By Debra Shapiro
Posted on 2017-10-06
Building race cars made of food and powered by potential energy stored in a rubber band is one of the hands-on, inquiry-based activities in the Roads, Rails, and Race Cars after-school program, held in schools around Nebraska. Photo credit: Mid-America Transportation Center
When students build race cars and compete in races, they can learn science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts, are more likely to retain what they learned, and have fun in the process, educators have found. Building and racing CO2-powered dragsters— miniature race cars propelled by a carbon dioxide cartridge—“creates a lot of excitement and anticipation in students. When I tell students that [there] is going to be a competition, that sparks a lot of students to want to try and make the best car possible,” says Matt Hall, a fifth-grade teacher at Manchester Middle School in Manchester, Michigan.
The project began two years ago when Amcor, a global supplier of plastic packaging that has a local office, gave the school a $2,500 grant to fund a science project. Hall and the other fifthgrade teachers “decided to do CO2 cars. It lined up with what I was teaching in fifth-grade science, in a forces and motion unit,” Hall explains. “When I was in high school, we built CO2-powered dragsters, and it was a memorable project for me. I liked designing something and building it and seeing it in 3D.”
The grant paid for “consumables, car parts, a starting gate and finish line with a sensor, equipment, and paint,” Hall relates. The following year, another Amcor grant of “$800 or $900” funded paint and other consumables, he notes.
During the design phase, “we looked at car designs: what made cars faster and more aerodynamic,” he reports. “There was a relationship between what we discussed and building the cars. It was force and motion principles in action.” Before designing the cars, he says many students had trouble understanding the effects of mass on acceleration. Afterward, “I was very surprised to see some students who were special education or not the best academically come up with some interesting designs,” he observes.
Next, Hall and co-teacher Cindy Karapas “set up different stations [for activities like] prototyping, cutting [car bodies from balsa wood], drilling, sanding, and painting,” he explains. They ensured safety by having students wear eye protection and aprons to protect their clothes, roll up long sleeves, and tie back long hair. In addition, “I spent most of the time supervising [the cutting and drilling stations],” he asserts. Parent volunteers also staffed the stations to prevent injuries.
Students then raced their cars in the tournament. About 100 fifth graders participated in the race each year, Hall recalls. Excitement about the event has made students “more likely to talk about the project and the science,” he contends.
“Some students do worry that if their car loses in the first round of racing, is that going to affect their grade? I tell [them] their grade on their car project is not dependent on how well they do in the race. They are graded on thoughtful design of their car, taking into consideration all that we have learned about forces and motion,” he points out.
For 10 years, Kara Gelinas—grades 5–6 science teacher at Edgartown School in Edgartown, Massachusetts— has run annual solar car races for fifth and sixth graders at schools on Martha’s Vineyard. Energy services organization Cape Light Compact sponsors the races, providing materials and race day volunteers. The main challenge with this event is the weather: “We need the sun. If it rains, we have to hold the race in the gym with battery packs,” Gelinas explains.
Teachers “realize how [the race] ties in with STEM and STEAM [STEM plus art] and meets standards. The push for STEAM is great because it’s about figuring things out, not just doing activities,” she maintains.
“Students have to use only one particular solar panel and motor, the cars have to have at least three wheels and carry an empty can, and they have to use the same track,” Gelinas explains. When building them, students learn about energy transfer, gears, torque, electricity, engineering, and sustainable energy. “Students’ choices of design have tangible results on the racetrack… The engineering design process—evaluating, sharing, and retooling—makes it really clear what is wrong with their cars. For example, lots of students gear [their cars] for speed, but don’t have enough torque. They [learn that they] have to gear for torque for the car to work,” Gelinas notes.
While some teachers don’t count building the car as part of students’ grades, Gelinas says she has a rubric for group work: “teamwork, collaboration, being careful with materials… Students also have classroom assessments of the content—solar panel operation, gear ratios, energy transfer, kinetic and potential energy, conservation of energy—and technology and engineering standards, including use of tools and materials.”
She recruits 25 community volunteers to judge the race, which typically has about 200 student contestants. Students answer judges’ questions about how their cars work, why they chose their design, and how they had to modify their design. Judges award prizes for design, technical merit, and knowledge.
