Engage NY ELA and Levee Engineering

I love helping the 5th graders at Forest Hill with their STEAM projects!  Amanda Haughs' class has been learning about extreme weather in their Engage NY ELA unit.  They were particularly in the process of learning about Hurricanes last week, so Amanda wanted to tie in Hurricane Katrina and levees.  Students were asked to read an article on levees for homework and to come to class prepared to discuss how levees work and their connection to hurricanes.



Students were then given the task of designing a levee with their group.  Each group of "levee engineers" were given $10 of play money to purchase supplies.  They were also able to select 2 materials to test with water ahead of time.  Once students decided on their materials, they were able to purchase them at the store.



Students then prototyped their ideas, using a plastic tub to represent the town.  It was great seeing how resourceful the students were with their materials, even using the tape on the boxes!  Students also discovered which materials repelled water well and which did not.

When it came time for testing, we put a stuffed animal on one side of the levee to represent the town.  On the other side, we poured two cups of water.  It was interesting to notice that some of the levees protected the city for a little while, but eventually some water leaked through.  This was particularly true with the sand and the sponges.  The students came to the conclusion that those designs were strong enough to hold the water so that the town could evacuate!

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