Experiments to help students prepare for future TAKS test

BY MARCELLA HERNDON

EXPLAINING THE PROJECT - Diboll science teach Terry Carlton goes over some of the ins and outs of a recent assignment in his class. Students were graded on the design construction and the success, or failure, of an egg carrier.

Special to the Free Press

Students in Terry Carlton's 8th grade science classes' worked together in order to create an egg carrier that would allow an egg to survive a 10-foot drop. Over a course of several classes and through trial and error, the students designed and developed a carrier, total weight being only 114-grams, which would protect the egg from cracking upon impact. Students were only allowed to use toothpicks and hot glue for the construction of their carrier and were paired off into teams of two.

A ladder was set up in the middle of the school grounds to facilitate the egg drop as Carlton stood by and encouraged each student with their design. One by one the nervous science students climbed the ladder to drop their carrier with egg in tow, to the ground in hopes that the egg would not crack. Some designs were luckier than others and some designs were not so lucky as yoke and toothpicks splattered the ground.

Students were also required to complete and prepare a power point presentation as part of their 1st six weeks science grade. Students were graded on the design construction and the success or failure of the carrier.

Mr. Carlton has approximately 131 science students in his 8th grade class who participated in the egg drop project. He believes that the, "hands-on approach," will allow students to become more familiar with the metric system of units and the scientific method for conducting scientific research, not just the memorizing of facts. Although this type of hands-on science experiment has never been done in Diboll before, Carlton believes his innovative approach will help his students prepare for the science portion of the State's mandated TAKS test.

This project will also help integrate technology into their learning experience and broaden their learning potential in the science field. Students look forward to future projects for the 2007-2008 school year in which they will build a mousetrap car, a catapult, a water rocket and a potato garden.

In the Spring, students will also participate in the Angelina County 2008 Science Fair.