“I don’t grade the outcome of the [race] because some of the cars don’t even move on the track. We run 12 heats, but some cars don’t make every heat,” she notes. Students learn “when they make mistakes, it’s not a failure, not a crisis. It’s just a mistake.”
Building race cars from food and powering them with the potential energy stored in a rubber band is just one of the hands-on, inquiry-based activities in the Roads, Rails and Race Cars (RRRC) after-school program in Nebraska, which features a transportation- based curriculum for grades 4–12 and is funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation, State Farm Insurance, and Union Pacific Railroad Company. Students from groups historically underrepresented in STEM-related fields are especially encouraged to join a weekly RRRC club. “Our focus is on middle school,…[when] some students begin to lose interest in math and science,” says Laurence Rilett, Keith W. Klaasmeyer Chair in Engineering and Technology at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) and director of the Nebraska Transportation Center and the Mid-America Transportation Center (MATC). MATC has offered RRRC since 2010.
Professional and industry partners inform students about careers in engineering and transportation, while showing them “you need math and science to do these jobs,” Rilett relates. University student mentors majoring in STEM subjects also lead activities related to transportation engineering. “[A]ny mentoring helps reinforce what students learn in class,” he asserts.
Building the cars teaches students about “friction, force, resistance, and gravity,” Rilett explains, and they learn about impact and momentum in a lesson about what happens when race car drivers crash into a barrier. UNL engineers developed the Steel and Foam Energy Reduction Barrier system, which has saved drivers’ lives, he notes.
For STEM lesson plans developed by teachers who attended RRRC’s Summer Institute, see http://goo.gl/gAECsW.
This article originally appeared in the October 2017 issue of NSTA Reports, the member newspaper of the National Science Teachers Association. Each month, NSTA members receive NSTA Reports, featuring news on science education, the association, and more. Not a member? Learn how NSTA can help you become the best science teacher you can be.
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Building race cars made of food and powered by potential energy stored in a rubber band is one of the hands-on, inquiry-based activities in the Roads, Rails, and Race Cars after-school program, held in schools around Nebraska.
By Gabe Kraljevic
Posted on 2017-10-05
Photo Credit By dotmatchbox at flickr
I’m starting to plan some formal assessments but, because it’s my first time, I’m not exactly sure if I’m creating a test correctly. Do you have any advice? —L., Nebraska
The notion of a fair test is an important tenet in science and we strive to teach our students how to develop unbiased data collection for the purpose of making sound conclusions about phenomena. This should also extend to the science teacher—developing fair, unbiased assessments that allow you to make a sound conclusion of what your students have learned. Here are just a few ideas on formal assessments that I have used and a few suggestions to help you along:
Try to build some success for all your students. Work from easy to hard questions.
Hope this helps!
Photo: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/77/A-kid-drawing-or-writing.jpg
Photo Credit By dotmatchbox at flickr
I’m starting to plan some formal assessments but, because it’s my first time, I’m not exactly sure if I’m creating a test correctly. Do you have any advice? —L., Nebraska
By Gabe Kraljevic
Posted on 2017-10-04
Wow, do I have big shoes to fill! Mary Bigelow is stepping down as NSTA’s original Ms. Mentor after years of advising teachers across the globe. She has demonstrated a noteworthy commitment to helping the science teaching community with thoughtful, sage advice on a vast array of topics. And now I’m taking over. Wow.
As I started writing my initial blogs, I was reminded of my first day of teaching. The head of the science department (and my former biology teacher!) put his arm around my shoulders and said, “Now that you’re here, you’ll really learn how to teach.” In my guided tour of the inner workings of the school he pointed out everyone’s filing cabinets in the science prep area. “In here, you’ll find everything you need—tests, labs, assignments, diagrams, notes. If you can’t find something—just ask! We’re here to help.” I immediately got the sense of community as I embarked on my career. From this initial exchange I took up the torch and committed myself to sharing, mentoring, running workshops and supporting my colleagues in any way I can.
Now that I have retired, writing an advice column feels like a natural progression in my journey as a science educator. I just hope that I can reach the standard set by Mary and provide you with advice that will be helpful on your own journey in our teaching community.
Kindest regards and…just ask! I’m here to help.
