So, what do you do when ‘hands on’ classes can’t go ahead?
Think outside the box, or the workshop in this case.
The Year 8 Design & Technology and Year 8 Systems & Technology students have been given a task to construct a Mousetrap Vehicle.
For the most part this has been an Independent Learning Task, as students have needed to source their own materials to construct their car.
- Students have viewed YouTube clips on different construction methods.
- Discussed the transfer of energy from the mousetrap (potential energy) to the movement of the car (kinetic energy)
- Looked at various design options relating to wheels, axles, body length, mass and extension arms.
- Made choices as to what materials are available (cardboard, wood, plastic) and how to best ‘fit it all together’
- Aim to have their vehicle travel at least a metre.
It seems that the most difficult part of the challenge has been to get a mousetrap, luckily virtually all students have been able to do so and I thank the parents for their persistence.
Once completed the boys will be taking a video of the car and embedding it into a PowerPoint.
PowerPoints are due for submission this week and I cannot wait to see the results.
Hopefully, when we return to school we could have a competition between all the cars that survive.
Mr Steven Beckham
Technology Studies Teacher
