Hands-On Activity Helps Students Integrate STEM Concepts with Content Writing
7th grade science, math, and English honors teachers at Southside Middle School developed a cross-curricular egg drop project to integrate STEM concepts with content writing. Student were challenged to design, create, test, and analyze a BESS (Better Egg Shipping System) that would protect a dropped egg better than a traditional egg carton. Points were added for a lighter design (less production materials) and for a BESS that fell closest to a predetermined target.
The egg drop project was introduced to students in science classes with discussion on the following design questions:
•Which forces can you use to make your egg drop slowly, but still land on the target?
•What kind of materials can you use to build your BESS that will keep the mass small?
•How can you make a container that allows your egg to stop over a “long” distance?
Students worked in pairs to choose materials, design, and build their BESS.
In math classes, students tested and collected data on the egg drop of their BESS. Students measured the mass of their BESS, its distance to fall, distance from target, and fall time. This data was then use to calculate acceleration and impact force.
In English classes, students analyzed the results of BESS testing and wrote a report detailing why or why not their egg survived the drop and explaining how their BESS could have been improved.
Adapted from materials found at: https://d3jc3ahdjad7x7.cloudfront.net/dMIE7GKPZthj5t0vZANAWVLX
Challenges or Obstacles:
- Collaboration Time: Our science, math, and English teachers had to find time to collaborate and plan this project. Planning began over the summer and was updated before the introduction of the project to students.
- Testing the BESS: Teachers wanted to find a time when all students and all teachers could participate together in the egg drop. This was challenging, and eventually we decided to have students test their BESS in their math class. Teachers found coverage to attend the drop for each of two honors math classes.
- Including ALL Honors students: Some students were placed in honors classes in just one or two subject areas, instead of all three (science, math, and English). This issue was handled on an individual student basis.
- Weather Related Problems: We intended to drop the BESSes from the outdoor bleachers at the football field. However, the day of the drop turned out to be quite windy, and the drop was moved indoors to the bleachers in the gym. This resulted in a much shorter drop, and potentially inflated the number of successful BESSes.
Benefits and Successes:
- Students found meaningful, real-word applications for concepts they have been learning in class related to energy transfer, forces, speed, and acceleration.
- Students practiced making accurate and precise measurements and using formulas to calculate results.
- Students used writing skills to analyze the results of their work and critique their projects.
Additional Information:
Project Overview
egg-drop-projectStudent Sample 1
eggdropwritingsample1Student Sample 2
eggdropwritingsample2Submitted by: Miranda Pattison, Lea Chinn, and Crystal Cooper, Southside Middle School