{"id":17862,"date":"2019-04-22T09:02:57","date_gmt":"2019-04-22T13:02:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/?p=17862"},"modified":"2022-04-29T15:09:12","modified_gmt":"2022-04-29T19:09:12","slug":"battle-physics-tournament","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/battle-physics-tournament\/","title":{"rendered":"Nevermind the physics: it&#8217;s all about collaboration"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>Battle Physics hosts first multi-school tournament<\/h1>\n<p>That is just what Allan Garvin and Becky Bushey did to raise the stakes of their annual Battle Physics competition. After four years of engaging students in the designing, building, calibrating, and competing of projectile launchers, they invited other schools to join the learning and the fun.<\/p>\n<div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\">\n<div  style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto;\"  id=\"_ytid_16467\"  width=\"525\" height=\"295\"  data-origwidth=\"525\" data-origheight=\"295\" data-facadesrc=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/pRYV_LMwmrk?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=0&#038;cc_load_policy=1&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;modestbranding=1&#038;rel=0&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=1&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__ epyt-facade epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\" data-epautoplay=\"1\" ><img decoding=\"async\" data-spai-excluded=\"true\" class=\"epyt-facade-poster skip-lazy\" loading=\"lazy\"  alt=\"Green Mtn Battle Physics\"  src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/pRYV_LMwmrk\/maxresdefault.jpg\"  \/><button class=\"epyt-facade-play\" aria-label=\"Play\"><svg data-no-lazy=\"1\" height=\"100%\" version=\"1.1\" viewBox=\"0 0 68 48\" width=\"100%\"><path class=\"ytp-large-play-button-bg\" d=\"M66.52,7.74c-0.78-2.93-2.49-5.41-5.42-6.19C55.79,.13,34,0,34,0S12.21,.13,6.9,1.55 C3.97,2.33,2.27,4.81,1.48,7.74C0.06,13.05,0,24,0,24s0.06,10.95,1.48,16.26c0.78,2.93,2.49,5.41,5.42,6.19 C12.21,47.87,34,48,34,48s21.79-0.13,27.1-1.55c2.93-0.78,4.64-3.26,5.42-6.19C67.94,34.95,68,24,68,24S67.94,13.05,66.52,7.74z\" fill=\"#f00\"><\/path><path d=\"M 45,24 27,14 27,34\" fill=\"#fff\"><\/path><\/svg><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Wait&#8230; what is battle physics again?<\/h2>\n<p>At Green Mountain Middle High School, students collaborate across grade levels to build projectile launchers.\u00a0 Becky&#8217;s seventh graders work with Allan&#8217;s high school physics students to apply math to physics concepts. The student teams design their launcher using the following steps:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Identify the problem<\/li>\n<li>Research potential solutions<\/li>\n<li>Develop solutions<\/li>\n<li>Select a solution based on cost, availability of materials, and time<\/li>\n<li>Present a design to a committee of experts<\/li>\n<li>Revise and construct<\/li>\n<li>Test including calculations; initial velocity, angle of projection, distance<\/li>\n<li>Redesign<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Once they&#8217;ve built their launchers, competition begins.\u00a0 It&#8217;s<a href=\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/battle-physics-at-green-mountain-union-high-school\"> hands-on, collaborative, and high stakes<\/a>!<\/p>\n<h3>Enter Dorset, and Leland and Gray<\/h3>\n<p>Science teachers from two Southern Vermont schools were intrigued.\u00a0 Heather McGann teaches science to students in grades 6-8 at The Dorset School.\u00a0 For her, this project was a great fit for the engineering and physics proficiencies she teaches to 8th graders. Rose Scavotto has been working on more project-based learning units with her 7th and 8th-grade students at Leland and Gray.\u00a0 Battle Physics seemed like a way to engage her students in hands-on learning while hitting some key science proficiencies and transferable skills.<\/p>\n<h2>Nevermind the physics&#8230; it&#8217;s all about the collaboration!<\/h2>\n<p>Allan and Becky shared their plans and documents with Rose and Heather. The four teachers met to get to know one another, create a timeline for the project, and bounce ideas off of one another. And then they got to work!<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_18889\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18889\" style=\"width: 450px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-18889\" src=\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/BattlePhysics-1-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"450\" height=\"338\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/BattlePhysics-1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/BattlePhysics-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/BattlePhysics-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/BattlePhysics-1-370x278.jpg 370w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/BattlePhysics-1-270x203.jpg 270w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/BattlePhysics-1-740x555.jpg 740w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/BattlePhysics-1-80x60.jpg 80w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-18889\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Teachers Heather McGann from The Dorset School, Becky Bushey and Allan Garvin from Green Mountain, and Rose Scavotto from Leland and Gray<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>One size does not fit all<\/h3>\n<p>It became clear during their planning that each school would implement the project to meet the needs of their own students. Heather&#8217;s learners are all eighth-graders, and her focus was on the engineering process.\u00a0 She also wanted students to focus on two transferable skills: self-direction and creative and practical problem-solving.\u00a0 She designed <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1S9HqvEovaZvXBHG3LNsXCBjm5AF5jS9a0yuapwWXfPo\/edit?usp=sharing\">her plans and instruction<\/a> accordingly.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_18887\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18887\" style=\"width: 770px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1i1EcqaLf2c2_b6U9oPPrEUs0NCgj1QFNmuIvXWI78lE\/edit?usp=sharing\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-18887 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Screen-Shot-2019-03-29-at-10.44.51-AM-1024x758.