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Third graders apply science skills in Rube Goldberg machine challenge

Third graders apply science skills in Rube Goldberg machine challenge

Students in Amy Wurz’s third grade science classes put their physics knowledge to the test with a project that promoted teamwork and gave them the opportunity to apply the knowledge they learned from class. On Friday, all third grade students were challenged to create their own Rube Goldberg machines. 

A Rube Goldberg machine is a complex contraption designed to perform a simple task through a series of interconnected, often overly complicated, steps. According to Wurz, the challenge of creating a Rube Goldberg machine allowed students to apply their knowledge of force, motion, and engineering both creatively and practically.

The Rube Goldberg machine challenge was the culminating activity of the students’ unit of study on “invisible forces.” The unit, which aligns with the New York State Science Learning Standards (NYSSLS), introduced students to the concepts of balanced and unbalanced forces, and how data on an object’s motion can be used to predict future movement. Students also explored the cause-and-effect relationships of electric (static electricity) and magnetic interactions.

  • STEAM
  • elementary