Dear SEP Families,
The students of How Did They Do That? had a wonderful Session 3 exploring the relation between science and sports. Campers engaged in labs that dealt with arm motion, leg motion, teamwork, and bounciness of balls, which helped them understand the content that we discussed in the classroom. We also took a fun field trip inside of Scott Stadium, where students got to explore the bleachers, “The Legends Walk,” and “The Hill.”
On the first day, campers excelled in understanding how the scientific method applied to sports situations. I was pleased with this success, because our labs over the next several days required data recording, hypothesis making and conclusion writing--all parts to the scientific method--to help us understand the science behind motion in sports.
Additionally, I was proud with the interesting goals students wanted to learn about. For example, many of them wanted to know what certain sports balls were made of on the inside and outside. We took an entire day to look at what eight different sports balls were made out of, and then tested the bounciness of these different balls on the surface of the gym. By measuring the coefficient of restitution and examining the material that the balls were made out of, we found that lacrosse balls were the most bouncy, while softballs were the least bouncy.
A challenging aspect of the course was working together in groups constantly. Whether it was working in groups during a lab or activity, or having table discussions in class, I wanted campers to interact with each other. Working well with other people is a great skill to have in school, as campers advance to the 5th and 6th grades. It is also a great metaphor to sports as many sports teams require teamwork amongst athletes to be successful.
In one activity relating teamwork in sports to teamwork in class, the students had to make a line in order of their birthdays without talking or writing. They struggled with this task at first, but their patience and resilience allowed them to line up in order with no mistakes! The class culminated with a final project where students (working in groups or on their own) chose a sport and explained the science behind this sport based on what we had talked about so far in class. Campers chose a variety of sports to discuss, ranging from long-distance running to rugby to Quidditch, and presented great information about their respective sport.
I hope that campers can now look at their favorite sports in a new light. I encourage them to investigate the science of their favorite sports even further than what we did during our class. Be sure to check out the resources for continued learning on the blog website. Thank you to your children for making this a wonderful session of teaching for me. Have a great rest of your summer!
The students of How Did They Do That? had a wonderful Session 3 exploring the relation between science and sports. Campers engaged in labs that dealt with arm motion, leg motion, teamwork, and bounciness of balls, which helped them understand the content that we discussed in the classroom. We also took a fun field trip inside of Scott Stadium, where students got to explore the bleachers, “The Legends Walk,” and “The Hill.”
On the first day, campers excelled in understanding how the scientific method applied to sports situations. I was pleased with this success, because our labs over the next several days required data recording, hypothesis making and conclusion writing--all parts to the scientific method--to help us understand the science behind motion in sports.
Additionally, I was proud with the interesting goals students wanted to learn about. For example, many of them wanted to know what certain sports balls were made of on the inside and outside. We took an entire day to look at what eight different sports balls were made out of, and then tested the bounciness of these different balls on the surface of the gym. By measuring the coefficient of restitution and examining the material that the balls were made out of, we found that lacrosse balls were the most bouncy, while softballs were the least bouncy.
A challenging aspect of the course was working together in groups constantly. Whether it was working in groups during a lab or activity, or having table discussions in class, I wanted campers to interact with each other. Working well with other people is a great skill to have in school, as campers advance to the 5th and 6th grades. It is also a great metaphor to sports as many sports teams require teamwork amongst athletes to be successful.
In one activity relating teamwork in sports to teamwork in class, the students had to make a line in order of their birthdays without talking or writing. They struggled with this task at first, but their patience and resilience allowed them to line up in order with no mistakes! The class culminated with a final project where students (working in groups or on their own) chose a sport and explained the science behind this sport based on what we had talked about so far in class. Campers chose a variety of sports to discuss, ranging from long-distance running to rugby to Quidditch, and presented great information about their respective sport.
I hope that campers can now look at their favorite sports in a new light. I encourage them to investigate the science of their favorite sports even further than what we did during our class. Be sure to check out the resources for continued learning on the blog website. Thank you to your children for making this a wonderful session of teaching for me. Have a great rest of your summer!
Resources for Continued Learning
Books that your student might find interesting:
Websites with exceptional analysis on the science of sports
Places to visit related to Sport Science
Thank you for being a part of SEP 2016 Session 3!
- Science Projects about the Physics of Sports by Robert Gardner
- The Leaping, Sliding, Sprinting, Riding Science Book: 50 Super Sports Science Activities by Bobby Mercer
- Why a Curveball Curves: The Incredible Science of Sports by Frank Vizard
Websites with exceptional analysis on the science of sports
- ESPN Sport Science (http://espn.go.com/espn/sportscience/)
- Journal of Applied Biomechanics (http://journals.humankinetics.com/JAB)
- Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (http://jissn.biomedcentral.com/)
Places to visit related to Sport Science
- National Academy of Sciences Building – a part of the Smithsonian Museums (Washington, DC) features physics exhibits about the natural laws of the universe which relate to sports. (http://www.nasonline.org/)
- The Franklin Institute Science Museum in Philadelphia, PA contains a SportZone exhibit where kids can learn more about the science of sports through hands-on activities. (https://www.fi.edu/exhibit/sportszone)
Thank you for being a part of SEP 2016 Session 3!
Students visit Scott Stadium
