Students in Beth Ann Vahle’s fourth-grade class at John F. Kennedy Intermediate School recently wrapped up their energy unit by creating a chain reaction with various materials in the classroom.
This included taking a virtual field trip to the New York State Fair, learning about roller coasters and exploring ideas such as speed, collisions and energy conversions. Throughout the unit, students learned about different forms of energy, the relationship between energy and speed, changes in energy during collisions and how energy can be transferred from one location to another.
In the hands-on activity, students worked in collaborative groups to create their own chain reactions, using various classroom items such as dominoes, Legos and marbles.
“My students worked extremely well on the design process while planning their ideas, creating this reaction, testing it and finding ways to improve the design,” Vahle said.
Date Added: 3/15/2023