This full day hands-on physics course was developed as a result of our involvement with the (KITES) program. KITES (Kits In Teaching Elementary Science) is a hands-on science program used in 52 schools in towns throughout the east Narragansett Bay area under the East Bay Educational Collaborative. It uses kits developed by FOSS (Full Option Science System) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) for Kindergarten through 6th grades. Newton's Gig has also been taught to GEMS-Net teachers. GEMS-Net (Guiding Elementary Math and Science Network) is a similar program to KITES, but concentrating in 7 different communities on the west side of the Bay. Both programs recruit scientists and engineers from industry to participate in training sessions to show teachers how to "teach" the kits to their students. As part of their summer curriculum, the teachers must also take other courses to enhance their learning. The KITES and GEMS-Net Project Leaders requested SWE-NESS members to lead a course in physics for their summer institutes. We called the course "Newton's Gig" for Isaac Newton, who developed the three laws of motion (and for Fig Newtons which are offered to the teachers during the course!). The course is based on the A World In Motion kit created by the Society of Automotive Engineers. The kit is free of charge to any teacher in grades 3-6 who has an engineer to help her/him with it.
The kit involves three different areas which use Newton's laws of motion and contains small experiments demonstrating these laws. They are further illustrated in doing other experiments while learning about simple machines, leading up to a major project. The can crusher and land skimmer are two of these projects and were used as our design competition topic when we held the Design Engineering Competition as our elementary outreach program for Career Guidance. The can crusher is also the end project that the teachers have to build after completing the various hands-on physics and simple machine activities in Newton's Gig.
We have had very positive responses from those attending this course, and are willing to offer it to teachers in any school system in Rhode Island and nearby Massachusetts (we have also given it to Cranberry Collaborative teachers in Dighton), since the NESS members giving the course are based in the Aquidneck Island area of Rhode Island. Contact Susan Anderson if you are interested in this offer. The course can be delivered in two half days or one full day, depending on your needs.
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