By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Union City, Tenn.–Rhonda Chandler’s fifth-grade science classes at Union City Middle School have been busy with a project in which students break into groups and design a maze with a goal of having the slowest or last marble in that maze.
Each of the projects use mostly recycled materials, saved for the students by cafeteria and custodial workers at the school.
Newton’s Laws of Motion were the basis of the project, specifically friction, gravity and acceleration.
Students were broken into groups of four or five and given the choice of two marble sizes for the project.
“Not everyone will grow up to be engineers, or lawyers or doctors, and I just think it’s critical to teach students that plumbers, electricians and others in the job world are just as critical to projects,” Chandler said.
“Plus, I believe this is a good way for all the students to share in the responsibility of a project. It teaches teamwork and for them all to pull together to share ideas to make something work best.”
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