TINY DANCER Motor Project!
I would love to make the Tiny Dancers, homopolar motors, that Ellen postedon the padlet. I could see my 6th grade tech students going to the 4th grade classrooms to teach them about electromagnetism and electrical currents. I like that the experiment doesn´t require many materials and the materials can be easily brought home to show families. I look forward to reading more about electromagnetism and Lorentz Force. I need to wrap my head around the concept before teaching this to 6th grade and especially before the 6th graders present and teach the 4th grade students. I am researching ways to make this concept accessible to younger students.
It was very helpful to read the Warnings and Tips sections on the Steam Project blog post. It seems like pliers and wire cutters are a must and 16 gauge wire works best. I wonder if students could tape something onto the wire like a character or a letter/image that transforms with spinning. I will test this out when I get my materials.
I love that this activity caters to the girls in the crowd. What better way to get girls interested in electricity and electromagnetism than tutus? Hopefully this activity could be the invitation some of my gals in 6th grade need to be hooked onto other STEAM projects.
The reason I am choosing to do this with 4th graders is because it fits with their NGSS standards and energy unit. I would also be concerned to do it with any grade younger than 3rd grade due to the warnings about swallowing the batteries. While Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd graders probably would not swallow the battery they may not understanding the gravity of the situation. It may also be difficult for their little hands to manipulate and bend the heaviness of a 16 gauge wire. There is also battery overheating and explosion warnings to consider.
Agreed that tiny dancer would help a more diverse audience connect with the topic! I'm going to try this one!
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