More Boats that Float at Washington School

Washington Primary School students are inspiring each other this spring. If one class can create a miniature boat that floats, well why can’t another?

Second grade teachers Nicole Monte and Jennifer Artusa set a clear learning goal for their students: Students will be able to create a boat that will float and move in water while using materials that have been previously experimented with.

The performance goal for the class was simple: Students will create a boat that can stay afloat while mass is being added.

Students were asked the “essential question” of the lesson: How can I create a boat that will stay afloat and carry cargo?

Students previously worked on using different materials to determine matter. The challenge of this lesson was for students to build a boat out of materials they have already worked with, just like Curious George from the story “Curious George The Boat Show.”

The boat had to float in water and move by wind power across a large tub of water carrying George and five cargo blocks. The students identified the properties of the objects in order to build something that works. They sketched and created modes of what might work and what might not work. They worked in teams and came up with the best boats with least amount of mass.

The youngsters were later asked to analyze their boat and come up with ideas on why their boat sunk or floated and what they can do to fix it.

All of the boys and girls had fun with the lesson and the challenges it presented.