Structures 3

I have taken on a new unit with Scientists in School (www.scientistsinschool.ca)called "Structures 3." It is a unit on Structures for Grade 3 students. We discuss tension and compression on structures. We look at natural and man-made structures. We look at columns used by the ancient Romans and Greeks because they support a lot of weight and we look at triangles used by the ancient Egyptians because they add strength to a structure. We talk about guy-wires, rebars, struts, suspensions, arches and keystones,buttresses and stability plus a plethora of new terms that these students, through our step-by-step workshop strategy, get. They do get it. At the end, we do a culminating activity where they have to make a bridge that must support a load and upon which a toy car can travel. I did my Trial presentation on December 21, 2011 for Structures 3 at my grandchildren's school. Scientists in School assigns you a mentor and the mentor invites you to observe her/him do the presentation three times. You get your own kit organized and you do a trial presentation at no charge to the school. Following the trial, all presentations are paid presentations. I am starting my 11th year with Scientists in School and this unit is the fifth one for which I have trained. I started with "Celestial Sleuths" (astronomy) for Grade 6 students in September, 2001; started "Air and Flight" for Grade 6 students in January, 2002; did "Fluid Power" (hydraulics and pneumatics) for Grade 8 students 2003-2009; started "May the Force Be With You" (forces and structures) for Grade 5 students in May, 2010; and now "Structures 3." I would heartedly recommend that if you have a science background and love children that you forward your resume to ecoscientistsinschool.ca and explore the possibilities of joining our team of presenters. What a great adventure I am having with Scientists in School. I am having as much fun now as when I first started.