We're Going To Need Another Timmy!
Thanks, Chris, for the referral.
Friday, June 04, 2010
Everyday A New Adventure; I'm Beginning To Learn Their Names
I have to say that though most of my friends are off gallivanting across the globe, I'm perfectly happy to be home. This in part comes from being unable to imagine teaching this class anywhere else. I'm so exhausted at the end of the day (keeping in mind my job is only 3/4 time), that I couldn't imagine having to survive on my own in a foreign country on top of it all. But things are getting better, and easier, and for the first time, I'm beginning to enjoy this work.
Today was full of surprises. The first two classes I had in the morning were the older group (incoming 5th graders) followed by the youngest group (post-kindergarten). I'm beginning to pick out the students that I could do a lot with (whose names are incidentally the only ones I remember).
In the older group, there's a boy named J---. He's quite brilliant I have to say. I was sitting with him yesterday while he was waiting to be picked up, and he told me he wanted to be an engineer when he grew up (my heart honestly skipped a beat). We started talking about science, and about Mythbusters. He's really an awesome kid. And, English is not even his first language, to boot. Of all the kids, I think he has the most potential, and I can tell he's one of the few that's grasping the material. Not only do I feel he understands what's going on, but he's actively expanding on it, and asking more penetrating questions. A true scientist in the making, if I ever saw one.
In the youngest group is the most adorable little boy, J----. He's just come out of kindergarten, but he's easily the smartest kid up until the 4th graders. He's sharp, and quick. Today we were going over Bernoulli's Principle (from which came Mr. Sakimoto's Science Mantra "faster air is weaker"). I had given them a strip of paper across which they blew to demonstrate this principle. Next I made a penny flip over just by blowing across the top. I asked a few simple set up questions, like "is the air on top moving faster or slower". Before I even had to lead them to the right conclusion, J---- chimed in with the most eloquent (and correct) explanation why the penny jumped. He made the conclusion that if the air on top is moving faster, than the slower air on the bottom was stronger and pushed the penny up. Now, I was a little shocked (even my mom who was sitting in the room at the time was a little taken aback by his clarity). I was even more shocked when it took me the better part of 15 min to lead a group of 4th graders to the same conclusion, which ended in me basically telling them why the experiment worked.
I've come to realize that I can't teach all these kids. Some are just content to lie on the floor in the back, or stare at the blue smudge on the back of their hand. But there's a good number of attentive, intrigued, and engaged kids who sit right up at the front, hanging on my every word. This job is rewarding, as much of a pain as it is.
As I was driving home with my mom, she brought up something interesting. The way in which kids grow and learn these days is dramatically different than how I grew up, at little more than a decade ago. Parents are often to busy to engage their kids one on one (hence why many of them are in this Summer program), and often toss their kid the newest video game, or plop them down in front of the TV for a few hours. Rarely are these kids pushed by their parents to think and analyze. What little stimulation beyond The Disney Channel and Cartoon Network are these kids given on a daily basis? As evidence of how deprived some of them are, it was such a big thrill today when I gave them a straw to do experiments with. Now, on a Friday night, now that I have showered, eaten, played Rock Band, and have sat in a quiet room by myself for a few hours, I can say I'm happy to be doing this job. I looked in on the other classes in the program, and most of the time, the students were sitting at their desks, copying things off the board. Sure my class might be loud and hectic, but the kids are engaged, they're learning. But most importantly, they seem to be having fun.
I think I'm waxing a little sentimental right now, so let me bring up some highlights from today:
I have yet to be at the right place at the right time in the morning. I've either gotten there late or waited in the wrong place. Here's to next week and getting my shit together.
I think that around 4th and 5th grade is about the time when girls start to get a little boy crazy. There's a group of girls in the D group who pretty much climb on top of one of the junior counselors, I think his name is D-- or R----. This same group of girls have begun to poke me as much as they can, and bother me at every turn. Today, they started smelling me (yes, smelling me) and told me I smell like man-perfume, whatever that may be. This smelling carried on through lunch and through the entire day, interrupted only when they decided to go back to poking me. One of them, I think her name is S-----, insists on sitting right next to my leg, much too close for comfort, during class. I've imposed an invisible force field rule around me, but it doesn't seem to do anything. I wish they would stop smelling me.
