Rockets, Soapbox Derbies, and Science in Middle School
While designing and building parachutes and rockets (seventh grade) and soapbox cars (eighth grade), Middle School students have, quite literally, accelerated their understanding of the laws of physics. No longer vague terms, aerodynamics, acceleration, friction, traction, mass, and motion are now tools the students can use with increasing precision, accuracy, and scientific reasoning.
Falling—and Flight
The seventh graders kicked off their unit on how and why objects fall at different speeds by dropping whirligigs and flying paper airplanes in the gym, which helped them understand drag and lift. Next, they designed and constructed parachutes of various materials, adding payloads to them. At the same time, they delved into the use of parachutes in humanitarian aid programs—to deliver supplies of food, clothing, and medicine in hard-to-reach areas. Their social studies research into organizations such as the Red Cross and United Nations culminated in an art project—the creation of large-scale, papier-mâché globes showing where these organizations operate around the world.
In the final phase of the unit, students were tasked with applying their understanding to the use of rockets for a “missile defense” system—a timely topic given recent developments in North Korea. Using air-propelled rockets, they had to figure out what air pressure would get the projectile to a certain distance—and what angle would be the best to get it there. During several tests, they recorded and graphed data for key variables—including PSI and launch angles.
At a final launch session on the turf field, students sought to hit a target 50 yards away. A few rockets got within three feet of the target, while others fell short or overshot. In their reports, students analyzed the reasons for success or failure—“I estimated much less PSI than it needed,” one said. And almost every student realized that, to be effective, scientists need to be consistent and precise in all they do. In addition, wrote one student, “Scientists should be able to understand and use simulators and . . . prototypes” to test different options.
Saws and Soapbox Cars
The eighth-graders—while designing, building, and racing soapbox cars to better understand how objects move—came to similar conclusions about practical science!
On the very first day of fall semester, teachers showed students an old, black-and-white video of a soapbox car race and then asked, “Who knows anything about soapbox cars?”
That one question, a student recalls, “started it all. … It sounded simple enough, but little did we know we were about to go on a long, three-month journey to build the best soapbox car”—while gaining an applied understanding of physics, learning basic carpentry skills, and having a lot of fun!
A first step was to design and build six-inch (1/12 scale) prototypes. To do this, students researched the impact of wheel size and concepts of aerodynamics. The next step was building six-foot-long soapbox cars (in teams of four), including figuring out a steering mechanism, deciding whether to use a lower or higher center of gravity, and taking into account the weight of the car and driver.
After a couple of test drives, it was race day! Blue, Gold, and Black Houses raced two teams each along an on-campus road with an incline. Four of the cars made it to the end of the course, one made it about midway, and one lost a wheel soon after the start. Immediately, students could identify what they might change or improve next time around—axles, wheel alignment, seat placement . . .
And the papers they submitted at the end of the unit demonstrated in-depth learning—about the science of soapbox cars as well as the science of group work. As one student put it, “It’s hard not to [learn about science] with so many things to consider.” But more important, she said, was the “sense of teamwork and collaboration” she gained.
Note: Last month’s Principia News examined how sixth-grade scientists applied their study of natural environments and habitats to a project focused on the Saint Louis Zoo.