Scott on: June 6, 2008
- In: Projects
- 13 Comments
I haven’t done this project in a couple of years. The reason is simple, our school is in a one story building. There isn’t any place near enough to drop these things. I wanted to do it again this year, I need a drop zone. I was considering building an air powered launcher or maybe [...]
Movies I Like to Show
Posted by: Scott on: June 6, 2008
I have several movies that I show throughout the year. The first one is called “October Sky.” I show this while we are studying Newton’s Laws. The movie is about a group of students living in a coal mining town in West Virginia. They decide to build a rocket in response to the launch of [...]
Hoverpuck – Must Have
Posted by: Scott on: June 6, 2008
Have you seen one of these? It’s a small, battery powered hovercar in the shape of a large hockey puck. It’s only about six or eight inches across. When I’m teaching Newton’s 1st law, I take these out (I have three of them) and I launch them around the room. I let the kids play, [...]
Waves using Snakey & Slinky
Posted by: Scott on: June 6, 2008
Yes, Snakey. If you buy a wave demonstration kit, there are two springs in there. One is the classic Slinky, just very long. The other is a much tighter ten or twelve foot long spring called a Snakey. That one is the kids love to play with. The best demonstration with Snakey is when you [...]
Magnetic Field Lines
Posted by: Scott on: June 6, 2008
This is pretty basic, but I find it worth doing. I am truly surprised by just how few of my students have ever done any experiments on their own. This is simply shaking iron filing over a magnet. This can be done in one of two ways. You can do this as an activity where [...]
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