Monday and Tuesday I'm going to attempt bottle rockets with them. Since I haven't done this since 7th grade, this weekend will involve me building a launching system, and test firing a few rockets. Next week should be interesting, as after the bottle rockets, we're moving on the Chemistry!!!
Today was full of surprises. The first two classes I had in the morning were the older group (incoming 5th graders) followed by the youngest group (post-kindergarten). I'm beginning to pick out the students that I could do a lot with (whose names are incidentally the only ones I remember).
In the older group, there's a boy named J---. He's quite brilliant I have to say. I was sitting with him yesterday while he was waiting to be picked up, and he told me he wanted to be an engineer when he grew up (my heart honestly skipped a beat). We started talking about science, and about Mythbusters. He's really an awesome kid. And, English is not even his first language, to boot. Of all the kids, I think he has the most potential, and I can tell he's one of the few that's grasping the material. Not only do I feel he understands what's going on, but he's actively expanding on it, and asking more penetrating questions. A true scientist in the making, if I ever saw one.
In the youngest group is the most adorable little boy, J----. He's just come out of kindergarten, but he's easily the smartest kid up until the 4th graders. He's sharp, and quick. Today we were going over Bernoulli's Principle (from which came Mr. Sakimoto's Science Mantra "faster air is weaker"). I had given them a strip of paper across which they blew to demonstrate this principle. Next I made a penny flip over just by blowing across the top. I asked a few simple set up questions, like "is the air on top moving faster or slower". Before I even had to lead them to the right conclusion, J---- chimed in with the most eloquent (and correct) explanation why the penny jumped. He made the conclusion that if the air on top is moving faster, than the slower air on the bottom was stronger and pushed the penny up. Now, I was a little shocked (even my mom who was sitting in the room at the time was a little taken aback by his clarity). I was even more shocked when it took me the better part of 15 min to lead a group of 4th graders to the same conclusion, which ended in me basically telling them why the experiment worked.
I've come to realize that I can't teach all these kids. Some are just content to lie on the floor in the back, or stare at the blue smudge on the back of their hand. But there's a good number of attentive, intrigued, and engaged kids who sit right up at the front, hanging on my every word. This job is rewarding, as much of a pain as it is.
As I was driving home with my mom, she brought up something interesting. The way in which kids grow and learn these days is dramatically different than how I grew up, at little more than a decade ago. Parents are often to busy to engage their kids one on one (hence why many of them are in this Summer program), and often toss their kid the newest video game, or plop them down in front of the TV for a few hours. Rarely are these kids pushed by their parents to think and analyze. What little stimulation beyond The Disney Channel and Cartoon Network are these kids given on a daily basis? As evidence of how deprived some of them are, it was such a big thrill today when I gave them a straw to do experiments with. Now, on a Friday night, now that I have showered, eaten, played Rock Band, and have sat in a quiet room by myself for a few hours, I can say I'm happy to be doing this job. I looked in on the other classes in the program, and most of the time, the students were sitting at their desks, copying things off the board. Sure my class might be loud and hectic, but the kids are engaged, they're learning. But most importantly, they seem to be having fun.
I think I'm waxing a little sentimental right now, so let me bring up some highlights from today:
I have yet to be at the right place at the right time in the morning. I've either gotten there late or waited in the wrong place. Here's to next week and getting my shit together.
I think that around 4th and 5th grade is about the time when girls start to get a little boy crazy. There's a group of girls in the D group who pretty much climb on top of one of the junior counselors, I think his name is D-- or R----. This same group of girls have begun to poke me as much as they can, and bother me at every turn. Today, they started smelling me (yes, smelling me) and told me I smell like man-perfume, whatever that may be. This smelling carried on through lunch and through the entire day, interrupted only when they decided to go back to poking me. One of them, I think her name is S-----, insists on sitting right next to my leg, much too close for comfort, during class. I've imposed an invisible force field rule around me, but it doesn't seem to do anything. I wish they would stop smelling me.
