Build Week 15 Takes Off

It was 9am on Monday of Build Week 15, and learners were already saddling up to head for the park – not yet sure what they’d be making across the week. When they arrived at the park, teachers handed each team two model gliders: one larger one made of foam and one smaller made of balsa wood. Then, equipped with a clipboard, three strings of varying lengths, basic information about gliders and two blank data tables, teams set off to run three test flights on each glider, measuring the distance of each trial and observing the differences in the designs of the gliders. By then, they’d gotten the picture: this week, they’d be designing for flight.

The “bird’s-eye-view” of our plan for the week might be helpful for readers: Teams design, build, and test small-sized gliders to maximize flight distance and an aerodynamic ratio, applying their knowledge of fluid dynamics to its role in flight. Teams walk themselves through the entire engineering design process, from brainstorming to drafting, including team-driven research (physics of aerodynamics and glider components that take advantage of that science), creating materials lists, constructing, testing and evaluating—all within constraints, and concluding with a final launch day/competition.

build weekLisa ZapalacMay 13, 2023Long-View Micro Schoolbuild week, science, math, engineering, park

The 2nd Annual Cardboard Boat Regatta

Phosphorax, The Puffin, The Cat’s Meow, Titanic 2.0, The Pajama Defenders and USS Lexington: these were just a few of the “seaworthy” crafts that launched one bright, sunny morning in May for the second annual Long-View Cardboard Boat Regatta. A crowd gathered at the Loop 360 Boat Ramp and cheered on as 14 boats, well 13 boats, successfully completed the course, paddling out into Lake Austin and back to shore….

Annual RegattaLisa ZapalacMay 12, 2018Long-View Micro Schoolengineering, regatta, cardboard, boat, lake

Scientific Inquiry Soars to New Heights

What does it mean to be a scientist and to “do science”? Over the last months, our Long-View learners have worked to better understand that, as scientists, we are always asking -- and trying to answer --questions about the natural world.

There are four ways that scientists go about this…

Engineering Solutions: Keeping Water at Bay

Engaging in the practices of engineering helps kids understand the work of engineers, as well as the links between engineering and science.

As problems are identified and solutions are needed, often times the solution is developed through the engineering design process. Engineers, like scientists, utilize a series of practices as they design solutions to solve meaningful problems…

scienceLisa ZapalacOctober 20, 2015Long-View Micro Schoolengineering, prototype, data