We asked a teacher from each grade to share what the kids have been learning about his year. The following blog post was written by our 3rd grade teacher Ms. Thompson.
3rd Grade
May the Force, Motion, and Gravity be with YOU!!
May the Force, Motion, and Gravity be with YOU!!
3rd grade has been
busy learning all we can about our guided question “What makes things move?”-Force,
Motion, and Gravity. We started with our
kickoff at “Get Air”. We finished learning about the moon and connected it to
Force and Gravity. We learned that Moon jumps are 6 times farther than an earth
jump. We jumped and then measured six times farther on our Voyage playground.
Students then cut a string the same length and headed to “Get Air” to see if we
could actually jump our moon jump string. Some students said it was impossible.
Other students said they almost made it. Overall it was an amazing day,
especially when students got to see Mrs. Packer, Mrs. Rea, and Mrs. Thompson
jumping on a trampoline.
As weeks went on we completed many experiments on Force and
Motion. Students understand the effects of the forces of push and pull on
motion. A student favorite was the Zoom Ball. This was created with 2-two liter
bottles put together, string pulled through the middle, and handles tied onto
each sides. (See photo) Students pulled the strings outward and the Zoom Ball
went flying toward the other person holding the other strings and handles. The
pushing of the strings, against the opening of the bottle, set it in motion.
The opposite student pulled their strings and the ball reversed its direction.
Another student favorite was the lever and fulcrum. Students
understand that there are 3 types of levers. We were able to create the 3 types
of levers using a piece of metal, a ruler, and two cups.
Students were able to move the
metal piece to different measurements under the ruler to create the different
types of levers. 3rd graders were able to discover how many
paperclips it took in one cup to bring down an eraser in the opposite cup.
3rd
graders had a visit from an amazing Volunteer from Hill Air Force Base named
Larry Henkles. He came to our school with his force and motion equipment ready
to teach our students. He came to our school requesting help in creating fun
and exciting force and motion experiments for the HAFB Children’s Museum.
Students have become so excited and have an ongoing list of experiments that
they could create and donate to HAFB. They are planning on writing detailed
procedures to go with each experiment.
3rd graders have also
dived deep into Newton’s Three Laws of Motion-inertia, acceleration, and action
and reaction. Ask any 3rd grader and they can probably tell you all
about them. We have also had amazing experiences going to do field work at
Discovery Children’s Museum. Students went and discovered many high quality
experiments and determined what makes an effective experiment or demonstration.
We wanted them to come away with an understanding of an exceptional experiment.
We came back and created a list of what makes a great experiment/demonstration.
We were also given the opportunity to attend field work at HAFB
with Larry. Larry and his fellow workers taught us many things about force,
motion, and gravity. Students completed field work by discovering force,
motion, and gravity in the children’s museum, creating rockets, and completing
a scavenger hunt throughout the aircraft museum.
We are completing experiments on gravity in the weeks to come before Christmas. Each class will complete a final project/experiment to donate to HAFB children’s museum. Students will use their knowledge of procedural writing to complete detailed explanations of each project. Mrs. Thompson’s class is leaning toward creating a working lever and fulcrum to donate to the museum. Mrs. Packer’s class is leaning toward Zoom Balls, Pinwheels, or Beehive. Mrs. Rea’s class is leaning toward Zoom Balls. There will be a third grade project celebration in the upcoming months. Parents will be able to attend and observe student learning in action.
For more
information about our Force, Motion, and Gravity Expedition please come and
visit the 3rd grade hall. There are many photos and pages to view
about our learning. You may also want to ask a 3rd grader,too!
We love and appreciate all that our 3rd grade teachers and students do! The 3rd grade Crew at Voyage Academy rocks!
We love and appreciate all that our 3rd grade teachers and students do! The 3rd grade Crew at Voyage Academy rocks!