Grade 5 Egg Drop

2/15/2017

These past few weeks, the fifth graders have been immersed in the egg drop project. A favorite fifth grade tradition, each year students learn about how to best protect raw eggs from a two-story fall. The tradition has evolved over time and now helps students learn about the brain, helmets, and head trauma.

In the beginning of this unit, students build a structure that they think will support a raw egg when tossed off a building. There is a lot of bubble wrap, tape, and cardboard that goes into protecting these eggs.

After the excitement of the drop, students open their contraptions and examine if the eggs are intact.The excitement when opening the eggs is palpable to everyone nearby. After the first drop, students learn more about the forces that act on the eggs while they fall to the ground and get a visit from Ensworth’s own trainer, Ms. Valerie.

She talks to the classes about brain trauma, the forces that act on the head during a collision, and how a helmet helps to protect the brain. After Ms. Valerie’s talk, students continue their research on the brain and how helmets can help keep the brain safe. They then delve into redesigning their “egg helmets” or contraptions that keep the eggs from breaking. Once construction is complete, the eggs again face a two-story fall.

Today, February 15, the students gave presentations on what they learned to their peers, teachers, and parents in Frist Hall. They talked about the forces that acted on their eggs during the drop, how they designed their “egg helmets” and everything else that they learned. It is a great tradition to see in action, and we are excited for next year’s fifth graders to participate.

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