Tomato
Smasher!
Challenge
With the materials
provided, build a system that stops the fall of the hammer from
as high above the platform as possible and protects all the tomatoes
from harm.
Approximate
Time for Task
25 minutes
Materials
Four sheets
of memo bond paper, six inches of masking tape, and five cherry
tomatoes per group. (You may wish to supply an index card cut down
to 3.5 X 3.5 inches for use as a building platform. It should remain
whole and flat, used only as an attachment point to hold all system
elements in their proper positions, conveniently ready for testing.)
Tools
Scissors and
rules for each team. The dreaded Tomato Smasher-- Click Here for
Building Plans-- an ample supply of cherry tomatoes and, perhaps,
a roll of paper towels.
Evaluation
Testing systems
built by participants is essential for learning and for the big
payoff. Drop the hammer from top dead center onto the paper system!
Measure (in centimeters) the height above the base plain the hammer
comes to rest and multiply that number by the number of tomatoes
that remain under the hammer without damage. Tomatoes ejected, bounced
aside or slightly split are to be considered casualties and not
counted as survivors.
Scoring
Examples
Hammer resting
at a height of 7 cm with 3 whole tomatoes under it equals a score
of 21. The hammer held at an impressive 18 cm but with not tomatoes
remaining on the test pad receives a score of zero.
Tips
It is useful
to have all team members stand within a few feet of the hammer as
their system is tested. Putting a length of duct tape on the floor
and requiring their toes to touch it sets a clear and potentially
humorous standard of compliance.
Teachable
Moments
- Just before
you do any testing, ask each team member to individually record
what his or her expectations are for their system. Objectively
and accurately assessing one's own ideas and work is an invaluable
skill that is rarely acknowledged.
- After each
test ask the team to review what worked and what didn't. You can
model here by examining in detail the carnage or glory.
- Finally,
when all systems have been tested, ask them if they were to do
it again could they do it better? Almost always people say "YES!"
With that answer point out that they taught themselves how to
solve this problem. That's creativity, that's a transmutable skill,
and that's what this is all about!
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