Making Connections

They then began too pile blocks on top of one another. They placed the marble on top of their structure and it dropped on the floor, but didn't make a movement. The children were asking why, but I wanted to help them in a way that they could problem solve on their own. In the science and technology domain the children may state problems and pose questions before and during an investigation (FDELK 2011, 2.1, p.117). I was stuck on how I can make the children figure the angle they need to make the marble move. I then went on Pinterest and saw a picture of children using cardboard's. When clicking the picture it led me to a blog from a Kindergarten Teacher Mrs. Myers.

She had an amazing blog about Ramps, Gravity, and Marble Mazes. She gave the children cardboard and tied a string. The children were to try and make the ball stop at the end of the string, but still sliding down the ramp (cardboard). This was amazing and the children kept adjusting the ramp. I tried this with the children and was amazed to see how excited they were. I gave them the cardboard with the string and told them to try and see if they can stop the ball at the end of the string. In the domain of mathematics, the child may demonstrate, through investigation, an awareness of non-standard measuring devices such as the string (FDELK 2011, M2.2, p.104). The children first put the cardboard on a high angle and saw the ball pass the string and went to the end of the room. This shows that the child understands basic spatial relationships and movements as they were able to identify that the marble moved far from the string (FDELK 2011, G3.6, p.108).

They then placed it on the floor and the marble didn't move off the cardboard. The children then moved the cardboard a little higher off the ground and saw the marble moved closer to the string. They were excited that they got closer and tried it again by putting the cardboard just a bit higher. They got even closer and really helped each other through the process. Then a child made the connection back to their first project making a ramp, and said “Maybe, our ramp needs to have a hill in order to move across the room.” Then a child responded, “Yes! A hill that starts high but has a cardboard inside to make the marble move.” In the domain of science and technology, the child may make predictions and observations before and during investigations (FDELK 2011, 2.2, p.118). This was seen through the children's dialogue and on-going exploration.