Students in Ms. Jean-Baptiste's eighth grade science class used their STEM skills and worked collaboratively to build straw rockets using the scientific method and engineering practice.
The objective of this activity was for students to build and launch a straw rocket and try to improve their design using the scientific method. The scientific method can be very challenging for students to understand. Students must grasp the concept of controlled variables (constants) and why they are important for fair testing. This experiment was adapted by NASA to meet the needs of eighth grade ENL students.
Working in small groups, the students used paper, tape, scissors and a pencil to create and test their designs. Throughout the design process, the students used their critical thinking skills, asked questions and made predictions about their experiments.
