Seventh
graders at the Rindge Avenue Upper campus began a new curriculum unit
in physics this month and enthusiasm for the subject has been high. The
physics unit developed by the science department is an exciting set of
hands on experiences and activities that enable seventh graders to grasp
concepts that were established from new national and state standards.
The set of experiences which culminate in a curriculum embedded
assessment activity includes the use of Lego Mindstorm robots which will
be incorporated into lessons on energy, speed, and engineering design.
Early reviews by most students were mostly positive as they explored
the different types of energies in the world around them. As students
move through the new unit they will conduct experiments and
demonstrations that will help build their understanding of the physics
of motion force and energy. These photos show students observing the
robots in an effort to determine what types of energy are present in the
system. The physics curriculum promises to be fun and challenging and
many students expressed a newly found interest in science from their
initial experiences.