Model Rockets in Summer School

Once the kids are out of school for the summer it can be a difficult task entertaining them. It soon turns into staying up late, sleeping in all day and before you know it, three months have passed. Even if the kids are at some type of summer camp or summer school the instructors are always trying to keep them entertained. This is one instructors story of how model rockets made her the "best summer school teacher" among the students.

Ms. Fields teaches science class for fourth graders at a local elementary school in Buckeye, AZ. Each summer she offers to teach the science class, even though she knows many of the students would rather be somewhere else. In most cases the curriculum is set before the first class even takes place, but Ms. Fields wanted to surprise her students. On the first day of class Ms. Fields made a deal with her class, "Everyone pass and I will have a surprise day for everyone". Well the incentive proved to catch the ears of the students, because once the final grades came in each student had passed with a B or better.

The final day of class Ms. Fields held up her end of the agreement and came in with model rockets for everyone. The class was required to build, paint and equip their rockets with engines before they could launch. Little did the class know they were getting a lesson the entire day. Ms. Fields covered sections of the class that related to propulsion, aerodynamics and gravity.

On that final day Ms. Fields' class told everyone of the fun they had had building and launching their model rockets. This skyrocketed the science teacher's popularity, making her the most requested fourth grade teacher the following year.