Monday and Tuesday I'm going to attempt bottle rockets with them. Since I haven't done this since 7th grade, this weekend will involve me building a launching system, and test firing a few rockets. Next week should be interesting, as after the bottle rockets, we're moving on the Chemistry!!!
Thursday, June 03, 2010
It's only been two days...
It's only been two days, and yet I've learned a whole lot. I've gained a new found appreciation and respect for elementary school teachers, such as my mom, who do this not for 6 hours a day (as I do), but for an entire school day. Additionally, their job is to ensure that the kids learn the material, and actually retain information. I, on the other hand, am not required to assign homework or grades and am not responsible for ensuring students meet standardized testing metrics. Today, I came home exhausted (though marginally less than yesterday), collapsed, and fell asleep for 2 hours. Teachers of the world, I salute you.
Most of the kids in this program are a pain. I've chosen to categorize them in 3 overlapping groups:
1) The Overly Enthusiastic:
Some of the kids are too eager to do things, and decide it's okay to stand up, walk to the front of the class where I am, and start playing with my teaching materials. Since I brought a model airplane and balloons today to demonstrate propulsion methods, I suppose I was inviting trouble. These kids just won't shut up, and won't sit down. I appreciate their desire to learn and to engage in the material, but sometimes they just need to chill out. I had a roll of duct tape and wished I had used it more.
2) The Hopeless, Needy, and Disinterested:
This is a weird group, but all create the same problem. Perhaps 20% of a given class will not give a rat's ass what you're talking about, that is until you give them a balloon to play with. But for the most part, they sit to the side, talking to their friends, crying in the corner, or lying on the floor. They might not be the best students in the world, but at least they're somewhat quiet.
3) The I-Want-To-Strangle-Your-Scrawny-Neck Children:
Some kids are just rotten. I hate to say this, and would never tell a parent this, but some kids are just asses. Ranging from running around the classroom, interrupting my every other word, to talking back to me, I have no desire to teach these children. I'm still figuring out how to deal with these ones, but for now I've settled giving them stink eye during recess. They're more than happy to return the favor.
However, through all the headaches, dehydration, and fatigue, there have been some rewarding moments, even so early in the program. I'm happy to say my class is a hit, I've been told it's the most popular course in the program by the admins, in fact. The story goes like this.
-----The father of one of the students gets off work at 4, at which point it would naturally make sense for him to come pick his daughter up. Today, he came at 4, and pulled his daughter from my class to go home. One of the administrators told me that when this student's father came for her, she was really mad at him. She told him:
"Why did you have to come now?! I was in Science!"
"I thought you would want to come home."
"But we were just doing an experiment!"
The administrator asked: "So did you learn anything today?"
She replied: "No, we hadn't finished the experiment yet. Dad, can you come back later after we're done with Science?"
This makes me very happy. I think that since my class is the only one with hands-on demonstrations and kinesthetic learning, the kids are more engaged, and have more fun. Whenever I'm strolling around, I try to talk to the kids, and ask them how their day's going, what are they doing in other classes. When I ask them what they're learning in other classes, they reply "I don't know." But, when I ask them what they learned in my class, the spit out those short mantras: "Long and skinny flies farther" and from today "The balloon pushes the air out of its butt." Most seem genuinely excited to come to my class. They come up to me during recess and ask what we're doing today or tomorrow in class. This is very encouraging.
I thought my first post, the Mission Statement of this course, was a little silly at the time. I mean, it's hard to educate children, and for a novice teacher like myself, I can't expect to do much with them. But I'm finding that it's not absurd to get them excited about science. It's only been two days, but I think I'm definitely on the right track. The kids, though a pain, are actually learning things (albeit short and sweet, like some of them), and are excited to do so. I think I can get them to love science by the end of the class. You know why? Because Science is awesome.
Most of the kids in this program are a pain. I've chosen to categorize them in 3 overlapping groups:
1) The Overly Enthusiastic:
Some of the kids are too eager to do things, and decide it's okay to stand up, walk to the front of the class where I am, and start playing with my teaching materials. Since I brought a model airplane and balloons today to demonstrate propulsion methods, I suppose I was inviting trouble. These kids just won't shut up, and won't sit down. I appreciate their desire to learn and to engage in the material, but sometimes they just need to chill out. I had a roll of duct tape and wished I had used it more.
