Amusement Park Building

Science: I can test designs and make changes to improve them; I can develop skills for problem-solving and teamwork
Personal Development Through Learning: I can engage in learning with confidence and persistence 

As a culminating project for our Simple Machines unit of study, we are creating our own model Amusement Park!!! 

Each of us is designing our own ride that uses simple machines. We are allowed to use our imaginations to create something that wouldn't necessarily work in real life. To prepare for this, we have: 

  • Learned the names of and explored all of the different machines (lever, wheel, pulley, gear, incline plane, wedge, screw)
  • Learned how to test different designs and materials (ex: wheelies, catapults, pulleys)
  • Practiced persevering even when it was tricky (ex: wheelies, catapults, pulleys)
  • Shown that we can use simple machines to solve problems (ex: simple machines quiz)
  • Watched videos of Rube Goldberg machines for inspiration (Wonderpark, OK GO, Baking Impossible)
  • Completed a Playground Study where we examined equipment and how different simple machines are used for play
What we need to do now: 
  • Talk our designs through with a parent; problem-solve tricky ideas (see Planning Sheet and Parent Note that are going home today - also posted on Google Classroom)
  • Gather materials
  • Come prepared to build on Monday, March 14!

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