NASA Will Be Hiring
Our fourth-graders enjoyed their unit on space and rocket science.
In November, our 4th graders had the chance to launch the water bottle rockets they built in the Makerspace. Students studied space exploration and rockets for several weeks, and the rocket building and launch was their culminating project.
Science Specialist Deb Landon led the students in learning about living in space and adapting to the effects of microgravity on the human body. They also spent a significant amount of time learning about the International Space Station including how it was built and what life is like aboard.
Ms. Landon emphasized the teamwork, communication, and cooperation that went into designing and building the ISS by different countries and how its final assembly took place in orbit around the Earth. She even had the students assemble a mini-ISS in class.
In the Makerspace, the students worked with Ms. Landon and Computer Science and Technology Specialist Cristina Knodel to build their own water bottle rockets.
Working in teams of two, the students observed Ms. Knodel's demonstration of how to assemble the rocket and communicated and cooperated as they proceeded with the actual construction.
The excitement was palpable when the day came to launch the rockets.
"The bottle gets filled halfway with water, and then we added air into it to make air pressure," said 4th-grader Andy O. "And that makes it go up!"
Pumping air into the bottle with a bicycle pump got harder and harder as the air pressure built up. Eventually, an adult took over to get those last few pumps in, and then the countdown began. At the pull of the string, the pressurized water was forced out of the neck of the bottle, and it lifted from the launch pad at high speed. Some of the rockets experienced some serious airtime!
The 4th graders also took a field trip to the Kennedy Space Center, where they were able to see actual NASA rockets and the Space Shuttle Atlantis up close.
Learning about space and rocket science can inspire creativity and curiosity — and curiosity is Ms. Landon's middle name!
JCDS students are developing their critical thinking skills, as they work to apply logic and reasoning to understand how rockets work and the concept of gravity.
By exploring these concepts at an early age, the educators at JCDS encourage the next generation of scientists, engineers, and astronauts.
Jacksonville Country Day School
Located in Jacksonville, FL, Jacksonville Country Day School is a private school for Pre-K 3 through 5th grade. JCDS prepares students for a healthy and productive lifetime of intellectual exploration, character development, and social responsibility.
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