Does weight affect the speed in which a car travels?

Does weight affect the speed in which a car travels? This is the question that puzzled my students over a week ago now. We did an experiment together to find the results.

The first thing we did was weighed the cars using a balance scale to find out the order of weight from lightest to heaviest. We had five cars' weights to determine.





My students' predictions contradicted themselves. When talking about heaviest and lightest they thought the heaviest car would go fastest. But when presented with the actual cars, their predictions varied between the lightest and second to lightest cars.






We recorded the experiment on video. And I would have loved to post it, but the camera in the hands in the first graders resulted in none of the videos actually showing what happened. At the end of the experiment first graders wrote their findings on die cut cars which I hung outside in the hallway around this yellow poster of our experiment.

Hotwheels Physics - Ramps and Cars

I know, I know ... it's been a long time since I've posted anything. How do I expect to attract any new followers if I don't actually blog. Good question? It's just been really busy lately ... I'm sure everyone else knows how it is too. The last couple of weeks have been the end of the quarter report cards and then conferences. The next few weeks aren't going to get any better. This next week we only have four days due to Good Friday. Then we have standardized testing the next week. The following week is the week of our Spring Program which means lots and lots of rehearsals. In four weeks we have Spirit Week of which I coordinate for our school. I've got to get busy with planning that! But that's another story. Then only two more weeks of school. So much to do and so little time. To make up for my lack of blogging, today I'll share my best lesson of the year. It went so super well! And my kiddos really enjoyed it! Two of my groups worked together better than the others. One group was through with the experiment before I even had a chance to check on them because I had to sit with one group for a while to get them started. The natural leader in the group didn't understand what they were supposed to do and the children who did understand what to do didn't have the patience to work through in explaining what was happening to the natural leader of the group. Oh well ... we live, we learn. A student measures the length the car rolled. The car actually rolled farther than the measuring tape so we had to learn how to add double digit numbers.
Here three students watch as the their car rolls down the track. This group had much less friction than the other groups and actually had to add track.
Two students watch as the car rolls down the track. A second group works together to measure the length their car rolled. My third group was already recording their findings by the time I got over to "help" them.
I'll post another one of my lessons from my forces and motion unit soon. Maybe if I post the things I finish, it will be easier to keep up rather than posting things I'm working on while I'm working on them.

Unit in Progress: Forces and Motion

It's been a couple of years since I've created an integrated theme unit. I find I don't have the space to get creative during the school year so I usually create during the summer. Two summers ago I was changing grade levels so I spent the summer researching and discovering first grade expectations and management. Last summer I spent researching and learning about how to implement The Daily 5 in my classroom. I'm looking forward to this next summer being a great opportunity to make cohesive what I've already got going on for a few units and really get the ball rolling on a few others that I've flown by the seat of my pants for two years too long.

When we come back from Spring Break next week students at The Freedom School will have the opportunity to participate in Pinewood Derby. Here's a few pictures of our work last year ...



Students are sanding their cars to create less friction on the track.



Students plan a design and paint their cars before the big race.

In the past, the Pinewood Derby was right before Spring Break and was in itself an opportunity for students to succeed at something outside academics. This year I have decided to create a two week unit to teach alongside our work for the track. And since I've got Spring Break this week I have some creative space to make this unit before summer comes along. Exciting!

We're getting a Mimio to share at school next month ... I just wish we had it a little sooner so I could more easily share these science clips with my kids.

For some reason I'm having a difficult time getting the second science clip linked .... maybe I'll figure it out ... but if I don't all you have to do is click on what's next from the first clip and it will lead you to the second one which is for 6-7 year olds rather than the first one for 5-6 year olds.

OK ... I must get back to work. I'll post this unit when I finish.