Skip to main content

Save Fred!

Thursday we worked on a STEM project that helps develop the 4C's: Collaboration, Communication, Creativity, and Critical Thinking. It was Saving Fred! Students were given 4 items: A gummy worm, a gummy life saver, a cup, and 4 paper clips. The story is:

Fred, the worm, has been spending his summer boating on the Great Lakes. He’s never learned how to swim and he never wears his life preserver. The worst has happened! His boat has capsized and he’s stuck! Fortunately, his life preserver is in the boat, but unfortunately, he does not know how to reach it without falling off and drowning. 
The Problem: How can you and your partner save Fred using only 4 paper
clips?

Contraints: You may not touch Fred, the boat, or the life preserver directly
with your hands! Fred may only fall off boat one time.













small
☺)
He’s never learned how to swim and he never wears his
life preserver. The worst has happened! His boat has capsized
and he’s stuck! Fortunately, his life preserver is in the boat, but
unfortunately he does not know how to reach it without falling off
an
d drowning.
Problem:
How can you and your partner save Fred using only 4 paper clips? You may not
touch Fred, the boat, or the life preserver directly with your hands!
Materials:
Gummy Worm
Gummy life preserver
1 plastic cup
4 Paper Clips
The
Set
-
Up:
Procedure:
1.
Set up the challenge as shown in the picture above. Work with your partner and "Save
Fred".
2.
Follow the rules. Fred, the boat, the life preserver can be touched only with the paper
clips. NO HANDS.
3.
A
flowchart
is a diagra
m showing a sequence of operations. Fill in the flowchart on the
back side of this page with diagrams showing step by step how your group completed
the challenge. Be sure that you:
Produce neat and detailed pictures.
Label the major parts of your diagram.
Include a written description of each diagram using complete sentences.
4.
List any problems or challenges that your group encountered during the challenges.
5.
Answer the Post
-
Challenge Questions and rate this activity.
BOAT
FRED
LIFE
PRESERVER




Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Marshmallow Challenge

Friday we worked on a STEM project that helps develop the 4C's: Collaboration, Communication, Creativity, and Critical Thinking. It was The Marshmellow Challenge. Students were given 4 items: spaghetti, string, tape, and a marshmellow. The challenge was to build the tallest freestanding tower in 18 minutes and the marshmellow had to be on the top of the tower! It was fun to see all the different ideas! Ask your child how they felt about this challenge.

Flexible Seating

Thank you for coming in today! Many of you were excited to see the seating that we will be using this year. Students will be taught how about the many options for seating, as well as, how to pick the best spot for them based on many factors.   Flexible seating is a concept rooted in educational research that encourages students to choose their type of seating based on their learning preferences. For example, some students prefer to stand while learning, some students prefer to sit on the floor or on their knees, some students prefer a traditional table, and some students prefer to sit and have their work elevated in front of them, facilitated by a drafting table. I am especially aware of students who might need to move while working. These students can enjoy doing their work seated on a movable chair or yoga balls. All together we have about 40 different seating options available for our 20 students. Whether your child prefers to sit in a traditional seat or explore...

What a hot week! In and out of the classroom....take a look!

Monday Buddy Reading:  Students read a Time for Kids  magazine with their reading partner looking for strong vocabulary words. This was a way to practice working on reading comprehension, collaborating with a peer, and practiced our reading strategy of finding good words in reading to increase our vocabulary.  Tuesday Real World Math: Students continued working with their math partner to discuss the Real World Math problem from Friday. They used the app, Explain Everything, to set up slides to show their thinking in all areas: Notices, Wonders, Main Question, Low-High Estimate, and Math Work. This app allows students to show their thinking in many ways: drawing, typing, pictures, and audio recording. Students had time to work with their partner and then voice recorded their thinking at home on how they solved the main question. This is an activity in math we will do each Friday using the voice recording as a way for students to explain their thinking and develop th...