Topic: Engineering Design
Grades: K-12
Lesson Plans (courtesy of UC Berkeley SWE): main lesson plan, additional buoyancy lesson plan
What worked well: I expected the kids to make basic versions of the traditional sailboat we all think of, and was actually worried that this project did not leave enough room for creativity. So I was pleasantly surprised to see them all make unique, oddly-shaped "boats." This was great because when we started testing them on water, it was clear that some boats worked better than others. Together, we hypothesized reasons why - shape, size, different components, etc. We brought along all of the materials so that the kids could adjust their boats, following the engineering design process.
What didn't work well: We forgot to tell them to leave room for the boats to carry coins, to test the weight they could carry. Also, it was not a windy day so sometimes the boats kind of just stood still. This could get a little boring for the kids.
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