<p>Heat a pie. Carry it to class in oven mitts. Present warm oven mitts for all to examine.
Lesson: Second Law of Thermodynamics.
Activity: Eat pie.</p>
<p>Drop a slice of meringue pie at the same time you drop a slice of pecan pie… F = ma</p>
<p>Make something with raw egg, perhaps some lightly baked meringue. Consume.
Observe liquid projectile dynamics in about 6-10 hours…</p>
<p>Cherries flambe or a nice custard flan.
Both need a blowtorch.</p>
<p>I can’t name the specific physics lesson, but introducing fire to any situation usually spikes interest.</p>
<p>S2 had to build a model of a cell for bio in 9th grade – he baked a round cake and decorated with all the various cell structures using jellybeans, licorice, colored frosting, etc.</p>
<p>He was asked to repeat this before the semester exam so that the kids could “study” the parts of a cell. Yeah, right.</p>
<p>P3T: same kid is also adept with a blowtorch for cooking. Makes a wicked creme brulee.</p>
<p>Same kid’s Alg II teacher taught math and physics with an exercise called “Bungee Barbie.” They had to figure how many rubber bands it would take to drop Barbie off the 2nd floor balcony at school without hitting her head on the ground. They had collect data on their attempts, graph and write a paper. It was a legendary project. I still have his paper in his “permanent file” here at home. Teacher was a MIT grad. :D</p>
<p>Gosh sorry in advance for sounding utterly cranky but I’m thinking this really sucks.</p>
<p>Should one be given ‘extra credit’ for something so completely uneducational? Aren’t you frustrated as a parent that this is the state of your kids’ education? Do we really have to wonder why American education is so weak on math and physics? And why American kids get to college and need their hand held, and expect particular grades just for showing up?</p>
<p>Now you might, just maybe, argue that at least someone here is rewarding creativity and we need more of that to compete in the new world order. But where is the creativity when you can just get your parents to pose a question to a bunch of adults and take their best idea as your own? What bare bit of tiny possible educational value has just been stolen.</p>
<p>So in the end, you get a better physics mark for copying someone else’s idea for a physics dessert. Just wow.</p>
<p>Counting Down: Bungee Barbie was a lesson developed by the head of the science department at my high school. It’s justifiably famous. But your son’s teacher was not the one who developed it. </p>
<p>Starbright: I’m right there with you.</p>
<p>Starbright…ouch…maybe a bit cranky yes!
I must confess I posted this more for myself as I was curious as to the ideas that might come up ( I remember enjoying the mole day ideas on a previous post even though we are years past that project!)
Extra credit in AP classes never gives more than a point or two so will not change a child grade…it is really an option for the kids to do some creative activity as a break from the intensity of the class.
I guess we always wonder about the quality of our childrens education but since we have national tests (psat/sat/act) and AP tests we really can get a feel for how our kids will do in comparison to others outside of their school, city, and even state…
I have been very happy with my daughters test scores and know they are a reflection of her hs education as she has never taken any classes/test preps etc. …just her normal hs classes (with unpopular extra credit assignments and all!)
Thanks for the fun suggestions (and laughs) for the project from all…</p>
<p>I have an old family recipe that uses baking soda and vinegar to make it rise. Its the same principal as those volcano things the kids made in elementary school.</p>