Summer SAVY, Session 2 Day 5, Fission and Fusion: Nuclear Engineering 101 (5th-6th)
Wow! What an incredible week we have had in our nuclear fission and fusion course! We have had a ton of learning and fun going on in our classroom! I am so impressed by the hard work, enthusiasm, curiosity, and creativity that our nuclear scientists brought to the course each day! The atomic energy was contagious, and we had a blast…see what I did there?! 😉 I will truly miss the energy, curiosity, and discussions we had each day! Thank you so much for sharing your kiddos with me…they are AMAZING!
Morning Activities:
Our morning meeting included a recap of Wednesday’s learning objectives. We briefly discussed and reviewed what we learned from the previous class. We reviewed nuclear power plants, fission and fusion, radioactivity, radioactive half-life, and radiation. We then moved into comparing and contrasting nuclear disasters, which included the Chernobyl, Nagasaki, and Fukushima disasters. The scientists took notes on a video clip of each and shared the points that stood out the most to them. The class then discussed the impacts that radiation had on the environment, humans, animals, and plants. There were so many insightful comments and questions that led to more discussions… the intelligent contributions blew my mind! Students were asked to research and record the pros and cons of radiation exposure. We then presented our findings and learned that not all radiation is harmful – this discussion produced many lightbulb moments!
Afternoon Activities:
After lunch, the scientists started their end-of-the-week choice board project, where they were able to choose a topic and model what they learned about this week. They were able to make a drawing and/or 3D model and were encouraged to put a creative spin on projects! I was so impressed with all their ideas and attention to detail. After the choice board project, we had just enough time to complete a teacher demo lab with a clay birthday cake, observe the candles being blown out, and how it related to nuclear fission. It was also a brief birthday celebration for our assistant, Ms. Hannah! At the end of the day, we did a quick recap of our exciting week and played fun games! So sad this session is over.
Questions to ask at home:
- What happened in the nuclear disasters: Chernobyl, Nagasaki, and Fukushima (fission or fusion).
- What are the pros and cons of radiation on the environment, humans, animal,s and plants?
- Have your student explain the project they chose and why.
Again, thank you for sharing your amazing kiddos with me! I hope you all have a wonderful summer!
🙂
Mrs. Jenkins and Ms. Hannah
