Students hang their mobile design in the classroom

Student constructs her mobile

A classroom anchor chart of key vocabulary early in the course

Student constructing her mobile design

Student mobiles on display in the classroom via a clothesline

A student mobile hangs in the classroom

Students apply the principles of balance they explore in the course to build their own mobile.

Students experiments with drive and follower gears

Working together to experiment with gear forces

Working together to set up the different gears

Preparing to experiment with turning the gears

Drive and follower gears ready for experimentation

A student tests the effect of a drive gear on follower gears

Student constructs a “human” automata sculpture using gears

Designing a moving sculpture with gears

Students use cams and gears to build an automaton that represents a human or animal that moves as a result of their design

Sketch of a marble run design prior to building the marble run

Students work together to build their marble run

A group sets up an elaborate marble run across multiple student desks

Students work together with foam tubes to build a marble run

A student prepares to drop the marble into her marble run

Student prepares to drop his marble to test his marble run

Student prepares to drop the marble to test his marble run

A student connects foam tubes for her group’s marble run

Example of a marble run design attached to a classroom wall

Students design a vehicle sculpture that can be crushed!

Students explain how magnets attract and repel

Students work together with materials to build their magnetic sculpture, using a ferrofluid bottle

A student uses a magnet to test his magnetic sculpture design in a ferrofluid bottle

Student builds her magnetic sculpture design

A school bus that is controlled by a set of magnets.

Students investigate turbines

Learning about the blades of a windmill

Affixing blades to their sculpture design

Working together to connect the turbine to their blades

Students use scissors to cut foil and create blades for their windmill sculpture

Constructing blades out of aluminum foil

Working together to build their windmill design

Students construct their windmill using a turbine and aluminum foil

Student explanation for use of colors and materials in the sculpture design

Students build their final structure that includes a marble run with dominoes and cardboard

Marbles, dominoes, and a wooden rod on a student desk

Students prepare to demonstrate their sculpture for the final showcase

Inspecting a final marble run design involving gears, cups, foam tubes, boxes, and other materials

Dominoes and wooden rods set for preparation for the Showcase

Students demonstrate the effect of wind on the movement of their final sculpture

Students gather to view the movement of a final sculpture in the design of a windmill