How did ancient societies grow into successful civilizations with lasting legacies? They used ingenuity and found ways to control the environment and use resources to farm, travel, and trade. All students in the sixth grade were challenged to research, plan, design, and build a simple machine that could be used to move water from the Nile River to the farm land positioned one foot away from the River. Teams of four first created the Nile River Valley; next they watched several videos that explained simple machines and their potential to move things from one place to another. Scaled drawings were created and presented to the "Government Officials" for approval. Finally, a supply table with items including milk jugs, spools, pullies, string, pvc pipe, and wood were made available. Measurements were made on wood and pipe then taken to the "woodworker" for trimming. On competition day, teams were given three minutes in which the Nile was flooded and they were tasked with moving as much water as possible. Two categories were used to select winners: most water moved, and most creative design. On Friday, February 6th the 24 finalists will enjoy an evening of bowling and pizza to celebrate their successes and creativity when faced with a real-life problem.
No comments:
Post a Comment