The Rube Goldberg Science Project
January 2004
Return to the Multiage Math and Science
What is a Rube Goldberg machine? It is a machine that makes things far more complicated than they should be. What it does is take a very simple method, like sharpening a pencil or eating a banana, and make it hard. It is done by taking a group of ordinary objects and connecting them with a bunch of simple machines in a weird, but workable, way.
Knowing what people know takes many forms. In this case, rather than a written science test, the students had a chance to combine what they learned in language arts, science and technology into an exciting and fun project. It allowed them:
to be an inventor and use the invention steps they had learned.
to show how the Force science concepts can be used.
to demonstrates their knowledge of simple machines.
to use good ideas, organization and mechanics in an interesting paragraph explaining how their Rube Goldberg machine worked.
to be creative and artistic.
to construct something fun out of their heads using materials that they could find around their homes.
Each child had the option to build a working model of their machine along with a poster. Every child constructed a web page which required them to take a digital picture and manipulate it. Please click on the child's name to the left to view each page. I have also included a project outline page.
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| abbey | ami | brian | brigham | harrison | jake |
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| james | jasmin | jeff | julie | kendall | mia |
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| michael | nastassja | sean |