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Teacher Yang has never really been too comfortable teaching science. At heart she’s an English teacher, and she always seems a bit hesitant to explain some of the more challenging science concepts in class. But when I bring up science projects for her students to do, she’s always more than eager to try them out. In the two weeks before New Years Day, the 6th graders completed two science projects, one which was the paper rockets.

Timeframe: Three class periods

By now the 6th grader science students worked very cooperatively in groups. Upon giving them the challenge, students were first asked to spend ten minutes discussing in groups how a rocket should fly. In order to receive the computer paper, groups also needed to sketch out their proposed idea of what their rocket would look like and what each part of the rocket would do. Naturally some groups dreamt up extravagant designs while others simply drew a stick-like figure.

By the middle of the second class period, we went outside the test the paper rockets. Many groups could barely get their paper rocket off the ground. Some groups managed to breach the two-second threshold on their first try. After their first try, students went back to the classroom optimistic to improve. They realized that too much clutter for the rocket fins made the rockets unable to go up very high. Many groups immediately abandoned elaborate designs and focused on a streamlined, compact rocket. On the second day of rocket launches, six of the eight groups modeled their rocket designs on a thin frame with small or no fins. Half the groups recorded times of nearly three seconds. Below is the youtube video of the first day launches.

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