Siemens Science Day~
Learning by Doing
was celebrated today with a visit from 11 Siemens Foundation Learning Team Members. Mr. Todd Andrade, a Stoughton resident and a chemist for the company located in Walpole, Ma, brought the program to our fourth and fifth graders. By working in collaborative groups, communicating, decision making, thinking critically and problem solving students tested the effectiveness of different parachute designs. The activity called "Geronimo" challenged students to explore force, motion, and friction when designing their prototype parachute. Siemens team members assisted students in modifying the designs in order to make them drop slowly and within the target. The culminating activity was the "dropping of each parachute" from a ladder to record data about the time it took to hit the ground as well as the proximity to the target. Students gained an understanding of how air resistance affects the motion of an object, how important each member of a team is, and how essential math, science and technology are in our learning. Each 4th and 5th grader treasured the lab coats, safety goggles and science certificates given to them. They all intend to take their parachutes out to recess today to further test their designs. That, in a nutshell, is what great scientists do! We thank Siemens Foundation for a wonderful experience!
Learning by Doing
was celebrated today with a visit from 11 Siemens Foundation Learning Team Members. Mr. Todd Andrade, a Stoughton resident and a chemist for the company located in Walpole, Ma, brought the program to our fourth and fifth graders. By working in collaborative groups, communicating, decision making, thinking critically and problem solving students tested the effectiveness of different parachute designs. The activity called "Geronimo" challenged students to explore force, motion, and friction when designing their prototype parachute. Siemens team members assisted students in modifying the designs in order to make them drop slowly and within the target. The culminating activity was the "dropping of each parachute" from a ladder to record data about the time it took to hit the ground as well as the proximity to the target. Students gained an understanding of how air resistance affects the motion of an object, how important each member of a team is, and how essential math, science and technology are in our learning. Each 4th and 5th grader treasured the lab coats, safety goggles and science certificates given to them. They all intend to take their parachutes out to recess today to further test their designs. That, in a nutshell, is what great scientists do! We thank Siemens Foundation for a wonderful experience!