WSD fourth graders are deep in the “test and tweak” phase of building complex Rube Goldberg machines to do simple tasks. They have transformed their classroom into a sprawling engineering lab full of dominoes, toy cars, cups, improvised tubes, found objects, and precariously balanced books as each team builds, tests, and adjusts its contraption. In this controlled chaos, students try to create a complex chain reaction to complete a simple task in the most over-the-top way possible.
“Students love this activity and really go ‘all in’,” explains classroom teacher Michelle Smietana. “For them it’s a perfect blend of high-stakes drama and hands-on physics!”
We watch as one student, in total concentration, carefully positions a marble at the top of a plastic tube, while teammates hold their breath waiting for the marble to fall and trigger the next step. The project is teaching students engineering principles, physics, and critical thinking in a fun way – and lets them experience that exact moment where scientific theory meets the trial-and-error joy of invention.
