Students have been working on an inquiry where they were asked to work with a partner to
build a boat out of a 15 cm x 15 cm piece of aluminum foil that can float the greatest
number of pennies. Students were amazed by the results. The boat that floated the greatest
number of pennies floated with 95 pennies before sinking. After an initial trial,
students were asked to redesign their boat to try to increase the number of pennies
that floated. In the end, students identified the variables in the experiment including
controlled variables as well as the independent and dependent variables.
Students then wrote a conclusion summarizing their results. Each pair of students took
turns answering questions which was meant to increase communication and thinking
and cut down on individual writing time. I think it is safe to say that fun was had by all..
but critical thinking skills were definitely required to get the task done.