2) The Hopeless, Needy, and Disinterested:
This is a weird group, but all create the same problem. Perhaps 20% of a given class will not give a rat's ass what you're talking about, that is until you give them a balloon to play with. But for the most part, they sit to the side, talking to their friends, crying in the corner, or lying on the floor. They might not be the best students in the world, but at least they're somewhat quiet.
3) The I-Want-To-Strangle-Your-Scrawny-Neck Children:
Some kids are just rotten. I hate to say this, and would never tell a parent this, but some kids are just asses. Ranging from running around the classroom, interrupting my every other word, to talking back to me, I have no desire to teach these children. I'm still figuring out how to deal with these ones, but for now I've settled giving them stink eye during recess. They're more than happy to return the favor.
However, through all the headaches, dehydration, and fatigue, there have been some rewarding moments, even so early in the program. I'm happy to say my class is a hit, I've been told it's the most popular course in the program by the admins, in fact. The story goes like this.
-----The father of one of the students gets off work at 4, at which point it would naturally make sense for him to come pick his daughter up. Today, he came at 4, and pulled his daughter from my class to go home. One of the administrators told me that when this student's father came for her, she was really mad at him. She told him:
"Why did you have to come now?! I was in Science!"
"I thought you would want to come home."
"But we were just doing an experiment!"
The administrator asked: "So did you learn anything today?"
She replied: "No, we hadn't finished the experiment yet. Dad, can you come back later after we're done with Science?"
This makes me very happy. I think that since my class is the only one with hands-on demonstrations and kinesthetic learning, the kids are more engaged, and have more fun. Whenever I'm strolling around, I try to talk to the kids, and ask them how their day's going, what are they doing in other classes. When I ask them what they're learning in other classes, they reply "I don't know." But, when I ask them what they learned in my class, the spit out those short mantras: "Long and skinny flies farther" and from today "The balloon pushes the air out of its butt." Most seem genuinely excited to come to my class. They come up to me during recess and ask what we're doing today or tomorrow in class. This is very encouraging.
I thought my first post, the Mission Statement of this course, was a little silly at the time. I mean, it's hard to educate children, and for a novice teacher like myself, I can't expect to do much with them. But I'm finding that it's not absurd to get them excited about science. It's only been two days, but I think I'm definitely on the right track. The kids, though a pain, are actually learning things (albeit short and sweet, like some of them), and are excited to do so. I think I can get them to love science by the end of the class. You know why? Because Science is awesome.
Lesson Plans Day 2: Propulsion Methods
I realize how ridiculous making lesson plans for some of the classes are. For the younger kids (3 of the 5 groups), the realistic lesson plans would go something like this:
1) Review Yesterday's Lesson
-"We made paper airplanes! Can we make more paper airplanes?"
-"Long and pointy planes fly farther"
-"Short and fat planes don't fly as far"
2) Get everybody to sit down again.
3)Review Yesterday's Lessons
-"I want to make a pointy one!"
-"Long and pointy planes fly farther"
4)How do propellers work?
-"They spin"
-"They push the air back and make the plane go forward"
5)Why does the balloon fly around when I release it?
-"Can I have a balloon?"
-"They push the air out of its butt"
6)Take everyone to the bathroom
7)Why does the plane move forward?
"IT PUSHES THE AIR BACK!"
8)Why does the balloon fly around?
-"IT PUSHES THE AIR OUT OF ITS BUTT!"
9)Repeat steps 8 and 7 until the end of class.
However, the older classes are simply a treat. The above material which takes the younger classes the entire hour, takes the older kids less than 10 min. I'm continually surprised by the incoming 5th grade class, who seem to know a lot of science as it is. They knew that air was a collection of particles, and even simple Ideal Gas Law relationships. I have high hopes for this class, and hope to be able to do a lot with them.
I've learned that the well known science mantra is very true:
If it's green and slimy, it's Biology.
If it smells, it's Chemistry.
