Boats and Buoyancy

I've been enjoying the much needed Spring Break this past week. It's just too bad the weather here couldn't cooperate and make it feel more like spring. I'm definitely over the snow!

When I return to work next week we will be starting a new Science unit: Boats and Buoyancy. I really love teaching this unit because the kids get a chance to be hands-on with the learning.

Last year I created a story for the Boats and Buoyancy unit with pirate characters named Captain Eddie Rivers and Lady Gold Atlantis. They are on a treasure hunt when a storm hits and their ship gets capsized! The unit presents students with "challenges" they need to complete, culminating with the students building an optimum boat. Once the students have completed all the "challenges" they will receive the clues to find the treasure.

Click on the Buoyancy and Boats slides 

above to get your own copy. {File - Make a Copy}

I will share a copy of the Google Slides presentation with my students using Google Classroom. When my students respond to each of the challenges, they will have the option of typing their response, recording their voice using the MicNote extension, or creating a video using the built in webcam and inserting a link to their YouTube video. As well, students are able to take and insert pictures onto their response slides with the built in camera.

I had my students plan, build, and test their optimum boats in the classroom. By doing this I was able to see the building process and what the students were able to do themselves. Students had the option of bringing in their own building materials or they could use the ones that I provided for them. Grab a copy of the Optimum Boat Assignment below!

Once the optimum boats were finished and tested, the students were presented with the clues to find their "treasure". I put each of the clues on the front of an envelope. I put a map of the school with an "X" marked where the next clue was located inside each of the enevelopes. The treasure I had for my students last year were mini pirate notepads, erasers, and pencils that I had found at Target. Sadly, Target recently closed in Canada and I'm on the look out for something else instead. I'm crossing my fingers that I will have the perfect treasure in the next six weeks! 

{FREE: Treasure Hunt Clues}