We began our new unit of study by Lucy Calkins, Grade 2 Information: Lab Reports and Science Books. Our students designed and conducted a force and motion experiment using ramps.
Each child gets a 5 page packet and a writing partner. They create a hypothesis by asking a question starting with, "I wonder what would happen if..." Then they list the materials they will need and the steps (procedures) they will follow. On the next two pages they write their predictions (hypothesis) of what will happen. The classroom is filled with energy and excitement during the writers' workshop where the children conduct their experiments. Some of our students wondered if the height of the ramp would matter - 6 inches vs. 12 inches. Others predicted that a small car would roll farther than a linker cube. To gather accurate results, they tested each experiment three times and recorded their data. Finally, the last page in the report documents the results and if the student's prediction was correct (conclusion).
In our classroom, we only had one plastic toy ramp and several small toy cars, but our clever kids created ramps using big books, white boards, clipboards. and paper towel rolls.
Stay tuned for the next bend in the unit when we will be creating catapults to launch cotton balls!