Gabe Kraljevic
Wow, do I have big shoes to fill! Mary Bigelow is stepping down as NSTA’s original Ms. Mentor after years of advising teachers across the globe. She has demonstrated a noteworthy commitment to helping the science teaching community with thoughtful, sage advice on a vast array of topics. And now I’m taking over. Wow.
By Korei Martin
Posted on 2017-10-03
Although I encourage all of my students to consider a career in the sciences, I know it is probable that only the most persistent, passionate, and brightest will chose such a career path. I’ve been fortunate to teach many such students. This past May, a former student of mine earned the Best in Mathematics Award at the prestigious INTEL International Science and Engineering Fair. Such students are present in all of our classes and thus it is incumbent upon us to foster, nurture, and sustain student interest in engineering and the sciences. Many of these students are gifted; they are the kids who ‘get it’ after one explanation, who don’t need to review in to order pass tests with stellar grades, and who probably don’t need to do the majority of the drill and practice activities designed to develop comprehension of course content. These are the kids who finish everything early. While some may quietly read a book until the class catches up, others may drive you crazy with their antics and off-task behavior. Although you may be tempted to utilize these students as tutors, I caution you against this practice. All students have a right to learn, but tutoring does little extend or enrich learning; it merely reinforces what the student already knows.
Something that I’ve had success with in the past is requiring these students to participate in our school’s science fair. Although this can be a daunting prospect (for both the teacher and the student), tremendous growth can occur when students are scaffolded through the process. Probably the most difficult aspect of the science fair project is selecting the topic—but this is critical if we are to challenge our brightest thinkers. Choice allows our students to pursue a topic that they may otherwise not be able to study as part of the standard curriculum—especially critical when dealing with those students who have a focused and specific interest. Once the topic is selected, students need to engage in researching their topic so that they fully understand the real-world implication of their results. Designing a fair test, collecting and analyzing data, and drawing valid conclusions based on data are rigorous processes that will challenge most students while deepening their understanding of the nature of science—and of the disciplinary core content they investigated. There are numerous websites and materials available to help you guide your students through the steps involved in planning and carrying out a project.
Another vehicle for encouraging your students’ passion for science and engineering is to involve them in a competition (you’ll find the mention of monetary and other awards to be highly motivating for many students). NSTA competitions for middle school students include Toshiba Exploravision and eCybermission. Toshiba Exploravision challenges students to research a technology of interest and explain how that technology may change over the next 20 years. eCybermssion involves teams of students who work to identify a problem in their community and use scientific practices or the engineering design process to develop a solution to the identified problem. If you want the inside scoop on how these competitions run, consider volunteering to be a judge (for more information on how to volunteer, send an email to competitions@nsta.org).
I know some readers out there may be wondering if regular education and special education students can also participate in science fairs and science competitions. The answer is a resounding “YES!” I hope I’ve inspired you to reflect on how you plan to nurture and support the future scientists and engineers who are sitting in your classroom today. Who knows where such encouragement will lead? Perhaps one day you will be able to proudly say that you taught a student whose project was declared best in the world.
Get more involved with NSTA! 
Join today and receive Science Scope, the peer-reviewed journal just for middle school teachers; connect on the middle level science teaching list (members can sign up on the list server). Patty McGinnis teaches at Arcola Intermediate School in Eagleville, PA and is the editor of Science Scope.
The mission of NSTA is to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.
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Although I encourage all of my students to consider a career in the sciences, I know it is probable that only the most persistent, passionate, and brightest will chose such a career path. I’ve been fortunate to teach many such students. This past May, a former student of mine earned the Best in Mathematics Award at the prestigious INTEL International Science and Engineering Fair. Such students are present in all of our classes and thus it is incumbent upon us to foster, nurture, and sustain student interest in engineering and the sciences.
By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2017-10-02
I did not have a formal mentor when I was a new teacher. As I struggled, several colleagues and an administrator must have seen some potential and offered me advice and support. I was glad to return the favor during my career as a classroom teacher and administrator by mentoring and providing professional development. However, when eligible for retirement, I was not ready to give up my role as a science educator. I saw this advice column/blog as a way to retool rather than retire!
Interacting with teachers through their questions (or informally over coffee at a conference or meeting), reflecting on issues of interest, and sharing concerns of new teachers as well as career-changers has been a rewarding opportunity.
