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My students are part of the Gifted program at our K-5 elementary school.
We are a small school, without close proximity to the resources available in big cities. The kids range from 1st to 5th grade, are highly motivated, curious, and eager to learn. They enjoy working hard and learning new things. My kids desperately need to be exposed to new ideas outside the realm of their daily lives.
My Project
My students will proceed step by step through the scientific process as they learn about the physics of flight and how a hot air balloon is able to fly. Through observation and trial and error, we'll learn new ideas and gain a greater understanding of science concepts including forces of flight and properties of air mass as we each build our own hot air balloon models. Students will use problem solving and teamwork strategies to help each other reach success. Then we'll take all of our projects outside and launch them with the hot air balloon launcher. Students will learn how to calculate wind speed and direction, and how to hypothesize the direction and length of flight. Students will improve their understanding of the scientific process, and learn to make higher level evaluations and modify strategies along the way.
This project will help me to motivate students to learn about math in science in a real and practical way.
Beyond reading about scientific theory in a book, students will be able to test, evaluate and draw their own conclusions about physics in a fun and exciting way. Building strong math and science students improves not only their lives, but the lives of all of us, as these students grow to contribute to their communities and beyond.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Aldridge and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.