If it doesn't work, it's Physics.
I tried to explain how rockets work. The combustion of the fuel heats the air, causing it to expand push the rocket (somewhat true, and somewhat untrue). In order to demonstrate that making air hotter causes it to expand, I stuck a deflated balloon on the end of a bottle. Normally, this is done with water, which is boiled, and the subsequent steam fills the balloon. But since I'm in a limited classroom space, I decided to use an empty plastic soda bottle, and a hairdryer from home. I had tried this out at home, and it worked fine. After 10 seconds or so of heating the bottle, the little balloon puffed up. However, once I got to the classroom, I ran into a problem I didn't expect. The plastic bottle started to melt, and expand, while the balloon did not. As obscenities started to fill my brain, I came up with a horrible solution: I surreptitiously squeezed the bottle, causing the balloon the puff up. Though I eventually figured out a way to do it, I feel a little guilty at fooling the little kids. But I don't think they really care. All they took away from the experience was "WE GOT TO PLAY WITH BALLOONS!!!". Which really, is fine by me.
Another lesson learned: if you give kids an instruction, like hold on to this balloon and don't let any air out, some will hold on to it so tightly that it will melt the balloon, sealing it shut. I'm constant surprised by how earnest, eager, and excited some of these kids are. Then again, I'm constantly surprised by how difficult most of them choose to make my life.
Tomorrow we will be covering Bernoulli's Principle, qualitatively. This has been done by almost every science educator in the country, and should be a lot easier. I'll post tomorrow specific demonstrations.
1) Review Yesterday's Lesson
-"We made paper airplanes! Can we make more paper airplanes?"
-"Long and pointy planes fly farther"
-"Short and fat planes don't fly as far"
2) Get everybody to sit down again.
3)Review Yesterday's Lessons
-"I want to make a pointy one!"
-"Long and pointy planes fly farther"
4)How do propellers work?
-"They spin"
-"They push the air back and make the plane go forward"
5)Why does the balloon fly around when I release it?
-"Can I have a balloon?"
-"They push the air out of its butt"
6)Take everyone to the bathroom
7)Why does the plane move forward?
"IT PUSHES THE AIR BACK!"
8)Why does the balloon fly around?
-"IT PUSHES THE AIR OUT OF ITS BUTT!"
9)Repeat steps 8 and 7 until the end of class.
However, the older classes are simply a treat. The above material which takes the younger classes the entire hour, takes the older kids less than 10 min. I'm continually surprised by the incoming 5th grade class, who seem to know a lot of science as it is. They knew that air was a collection of particles, and even simple Ideal Gas Law relationships. I have high hopes for this class, and hope to be able to do a lot with them.
I've learned that the well known science mantra is very true:
If it's green and slimy, it's Biology.
If it smells, it's Chemistry.
If it doesn't work, it's Physics.
I tried to explain how rockets work. The combustion of the fuel heats the air, causing it to expand push the rocket (somewhat true, and somewhat untrue). In order to demonstrate that making air hotter causes it to expand, I stuck a deflated balloon on the end of a bottle. Normally, this is done with water, which is boiled, and the subsequent steam fills the balloon. But since I'm in a limited classroom space, I decided to use an empty plastic soda bottle, and a hairdryer from home. I had tried this out at home, and it worked fine. After 10 seconds or so of heating the bottle, the little balloon puffed up. However, once I got to the classroom, I ran into a problem I didn't expect. The plastic bottle started to melt, and expand, while the balloon did not. As obscenities started to fill my brain, I came up with a horrible solution: I surreptitiously squeezed the bottle, causing the balloon the puff up. Though I eventually figured out a way to do it, I feel a little guilty at fooling the little kids. But I don't think they really care. All they took away from the experience was "WE GOT TO PLAY WITH BALLOONS!!!". Which really, is fine by me.
Another lesson learned: if you give kids an instruction, like hold on to this balloon and don't let any air out, some will hold on to it so tightly that it will melt the balloon, sealing it shut. I'm constant surprised by how earnest, eager, and excited some of these kids are. Then again, I'm constantly surprised by how difficult most of them choose to make my life.
