Here are some of the webpages that I have put together and maintained every school year. I started doing this while teaching HS Physics in Shanghai, China back in 2013.
- Middle School Science Class Page (2021-Present, St Peter’s School, Philadelphia, PA)
- Middle School Science Class Page (2019-2021, The Wesley School, Los Angeles, CA)
- STEAM Fair Projects (2020-2021, The Wesley School, Los Angeles, CA)
- In School Year 2020-2021, we managed to set up meaningful PBL projects for our middle school students which are:
- Dream Vacation Budget Itinerary (Math) – students planned a trip to a non-English- speaking country, without going over a set budget of $4,000 per person.
- Personal Project (Science) – an individual project that allows students to expand on their prior knowledge, practice and strengthen your approaches to learning skills as they investigate, plan, take action, and reflect on the quality of their finished project based on a chosen topic in a style that fits their interests and needs.
- In School Year 2020-2021, we managed to set up meaningful PBL projects for our middle school students which are:
- 6th Grade Class Page (2019-2021, The Wesley School, Los Angeles, CA)
- STEM Design Studio Club Page (2016-2017, St. Augustine Catholic School, Washington, DC)
- STEAM Fair Planning
- In School Year 2019-2020, we set up a CBL (Challenge Based Learning) theme project to ask our middle school students to:
- To implement a positive solution in the community by advancing, engineering, or creating a solution that addresses water or recyclable waste related problem; and
- To design a self-sustaining house out of sustainable materials and producing as little waste as possible.
- In School Year 2019-2020, we set up a CBL (Challenge Based Learning) theme project to ask our middle school students to:
- Connecting Educators (Teacher’s Resource) Page
- Science Fair Prep (The Wesley School, Los Angeles, CA)
- 8th Grade Science Page (The Wesley School, Los Angeles, CA)
- IGCSE Physics Page (Shanghai Singapore International School, Shanghai, China)
Egg Lander Challenge
5th and 8th Grade Collaboration, December 18, 2019
See Google Photo Library
The 8th graders worked with the 5th graders to complete an Egg Lander Challenge. This is in connection with the 8th graders’ lesson on Newton’s Laws of Motion and with the 5th graders’ lesson different types of forces.
The challenge required the students:
- To design an egg lander with limited resources,
- To test their egg landers a few times and ensure that the raw egg survive its landing
- To maneuver the egg lander to land on the marked spot (or closest to it).
Origami Rocket Launch Activity
5th and 6th Grade Collaboration, June 11, 2019
Ms. LeLoni Bass and I got our classes together last summer to create paper rockets and have the kids launch them using baking soda and acetic acid.
Materials: Paper (see link for paper folding instructions), Wax Paper, Plastic Film Canisters, Baking Soda, Vinegar, Safety Goggles, and launch area covered with large trash bags for easy cleanup.
Safety Precaution: Wear eye protection and exercise caution!
Procedure: (Inspired by Exploring Home Rockets)
- Place one teaspoon of baking soda onto a 1-1/2″ by 1-1/2″ wax paper.
- Add one teaspoon of vinegar to the canister at a time, filling it just enough to keep the vinegar and the baking soda from coming into contact when you later snap the lid onto the canister.
- Stoop down near the ground on the assigned launch area.
- Place the wrapped baking soda into the canister and quickly snap the lid to seal it.
- Immediately turn the canister over so the lid is on the ground, place the paper rocket over it and quickly move away.
- When the lid pops off, the rocket should launch.
Post Activity Questions:
- How long does it take for paper rocket to launch?
- How high does the canister go?
