LANCASTER
Larry Warmingham's classroom at Hand Middle School was well arranged with lab tables and benches on either side of the room. A computer station occupied a prominent place on one side of the classroom, and a large cabinet with materials and kit boxes resided on the other. Larry's domain was fashioned for the smooth operation of science and math investigations. Larry planned to implement the FOSS kit Models and Designs for 5th and 6th grades. In preparation for this session, he placed the current set of kit materials for activity three on the center table. |
The students were engaged in the third and culminating
activity for Models and Designs, which is an
investigation into the construction of go-carts. Each
team retrieved their specific supplies with very little
discussion. It was obvious that these students were
experienced in materials management. Since the teams
were at various phases of go-cart design, Larry allowed
each group to formulate their own plan for this class.
A few students, for example, were involved in the
beginning stages of connecting the wheel and axle.
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Larry explained that some of his students needed to attend
enrichment classes and therefore would miss several days of
kit investigations a month. The time instability required
Larry to adjust the class planning, so that everyone would
feel comfortable with their own work schedules and design
timelines.
Varying the width of wheel coupling was usually an
early design idea. There probably were no duplicate
measurements of shaft lengths in any of the models. It
was evident that some of the car designers believed
that a close frontal alignment would be beneficial.
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Many of the plans for go-carts reflected a bias toward
symmetrical models. In some cases, the front and back
pairs of wheels were placed at almost exactly the same
distance apart.
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Deeply engaged in their building process, the students
reluctantly allowed visitor questions (as long as we did not
hamper their progress). Most wanted to manipulate the
materials quickly rather than stop to verbalize the details.
A few students seemed to be descriptive about their designs
while building the car. Others appeared to have a working
model sooner than some, but were less able (or resistant) to
explain their modifications.As soon as a workable chassis was put together, the students initiated testing. Starting its run off the same ramp, each go-cart could roll with the same energy as all the other models. Only the design could change the distance or the speed. |
Even though the teams appeared to be concerned with
only their own model, it was soon evident that they
were watching other designs go off the ramp as well. As
soon as a team's model was sent off the ramp and
retrieved, the redesigning would begin immediately.
Initially, they focused mostly on the wheel distance
and the chassis length.
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More complex modifications followed once the basic
frame was approved. Most designs seem to conform to
race car standards of performance. Models designs
tended to allow wind to rush over and curl behind the
machine.
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Once the car was tested on the ramp and retooled many
times, the polishing began. Each student invested time
on the external appearance of his or her model.
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The excitement of potential races began to grow within the groups. The students built these models from scratch and had developed a kind of faith in their abilities. The mood was reminiscent of NASCAR teams putting their race cars on the line. As contenders began to challenge their opponents, a fever to finish gripped the teams. Only the bell closing the school day pulled the students away from their investigation.
Larry successfully guided his students toward an engaging use of kit materials. Our discussion after class helped pinpoint a number of areas for kit refinement. Our thanks to Larry for giving so much of his time and sharing a very interesting afternoon focusing on design technology.
For more information about kit associations and links that are relevant to the design technology of cars, please access the Teacher and Kit Connections in the Keystone Weekly, Vol. 1, issue 11, December 13.
More advanced work in design technology that may engage students who are interested in robotics can be found by accessing the following website. This PBS link offers some excellent examples for classroom applications of robots.
http://www.pbs.org/saf/4_class/45_pguides/pguide_7 05/4575_human.html