Tomorrow we will be covering Bernoulli's Principle, qualitatively. This has been done by almost every science educator in the country, and should be a lot easier. I'll post tomorrow specific demonstrations.
First Day Down, Too Many More To Go
So today was my first day teaching. Aside from a whole morning of confusion, because the people in charge have no idea what they're doing, the experience has left me decidedly against entering lower education as a career choice.
My plans were to conduct the lesson plans posted below. Ha, no such thing was followed. I tried with my first class (Kindergarten tykes), but 35 out of the 50 minutes was spent teaching them how to fold a paper airplane. Of which only 45% successfully folded something other than a ball.
Then, came the class of first graders. First graders are an interesting group, in that they're still young and immature, but they're starting to develop an attitude. After several minutes of yelling, threatening, and physically placing children in chairs, I was able to conduct a short lesson, from which they gleaned that "long and skinny" airplanes flew farther than "short and fat" ones. This mantra would be repeated throughout the day.
The day got progressively better, as the kids got older. I was actually pleasantly surprised by the rising 5th grade group, who knew what the Scientific Method was, used words like "aerodynamic" and talked to me about things like "lift", "wind resistance", and "drag". I have high hopes for them. They also came late in the afternoon and were very sleepy and sedate. I think they were my favorite class of all.
It's 1:30 in the morning, I haven't made lesson plans for tomorrow, and I'm exhausted both physically and mentally*, so I'll make this post short.
Here's some of my favorite quotes of the day:
Student: Are you one of the ones that grows walnuts?
Me: What?
Student: *mumble mumble* walnuts?
Me: Erm....no I don't grow walnuts.
Student: No, do you grow into a walnut?
Me: ...
Student: Do you grow into a walnut?
Me: No, go sit down and fold you airplane.
Me: What can you tell me about airplanes?
Student 1: The fly.
Me: Okay, what else.
Student 2: Umm, they...they....they fly.
Me: Okay, excellent...what else.
Student 3: I know, I know! They fly.
Me: Okay, let me ask you a different question: What do airplanes look like?
Student 4: They fly.
Student: Mr. Cortez..
Me: No, I'm Mr. Sakimoto.
Another Student: No you're not!
Me: Yeah, actually, I am.
Student: Mr. Cortez?
Me: Sure, fine, what do you want?
Student: Mr. Sakimoto, are you Mrs. Sakimoto's husband?
Me: No, I'm her son.
Student: Oh, that explains a lot.
My Mom: Yeah, I'd never marry him, I could do much better.
*I now understand why people drink.
My plans were to conduct the lesson plans posted below. Ha, no such thing was followed. I tried with my first class (Kindergarten tykes), but 35 out of the 50 minutes was spent teaching them how to fold a paper airplane. Of which only 45% successfully folded something other than a ball.
Then, came the class of first graders. First graders are an interesting group, in that they're still young and immature, but they're starting to develop an attitude. After several minutes of yelling, threatening, and physically placing children in chairs, I was able to conduct a short lesson, from which they gleaned that "long and skinny" airplanes flew farther than "short and fat" ones. This mantra would be repeated throughout the day.
The day got progressively better, as the kids got older. I was actually pleasantly surprised by the rising 5th grade group, who knew what the Scientific Method was, used words like "aerodynamic" and talked to me about things like "lift", "wind resistance", and "drag". I have high hopes for them. They also came late in the afternoon and were very sleepy and sedate. I think they were my favorite class of all.
It's 1:30 in the morning, I haven't made lesson plans for tomorrow, and I'm exhausted both physically and mentally*, so I'll make this post short.
Here's some of my favorite quotes of the day:
Student: Are you one of the ones that grows walnuts?
Me: What?
Student: *mumble mumble* walnuts?
Me: Erm....no I don't grow walnuts.
Student: No, do you grow into a walnut?
Me: ...
Student: Do you grow into a walnut?
Me: No, go sit down and fold you airplane.
Me: What can you tell me about airplanes?
Student 1: The fly.
Me: Okay, what else.
Student 2: Umm, they...they....they fly.
Me: Okay, excellent...what else.
Student 3: I know, I know! They fly.
