Student Participation

Groups were tasked with creating new sweets packs that customers will like. The packs have to be attractive, hold between 250 to 450 grams, can be any shape and size, and designed with a selection of provided material. All designed packs have to be tested to ensure they meet the weight criteria.

This activity addresses mathematics, statistics, science, technology and engineering: (1) undertaking within-class investigations of feet dimensions, shoe sizes, shoes for different activities, shoe popularity, and shoe design including material use; and (2) designing a shoe of students’ choice.

Design considerations include shoe materials, shoe designs, and their manufacture. Groups will consider how a manufacturer would determine what shoes to make in what sizes for various age groups, what materials to use (based on their properties and purpose as well as on what most people like), and latest and predicted fashion trends.

In this activity students build paper planes. They apply principles of lift, thrust, drag and weight, and measure important features such as the length and width of the body, wingspan and tail. They are given the opportunity to redesign and retest their paper planes after testing out their initial designs.

Students test their designed paper planes for two criteria: (1) travel the furthest distance; and (2) stay in the air the longest. The planes were also required to travel in a straight line. Observations made in the test phase provide students with the opportunity to redesign and test out their final paper planes.

Students build a “volcano” from a polar grid to create a cone shape. They also design/create data recording instruments and represent data. They use data models to predict time for villagers to evacuate their homes at the base of each volcano, located 10 km below the volcano face. They use spilt-lap timers to collect times (1 minute represents 1 hour; 1 second represents 1 minute).

Each group is to design a mini-golf course comprising 8 shapes. Each shape should show a tee (■),a golf hole (O), and different levels of difficulty (obstacles). Groups have to then decide on the placement of the shapes and number them from 1 to 8.

Tsunami stations were set up for each group. They consist of a plastic tub, a “land construction” and varying “slope boards”. The slope boards are held in place by blu-tack on the bottom of the tub. The top edge of the slope board rest on the land. 6L of water is gently added to the tub after land and slope 1 are in position.

Each student generates a tsunami wave with a “wave pusher”. The wave pusher travels approximately 13cm along the base of the tub and stops when it hits the first row of blu tack. Each student has 3 practice goes (trials) at creating a gentle wave that is not too strong nor too weak. Ideally the waves will travel somewhere between half way and the furthest edge of the “land” for the first slope. Predictions are to be made by each student after each trial run.