The Push-Duck Project

     Our Third Quarter project is The Push-Duck, a wooden toy that teaches several new tools and concepts.
     The Duck is made of plywood, allowing students to compare composite materials to regular lumber used in previous projects.  Students see first-hand how the area formula works when they divide standard 4'x8' sheets into 32 squares, 1'x1' each.  Students learn how a template works when transferring their ducks to these squares, and learn how to use a coping saw to cut the duck out. After a lesson on how axles work, students use a hole saw on the drill press to make their ducks' wheels.
     This project moves our study of measurement from linear to dimensional and expands our materials study to include composites and synthetics, specifically the various plastics from which our wings and flappers are made.  The Duck allows students to experiment with how axle position affects a vehicle, including its center of gravity.  As a single-axle vehicle, The Duck also gives students experience with how a fulcrum works.
     At the end of this project, students take a written exam which is based on The Duck but also measures students' grasp of concepts we have studied throughout the year.  The exam consists of objective questions,  short-answer questions and a few essays.  We spend one entire class period reviewing together for this exam; students take notes on the review, together we distill these notes, and the end result is that all students have made their own study guides. There are no tricks or surprises- students have used every tool and applied every concept the exam asks about.  I know my students can  DO these things; my main goal for this exam is to make sure they can WRITE about them, too.
     Duck project scores and Duck exam scores are averaged to produce students' Third Quarter grades.
               -Mr. Reifler

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