I imagine the students in Mr. Jankowski's class could not hardly wait to come to school today. I got a message in my office this a.m., alerting me to the information that students would be testing out their catapults in the Courtyard Room today around lunch time. I had to go down to see the action. Hearing the buzz as I walked closer to the door, I knew that I just had to be in the right place. Students worked in teams of three to design, build, and now test out--catapults. Their mission: to see how far their machines could fling a ping pong ball. They needed to use physics, problem-solving skills, and communication skills to successfully complete their tasks--but I'm sure they didn't care much about THAT. Rather--it was fun! And I daresay they will remember this way longer then paper and pencil work. The Partnership for 21st Century Skills would smile upon activities such as this, because these kinds of skills will be the skills needed for the jobs of the future. Nice job kids! Here's a picture below showing some of the action:
Here's another one:
Here's another one: