I want to start by apologizing to my cohort for the lack of student samples. There were some issues and I had to use a previous lesson instead of the one where the samples were saved.
The lesson that I implemented came after a unit taught on weather. I wanted to combine weather with materials science. In Chicago, the weather is a extreme factor of everyone's life. Since we here experience every single season, I wanted to allow the students to test materials and how they hold up in our climate year to year. I do this project in my class each year and I video each year to give ideas to my new classes so that they can decide which materials to test and how to test. The students take on the titles of scientist, architects and builders. It is up to them to decided which materials they will use to build based on which ones will hold up in the weather of Chicago's climate. The students get to choose from different types of wood, brick, woods of different width, etc. They can use heating devices, freezers, and water to simulate the seasons.
The students in my classes always have a great time with this project. Since the project take extended time to complete, I have to make sure that the students do not neglect other subjects because all they want to do in science during this point. I have to make sure that I set boundaries because the students will go above and beyond. The students this year enjoyed the project and showed great enthusiasm in their presentation where they presented their charts and findings. I enjoyed being a faciltator in the lesson with them.
