"I have been using Mystery Science and one of the lessons in Forces and Motion discussed what made the "Strongest Bridge." The students (in groups) each got 2 pieces of paper to design the strongest bridges, meaning could hold the most pennies. The bridge needed to be a least 3 inches wide and span at least 6 inches long over two think books or 4 medium books (two stacked on either side). The students had to record how many pennies their bridge held before collapsing and then redesign three times to try and improve the strength of their bridge. No scissors or tape could be used." Lindsay Hess, 3rd grade, Wade Thomas
12 Comments
11/8/2016 02:59:29 pm
I also have used Mystery Science. I used the Paper Cup Telephones activity as part of my new wave unit. The students loved talking through their paper cup telephones and really came to understand how the waves transferred the sound energy. Experimenting with other materials like ribbons and yarn was exciting for them!
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Michelle Giraud
11/13/2016 01:29:16 pm
My class did a similar lesson as well, but the differences were as follows: We used washers purchased at the hardware store, 2 pieces of white copy paper and provided each partnership a piece of tape about 12 inches long. No books were used either. It simply had to balance between 2 desks with given amount of space in between. Great, easy, minimal prep lesson which was loved by all. Next time, I think I will use various materials for them to balance on their paper bridge(washers, pennies and maybe another coin) They would like using different items to measure.
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11/13/2016 02:18:16 pm
The Mystery Science website just published a new 4 lesson unit on Weather and Hazards. This is our next unit and I plan to implement these lessons. This is a great website!
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Tracey
11/14/2016 01:51:55 pm
I did the Mystery Science lesson for roller coasters. The set up was easy- provided links to any materials needed. I found the intro videos took longer than I expected. I definitely want to try another lesson or two.
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Hannah
11/15/2016 04:34:52 pm
I have been using Mystery Science this year too! I really appreciate the detailed lessons and step by step instructions that are provided. We did the fourth grade Earth Science unit and are looking forward to exploring waves.
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Tom Kiehfuss
11/15/2016 08:38:09 pm
I love the Mystery Science layout. So user friendly. I had my students build bridges in a similar way without tape and or glue and just three sheets of paper. What I loved most about the lesson was the lesson of it's ok to share ideas and be inspired by others. It set the stage of success for future projects.
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Edward Malaret
11/15/2016 08:43:27 pm
I am looking to blend the energy unit with our race car unit towards the end of the year. I like the concept of Mystery Science and it has been well received by the students as we have completed the volcano unit.
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Chris Gonzales
11/15/2016 09:04:41 pm
My class did the Could a volcano pop up in your backyard lesson and I was very impressed with the quality of the lesson. The information was presented in an interttaining video with materials and questions provided. In the end, the students were able to map the locations of volcanoes around the ring of fire. Very impressive. I also did the landslide lesson just before doing the stream table stem activity. Perfect! The mystery science lesson added much vocabulary and depth to the stream table exercise.
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Ramina
11/15/2016 09:19:44 pm
Thanks!
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Gina Tanner
11/15/2016 10:34:32 pm
We love Mystery Science! My class has completed the entire "The Birth of Rocks" unit. Materials were easy and cheap to gather and the online format was engaging for students. We also completed some of the extension activities and the unit test. I highly recommend checking out Mystery Science!
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Adam Singer
11/16/2016 01:43:08 am
Thanks and wow! What an unexpected goldmine! I've been hungry for one-off challenges to do with students on Fridays, especially with 6th graders. Their engineering activities fit the bill!
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11/29/2016 11:44:33 am
Love this activity for MANY reasons: doesn't take much prep, kids have huge ahas as they iterate, the discussion (rhetoric is our focus) deepens with each iteration seemingly exponentially. Mystery Science has been a fun resource to refine our investigations
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February 2017
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iTEAMS is a professional development research project designed to provide teachers with support to deepen their content knowledge and pedagogy to promote STEM education aligned to the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics (CCSS) and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
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