Me: Okay, let me ask you a different question: What do airplanes look like?
Student 4: They fly.
Student: Mr. Cortez..
Me: No, I'm Mr. Sakimoto.
Another Student: No you're not!
Me: Yeah, actually, I am.
Student: Mr. Cortez?
Me: Sure, fine, what do you want?
Student: Mr. Sakimoto, are you Mrs. Sakimoto's husband?
Me: No, I'm her son.
Student: Oh, that explains a lot.
My Mom: Yeah, I'd never marry him, I could do much better.
*I now understand why people drink.
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
Test Run
So, as tomorrow is my first day of teaching, I decided it would be prudent to make sure some of these experiments actually work. As posted previously, the first day will deal with aerodynamics, namely, making paper airplanes and flying them.
Since physics experiments never work as you would like them to, I decided to conduct my own experiment and analysis, in hopes that my findings lined up with what I will be teaching the kids*.
As such, I made 4 airplanes:
1) 8.5" x 11" Reynold's Recycled Aluminum Foil
-----Folded in the traditional airplane design (see pictures)
2) 8.5" x 11" Recycled Copier Paper (maker unknown, contained first page of "Seasons of Love" from the musical Rent).
-----Folded in traditional airplane design (see pictures)
3) 8.5" x 11" Recycled Copier Paper (maker unknown, contained fourth page of "Omigod You Guys" from the musical "Legally Blonde").
-----Folded in Stunt Model design, (see pictures)
4) Two (2) 8.5" x 11" Recycled Copier Paper (maker unknown, contained first page of "Seasons of Love" from the musical Rent and second page of "If We Hold On Together" from "The Land Before Time).
-----Folded in traditional airplane design (see pictures)
The results from the testing period are presented below. All planes were manually thrown from a height of 5'3" in the positive y direction. Initial velocities were not measured. An average wind velocity was measured at 4mph in the positive y direction.
Fig. 1: Scatter Plot of Flight Distances and Direction for Trial Day 1
Fig. 2: Absolute Displacement By Plane Type. Standard Deviation Presented In Error Bars.
Discussion:
The biggest surprise was that the aluminum foil was actually the lightest plane material, and therefore flew the farthest (Fig. 1 and 2). To be honest, I had chosen aluminum foil as a metal, with the notion that it's increased mass would show that heavier things won't glide as far. However, what I had failed to take into account was the fact that the foil could be rolled into a much finer and thinner material, reducing it's entire mass, while maintaining the equivalent surface area.
As expected, the less aerodynamic stunt plane (3) flew the shortest. It also exhibited the largest standard deviation, and deviation from center trajectory. Also, the double paper plane (4) flew slightly shorter on average than the single sheet equivalent.
Now what perplexes me is the Ring Plane presented in the first picture. I've seen them made, and decided to make one myself. True to form, they fly very far (not included in analysis, as no way of controlling initial impulse could be kept, since the launch style is different). However, I must admit I don't know why. I believe it has something to do with the lip on the ring, which does something with the boundary layer effect, however, since I have yet to take a Fluid Mechanics class, I'm not quite sure what to do with that. An explanation (one I could perhaps give to little kids) would be appreciated.
Here's to surviving my first day of work.
*not that I came into the experiment with preconceived notions of results, nor did I try to skew the results to fit my hypothesis.
Since physics experiments never work as you would like them to, I decided to conduct my own experiment and analysis, in hopes that my findings lined up with what I will be teaching the kids*.
As such, I made 4 airplanes:
1) 8.5" x 11" Reynold's Recycled Aluminum Foil
-----Folded in the traditional airplane design (see pictures)
2) 8.5" x 11" Recycled Copier Paper (maker unknown, contained first page of "Seasons of Love" from the musical Rent).
-----Folded in traditional airplane design (see pictures)
3) 8.5" x 11" Recycled Copier Paper (maker unknown, contained fourth page of "Omigod You Guys" from the musical "Legally Blonde").
-----Folded in Stunt Model design, (see pictures)
4) Two (2) 8.5" x 11" Recycled Copier Paper (maker unknown, contained first page of "Seasons of Love" from the musical Rent and second page of "If We Hold On Together" from "The Land Before Time).
