Schools

The Final Frontier of Fifth-Grade Science (Video)

Fifth-graders study, build and launch their own rockets in this popular science lesson.

When he was just a student in the Chittick School more than 10 years ago, Chris Handy had one of those moments we all dream of, a moment where one minute you’re a little kid with no idea about the future and then moments later, everything is clear and laid out  before you.

“When I was in fifth grade I had Mr. Brynn who was easily the best teacher I had while I was in Chittick or Hammarskjold,” said Chris, a 2008 graduate who is attending Rutgers. “The way he put the class together for any topic got our interest. The rocket project really had a huge impact on me though because when I was little I watched the movie ‘October Sky’ and thought how cool that must be and was amazed by the Sky Lab and all that other fun stuff.”

That rocket project has been a mainstay in the district for years, and one of the culminating events for fifth-graders. Handy said that the project inspired him to major in Aerospace Engineering and General Physics. Chris, who is an ROTC Air Force Cadet, returned to the district this year to help fifth-graders on the very project that motivated him to continue his science studies. In fact, this year he returned to the district as part of a community service project. Handy gave students at Bowne-Munro a mini lesson in aerodynamics that culminated in their building different types of paper airplanes.

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“Whenever I went in the Chittick Library I'd take out a different book about space, whether it was about the planets or the space shuttle or anything. So when the time came to do the rocket project I thought to myself ‘wow it'd be so cool if I could ride one of these to the moon like Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong!’ (my dad had recently made me watch the ‘Right Stuff’). I honestly had a huge prior interest and that project itself was right up my alley. Shortly after that project I got my own model rocket kit and me and my dad would shoot them off at the park near my house.”

Trudy Atkins, supervisor of science, Gifted and Talented education and curriculum data coordination, said the rocket project is just one example of how East Brunswick takes a “hands on” approach to teaching science.

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“That’s all we do in East Brunswick, inquiry based science…we’re observing, experimenting, building, refining ideas, stating hypothesis and refining those statements,” she said.

As part of the project, fifth-graders study the science behind rockets – such as Newton’s Law of Physics, drag and lift - then build and launch their own.

“One thing is you get the art aspect of it,” she said. “They have a great time painting rockets and finding designs that will look really cool when they fly.”

When he returned to his old stomping ground this winter to share his passion, Handy said he noticed similarities between the way he embraced the project and the way this crop of fifth-graders embraced it.

“I could tell that those kids were very receptive and really looked up to me and the others," he said. "One kid in particular kept asking me questions about helicopters and I saw a little of myself when I was that age in him. Specifically, while we were there, we did a short lesson on flight and then a project using paper airplanes to demonstrate how the flaps on a planes wings are used to cause it to move. It was so funny for me because I've taken several fluid mechanics courses now and I was very tempted to start explaining streamlines and pressure differentials and then I remembered how much I knew back then and explained it as best as I could and I really truly think a lot of those kids got really into the project and took a lot away from the lesson,” he said.

Check out the photos and videos from some of this year's launches!


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