MARENGO — Kynzie Green paddled as hard as she could, but the efforts of the Highland Elementary fifth-grder and her classmates couldn’t keep their cardboard boat afloat. She didn’t feel too disappointed. Getting wet is part of the fun.
“I liked sinking,” said Green.
The cardboard boats have become a tradition at Highland and in the community. Parents and grandparents often come out to watch, as well as younger classes of elementary students.
“Everybody can’t wait to get to 5th grade so they can do ‘the boat thing,’” said Matt Mosher, a fifth grade teacher at Highland. “It’s the thing they’ll remember about fifth grade.”
Besides being fun, the project incorporates concepts from various subjects, including science, math and language arts. In the weeks leading up to “boat day,” students learn about weights and measurements, the scientific method and Archimedes’ principle — which explains how and why some things float while others sink. They incorporate language arts by writing reflections about their adventure.
Students also build a couple of smaller boats before breaking out the cardboard and duct tape. They start by building individual clay boats, then split up into teams to draw blueprints, do research and construct boats out of tagboard. The teams then evaluate what worked and what didn’t work and apply those findings as they construct full-sized cardboard versions.
“It’s tied into the scientific process,” said Mosher.
Mosher said if he had to guess, he’d estimate about a quarter of the student’s boats made it across the water. Fortunately, creating a memorable event is the real goal of the project.
“It’s the kind of thing that we can tie stuff back to,” he explained. Having a hands-on, real life experience makes it easier to understand concepts students will learn later in the year, such as the volume and density of matter.
It also gives the students a chance to work on their communication and collaborative efforts. Marissa Blanton, another fifth grade student, acknowledged that it can sometimes be a challenge.
“I learned a lot about building teamwork,” she said.