-----Folded in traditional airplane design (see pictures)
The results from the testing period are presented below. All planes were manually thrown from a height of 5'3" in the positive y direction. Initial velocities were not measured. An average wind velocity was measured at 4mph in the positive y direction.
Fig. 1: Scatter Plot of Flight Distances and Direction for Trial Day 1
Fig. 2: Absolute Displacement By Plane Type. Standard Deviation Presented In Error Bars.Discussion:
The biggest surprise was that the aluminum foil was actually the lightest plane material, and therefore flew the farthest (Fig. 1 and 2). To be honest, I had chosen aluminum foil as a metal, with the notion that it's increased mass would show that heavier things won't glide as far. However, what I had failed to take into account was the fact that the foil could be rolled into a much finer and thinner material, reducing it's entire mass, while maintaining the equivalent surface area.
As expected, the less aerodynamic stunt plane (3) flew the shortest. It also exhibited the largest standard deviation, and deviation from center trajectory. Also, the double paper plane (4) flew slightly shorter on average than the single sheet equivalent.
Now what perplexes me is the Ring Plane presented in the first picture. I've seen them made, and decided to make one myself. True to form, they fly very far (not included in analysis, as no way of controlling initial impulse could be kept, since the launch style is different). However, I must admit I don't know why. I believe it has something to do with the lip on the ring, which does something with the boundary layer effect, however, since I have yet to take a Fluid Mechanics class, I'm not quite sure what to do with that. An explanation (one I could perhaps give to little kids) would be appreciated.
Here's to surviving my first day of work.
*not that I came into the experiment with preconceived notions of results, nor did I try to skew the results to fit my hypothesis.
Lesson Plans Day 1: Aerodynamics and the Scientific Method
-Attendance
What does it mean to be a Scientist/Engineer?
--teach kids how to think like a scientist, ask questions and solve problems like a scientist.
--work in groups to solve problems
-----Split kids up into groups/teams. Team names, perhaps.
--use scientific method
II. Scientific Method
-Purpose
---To figure out what makes things fly farther.
-Background
---What do we know about planes?
----------what do planes look like, what are common features?
----------what are planes made out of?
---Introduce Variables:
-----Plane Mass
----------Copier paper
----------Aluminum Foil
----------Multiple sheets of each
-----Plane Shape
----------Traditional, streamlined model
----------Snub nosed stunt plane model
----------Any other designs?
-Hypothesis
-----Which plane will fly better?
-----Make predictions.
-Experiment
-----Test predicitons
----------Mark distances with chopstick flags (each type of flag corresponding to type of plane)
----------Physical and graphic representation of flight distances.
-Analysis
-----Which plane flew farthest?
-----Which factor/variable is more important? Mass or Plane Shape?
-Conclusion
-----Summary, wrap up.
-----OR, for younger kids.-----
II. Know, Wonder, Learn
-Know
-----What do we know about airplanes?
----------What do they look like?
----------What are they made out of?
-Wonder
---What do we want to know about planes?
-----What makes them fly farther or shorter?
----------Shape?
----------Weight?
-Learn
-----What did we learn today?
Materials and Preparations:
89+ Sheets of Copier Paper 8.5" x 11" (one for each student, ideally)
45+ Sheets of Aluminum paper 8.5" x 11" (for half of the students, roughly)
10+ chopstick flags (copier paper)
10+ chopstick flags (aluminum foil)
10+ chopstick flags (double copier paper)
II. Know, Wonder, Learn
-Know
-----What do we know about airplanes?
----------What do they look like?
----------What are they made out of?
-Wonder
---What do we want to know about planes?
-----What makes them fly farther or shorter?
----------Shape?
----------Weight?
-Learn
-----What did we learn today?
Materials and Preparations:
89+ Sheets of Copier Paper 8.5" x 11" (one for each student, ideally)
45+ Sheets of Aluminum paper 8.5" x 11" (for half of the students, roughly)
10+ chopstick flags (copier paper)
10+ chopstick flags (aluminum foil)
10+ chopstick flags (double copier paper)
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