From: mkennedy@shentel.net (Marilyn Kennedy)
Subject: PET
Date: Wed, 30 Oct 1996 05:35:53 -0500
Update here at JWE, Here at John Wayland we too have started the PET activity. We have spent the last two days talking about MGS, using Edgett's book, the Mars Navigator CD, and other resources including JPL's MGS site. My fourth graders have started brainstorming about what types of information would be gathered by measuring. Like Theresa I am amazed at their ideas they come up with...far more creative than mine! re: rockets and Newton's Laws of Motion Last week I used a great video about Laws of Motion. My kids were impressed that they were doing "big kid stuff". We did a variety of experiments showing the principles of the three laws and then we started on our rockets. Yesterday was our first blast off and we commandeered the gym. Today like the good folks at NASA we are redesigning our original models. I have taken some neat pictures and this morning I will send them to Jan and maybe she and Marc can put a few up at the LFM website. re: Chris's activity with Scale We used Chris's ideas of 4 giant steps equals one AU. Our "giant" was a student with real special needs and boy was he so proud to be our giant AU. We did the activity outside and I am not sure who was more amazed at the distances involved, the students or me. Thank you Chris!!! Gosh we are having fun!! Marilyn Wall ....in the midst of the learning process John Wayland Elementary