The fifth-graders at Chicago City Day School actually are rocket scientists! Our students designed and built their own rockets in technology & design class, then launched them in the yard just outside the school building.
The project, a highlight of the grade 5 tech curriculum, requires students to engage with scientific principles like force, resistance, and propulsion. Our fifth-graders had to design rockets that would be lightweight and aerodynamic. They had to equip the rockets with ignition mechanisms that would allow the vessels to take flight.
During several days, the students tested their creations outside. When the rockets ignited and shot upward, even those that had a short flight, students couldn't help but shout with excitement. Science had come alive!
Below, see photos from the project and a short launch video.
