We decided that just learning the different types of Simple Machines was not enough. Actually building Simple Machines and seeing them in action is much more exciting! Better yet, why not put Simple Machines together to create a chain reaction contraption that gets a job done? It sounds a lot easier than it really is! We've been working hard for the past 2 weeks to create our contraptions using items you find around your house: paper towel tubes, fish sinkers, string, plastic spoons, corks, marbles, clothes pins, dominoes, toy cars, and yogurt cups. We had to meet 4 basic guidelines:
1. Your machine must begin and end with the pull of a string.
2. Your machine must have at least 5 Simple machines of 3 different types.
3. Your completed contraption should not be any taller than 1 1/2 feet.
4. The chain reaction must be repeatable and reasonably reliable.
Here's a look at our Week One progress...
We researched the court system in Ancient Greece and found out some interesting facts. Did you know that only adult males were considered citizens in Ancient Greece? (Some of the girls in our class did not think this was a fair system!) We found out that citizens in Athens made decisions about the law and whether to find criminals guilty or innocent. After our research, we became Athenian citizens ourselves.
We read The Boy Who Cried Wolf and wrote persuasive speeches trying to prove whether the boy was guilty or innocent. Our speeches were so persuasive that Athenians were divided right down the middle! Half of Athens believed the boy should be found guilty and the other half believed he was totally innocent. The city was in an uproar! To appease both sides, we brainstormed a way to compromise and wrote speeches to persuade the Athenian Council. Here's what each team came up with...