However, after 10 years and 400 MsMentor blogs, it’s time to pass the baton to another. Thanks to all those who submitted questions, added comments, and shared resources through the blog and NSTA Reports.
Once again, I’m retooling not retiring. I still write professionally, and I’ll continue as an online advisor in NSTA’s Discussion Forums. I’m involved in local environmental groups, citizen science projects, and informal science organizations.
Helping students learn about the world around them as a science teacher is a noble calling. We have a responsibility to model our own interests while engaging students in STEM and environmental topics as they develop into informed residents of our communities who enjoy science as part of their lifelong learning.
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jjlook/7152722/sizes/s/in/photostream/
I did not have a formal mentor when I was a new teacher. As I struggled, several colleagues and an administrator must have seen some potential and offered me advice and support. I was glad to return the favor during my career as a classroom teacher and administrator by mentoring and providing professional development. However, when eligible for retirement, I was not ready to give up my role as a science educator.
By Korei Martin
Posted on 2017-10-02
Last week President Trump issued a presidential memorandum calling for a $200 million boost to STEM education and computer science in K–12 schools. The memorandum, signed during an Oval Office ceremony attended by Ivanka Trump and U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, is intended to help make STEM education a bigger priority for schools.
“My administration will do everything possible to provide our children, especially kids in underserved areas, with access to high-quality education in science, technology, engineering and math,” Trump said during the ceremony.
To focus on STEM and computer science the Department of Education will be asked to create a priority for these areas in existing discretionary federal grants, to be determined by ED, to the tune of $200 million. Grants that emphasize female and minority students in STEM/computer science will be given additional priority. The Administration is expected to announce the priorities soon.
Education Secretary DeVos was also tasked by the President to explore administrative actions” that would enhance computer-science education.”
As you will recall, former President Obama also called for a push to include more coding and STEM in the school curriculum, but the initiative was never funded.
The day after the White House announcement, Ivanka Trump went to Detroit and met with a number of major tech companies—including Amazon, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Lockheed Martin, Accenture, General Motors and Pluralsight—that have pledged $300 million over the next five years to the administration’s efforts in STEM. Read more the Detroit meeting here.
More about the Administration’s STEM initiative here and here.
The Administration’s focus on STEM and computer science comes after a proposed $9 billion cut to the Education Department funding, including the elimination of two key programs in ESSA that would greatly benefit STEM and computer science—Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grant (SSAEG)Title IV and the Preparing, Training, and Recruiting High-Quality Teachers, Principals, and Other School Leaders Title II.
Superintendents from California, Oregon and Washington Advocate for Title II Funding
State superintendents from California, Oregon and Washington have sent a letter to Congress advocating for the continuation of Title II funding in the 2018 federal budget. ESSA Title II funds are used for teacher professional learning and other initiatives that impact teachers; earlier this year the House of Representatives eliminated the Title II funding from its budget, which drew loud criticism and pushback from key administration and teaching groups, including NSTA.
Read more about Title II and how you can speak up and take action to save this program here.
Update on Every Student Succeeds Act
Most states have now complied with the Sept. 18 deadline to submit their plan to implement ESSA. Understanding ESSA has a nice compilation of state plans here, take a look and see if your state has included language on science or STEM in their plan.
Education Week did a great one-stop-shopping guide to ESSA, check it out here.
They also answer the question How Are States Looking Beyond Test Scores? noting that “states including Kentucky, Nebraska, Utah, Rhode Island, as well as Delaware and Louisiana, added science proficiency into the mix.”
James Brown, executive director of the STEM Education Coalition, joined Lab Out Loud co-hosts Brian Bartel and Dale Basler to talk about ESSA, how it impacts states and STEM education, and how teachers can get more involved as this law rolls out. Listen to the podcast here.
NSTA’s powerpoint on ESSA and Science/STEM can be found here
TITLE IV Coalition Holds Senate Briefing on SSAE Grant Program
NSTA was pleased to be part of the Title IV-A Coalition policy briefing in the Senate held earlier this month on the Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grant (SSAEG) program authorized in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
The briefing looked at three major aspects of the grant program, which supports well rounded programs (including STEM), technology, and health and safety programs.
