So, by now everyone should have seen the cryptic message in their child’s planner. “What’s that? My child wrote a test that wasn’t fair? And who is this Bob guy anyway?”

Hopefully your child sat you down in a nice comfortable chair and, in a comforting voice, told you all about the new unit we started in Science today. We started our Structures and Design unit today after learning all about how scientists work. As part of our introduction, we talked about how scientists need to conduct fair tests in order to get valid information from their experiment. To help illustrate this, I held a test involving several unfair elements including writing implements that did not work, more time given to certain people, etc. Needless to say, this test was not for any real marks but it was a fund conversation about how tests needed to be fair for everyone and, to do that, all the elements (or as many as you can control) need to be the same.

This concept will be very important as we look to experimenting with designs and materials to see what makes structures work. In fact, throughout this unit, students will be answering the big question:

What Materials and Designs Do You Need to Make Buildings Safe and Strong?

Students will be involved in many experiments leading up to our large project where students will be given a choice of building types to design and build. It is a great unit and one that students always get into. Tomorrow, we will be creating our Building Company and coming up with a name for our company. We will also be deciding which of the three types of buildings that want to choose for their final project and begin some preliminary designs.