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Often, topics share ideas across forums but teachers may not always have the time to span the many topics looking for integration among items. There are many topics dealing with STEM and building fun things that move as design challenges for our students. This material was recently shared on the stem forum but it might be of interest on the physical science forum as well.
teaching about magnetism, forces, and electric circuits in middle school with a definite PBL style
While at the NSTA STEM conference in Atlantic City, I had the opportunity to participate in a great presentation by David Lisnitzer, a middle school science teacher from South Ozone Park, NY. He described a unit that he provides for his students and offered teachers present hands-on experience building a MagLev car,powered by a craftily designed sail and a large window fan or by a smaller sail and a small fan that students build as part of a simple circuit. David provided great handouts on how to build the maglev track,materials needed, suggestions for strategies to use to connect the project with real world applications, such as the Shanghi Maglev System, resources, a great 'money' idea for students to buy additional materials not provided in the initial small bundle of items, a rubric, and materials for writing across the curriculum so that the students could communicate their understanding with an essay. David also provided a project writing rubric for teachers to consider. David has reflected on initial offerings of this challenge and adjusted things so that he has a (I think) 4-5 week unit.
If a STEM challenge of this nature tickles your imagination, then you may contact David or check and see if he uploaded his handouts in the conference area.
Here is the information that David had on his handout and he said that he was happy to share.
David Lisnitzer
http://www.sciencewithmrl.com/maglev-project/
http://www.sciencewithmrl.com/motor-maglev/
There are 2 urls for his 4th grade class maglev projects.
Enjoy.
p.s. I would have the students use a motion sensor to show a real-time graph of the motion of the maglev vehicle, use a magnetic field sensor to study the nature of the force field, and have students measure the measure the mass of their final vehicle so that they could discuss some of the forces involved in the motion of the vehicle. It would also be phun to use an anenometer to measure the speed of the wind currents created by the large window fan. An addition would be to challenge the students to build another track adjoining the maglev track that would enable the vehicle to come to a stop. Challenge them to think about friction and the need to stop motion in addition to starting it.
~patty
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