Egg Drop Challenge

Last week some 4th grade students in Mr. Donnelly's class were able to participate in our Egg Drop Challenge as a brief introduction to force and motion. The class was given some basic directions about what they could and could not use for their contraption. Students were grouped together and given the opportunity to discuss what they had planned on creating, as well as sharing the reasoning behind their idea. Group members often asked "How will this idea keep our egg safe?".

The discussions that resulted in the students brainstorming these ideas were amazing.

Each group was given an iPad and was told to use the 30 Hands app to illustrate their design. Once their illustration was complete they had to explain the reasoning behind their design. 30 Hands was a great resource throughout this process. Check out one group's initial idea in the video below.

After the discussion and designs were done the students tested them out with plastic eggs in the classroom. This allowed them the opportunity to see how their invention might fall, as well as allow them to change any ideas based on their observations.

On Friday, we were finally ready to test them out. Mr. Donnelly went up to the roof with each invention and was ready to launch each one. He battled a sheet of ice on the roof and a steep slope of our roof, but was successful nonetheless.

During the process we had a few students taking pictures and videos using an iPad to document the whole process. This week Mr. Donnelly's class will be discussing what happened and how they could improve their invention. We did have a casualty or 2, as you can see below. Students were so excited for their group and the other groups as well. It was a true team effort.

We had planned this lesson using the FERA learning cycle. The FERA learning cycle focuses on learning science through inquiry, which is something we hear a ton about.

Focus

Explore

Reflect

Apply

There is a great info graphic linked above.