Alyson Klein, a federal policy reporter for Education Week, moderated three round tables, one for each area. Senate staffers heard from a mix of education experts, parents, counselors, and doctors all in support of Title IV, Part A and its significance.
NSTA Associate Executive Director Al Byers served on the first panel, which discussed technology in education. Byers spoke to the need for quality professional learning for all teachers, especially teachers of science. Panelists on the third panel advocated for well-rounded education and the importance of diverse academic programs, including STEM, music, art, and physical education. Vanessa Ford, Director of Teacher Training, Curriculum and Evaluation at REAL School Gardens and a long-time advocate for STEM education, represented STEM on this panel.
The last group of panelists centered on health and safety programs and discussed the research supporting that a healthy lifestyle—physically and mentally—advances overall academic performance and success.
Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) keynoted the event, and thanked the Coalition for their continued advocacy and support for Title IV funding.
Although the program is authorized at $1.6 billion, FY17 programs are funded at only $400 million. With this low level of funding, the panelists stressed how school districts will soon have to make tough decisions on where to allocate their appropriations among the three priorities listed above. They urged Congress to fully fund Title IV. Learn more about the Title IV Coalition here.
And last but not least …
The Council of Chief State School Officers is out with a new “playbook” on preparing teachers that shares best practices from states. Transforming Educator Preparation: Lessons Learned from Leading States can be found here.
Jodi Peterson is the Assistant Executive Director of Communication, Legislative & Public Affairs for the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and Chair of the STEM Education Coalition. Reach her via e-mail at jpeterson@nsta.org or via Twitter at @stemedadvocate.
The mission of NSTA is to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.
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Last week President Trump issued a presidential memorandum calling for a $200 million boost to STEM education and computer science in K–12 schools. The memorandum, signed during an Oval Office ceremony attended by Ivanka Trump and U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, is intended to help make STEM education a bigger priority for schools.
“My administration will do everything possible to provide our children, especially kids in underserved areas, with access to high-quality education in science, technology, engineering and math,” Trump said during the ceremony.
By Peggy Ashbrook
Posted on 2017-10-01
I was at a conference proudly wearing my tee shirt that says “Play” when I was given a chance to reflect on what I meant by an esteemed colleague and mentor who asked, “Ah yes, but what kind of play?”
My reflection continues as I continue to work with children and other educators in early childhood settings.
Adults in cooperative play during a session at NAEYC.
Participating in an NAEYC conference 3-hour sessions on play by members of the NAEYC Play, Policy, and Practice interest forum included participating in both hands-on solo and cooperative play experiences using a variety of open-ended materials. As we reflected on our play by journaling about it, I considered how this experience was like the open-ended exploration children do when they are beginning to investigate a natural material such as water (Young Scientist series). The individual-directed (child or adult) play is also like Phase o of Frances and David Hawkins’ “messing about,” a time for unstructured, open-ended play while teachers observe the children’s work.
Children play cooperatively building structures using “loose parts” of foam pieces, pom-poms, and wood blocks.
I wondered how the experience of play relates to science learning, asking myself, “Was exploring science concepts part of my play?”
Co-facilitating a similar 3-hour session on play with colleague Jennifer Reynolds in the tradition of the NAEYC Play, Policy, and Practice interest forum and the Institute for Self Active Education for my local -AEYC affiliate allowed me to share the experience and these thoughts with early childhood educators in my area.
The experience was meaningful to teacher Ms Gulilia Bismil who said, “When I made that structure I felt free…that moment I was who I am, just to enjoy to make something. That moment that was some feeling that came to me, I just enjoyed making something, relaxing. That moment I felt free.”
Here are some questions for my colleagues when we meet for a second time to continue our play, reflecting on our own experiences and how our responsibilities for young children’s education can be centered on play.
Were you using the conditions of the physical world, the constraints like the presence of gravity, to guide your play?
Did the physical world put limitations on your play or support it?
Were exploring science concepts part of your play? Such as using our senses, or exploring balance of objects?
How does your play here today remind you of play children do in natural settings?
I was at a conference proudly wearing my tee shirt that says “Play” when I was given a chance to reflect on what I meant by an esteemed colleague and mentor who asked, “Ah yes, but what kind of play?”
My reflection continues as I continue to work with children and other educators in early childhood settings.
Join