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"770\" height=\"570\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Screen-Shot-2019-03-29-at-10.44.51-AM-1024x758.png 1024w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Screen-Shot-2019-03-29-at-10.44.51-AM-300x222.png 300w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Screen-Shot-2019-03-29-at-10.44.51-AM-768x569.png 768w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Screen-Shot-2019-03-29-at-10.44.51-AM-370x274.png 370w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Screen-Shot-2019-03-29-at-10.44.51-AM-270x200.png 270w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Screen-Shot-2019-03-29-at-10.44.51-AM-740x548.png 740w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Screen-Shot-2019-03-29-at-10.44.51-AM-80x60.png 80w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Screen-Shot-2019-03-29-at-10.44.51-AM.png 1442w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-18887\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Learning Scales for the Dorset School&#8217;s Battle Physics Unit. Click or tap to visit the full learning scales Google Doc.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Rose&#8217;s science students work in a multi-grade context.\u00a0 Seventh and eighth graders would be collaborating to design, build and calibrate their projectile launchers.\u00a0 They would also be working on transferable skills: clear and effective communication and persisting in solving challenging problems.\u00a0 Rose&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1MD_cFT8P846AW-0UI3vZswx8WSckXhNrq81fBOptVx4\/edit?usp=sharing\">instruction<\/a> was designed to meet her particular learners&#8217; needs while guiding them towards mastery in content proficiencies.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_18886\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18886\" style=\"width: 770px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1SBCZFkehMk7uwMUFUInckRRlJm6cJetPaPOzp1AzUbM\/edit?usp=sharing\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-18886 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Screen-Shot-2019-03-29-at-10.41.54-AM-1024x482.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"770\" height=\"362\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Screen-Shot-2019-03-29-at-10.41.54-AM-1024x482.png 1024w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Screen-Shot-2019-03-29-at-10.41.54-AM-300x141.png 300w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Screen-Shot-2019-03-29-at-10.41.54-AM-768x362.png 768w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Screen-Shot-2019-03-29-at-10.41.54-AM-370x174.png 370w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Screen-Shot-2019-03-29-at-10.41.54-AM-270x127.png 270w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Screen-Shot-2019-03-29-at-10.41.54-AM-740x349.png 740w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Screen-Shot-2019-03-29-at-10.41.54-AM.png 2042w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-18886\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Single-Point Rubric for Leland and Gray Battle Physics Unit. Click or tap to visit the full rubric as a Google Doc.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Finding common ground<\/h3>\n<p>While instruction and expectations differed, all three schools shared some common guidelines:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>In teams, students developed prototypes of projectile launchers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Teams requested feedback from community members to refine their final design.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Each team had a budget of $50 for materials to build their projectile launcher.\u00a0 (Green Mountain teachers have budgeted for this project. The Dorset School and Leland and Gray each applied for grants to fund this project.*)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Teams were given the same number of targets to hit within a given range, and the rules were clear.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"525\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">We have our first functioning projectile launcher! Time to <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/calibrate?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#calibrate<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/battlephysics?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#battlephysics<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/projectbasedlearning?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#projectbasedlearning<\/a> @JPhillipsVT <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/bob_thibault?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@bob_thibault<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/VtedScience?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@VtedScience<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/VTEducation?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@VTEducation<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/k8VNI7rRo6\">pic.twitter.com\/k8VNI7rRo6<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Rose Scavotto (@ScavottoScience) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ScavottoScience\/status\/1094047545343557632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 9, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>And the teachers worked together to create a final competition so all students could shine!<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_18888\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18888\" style=\"width: 770px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1P6YNEgHy9nwy7uI3GgCrK5DBqEmpDzFGrVFzg8xJv5g\/edit?usp=sharing\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-18888 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Screen-Shot-2019-03-29-at-10.54.16-AM-1024x820.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"770\" height=\"617\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Screen-Shot-2019-03-29-at-10.54.16-AM-1024x820.png 1024w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Screen-Shot-2019-03-29-at-10.54.16-AM-300x240.png 300w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Screen-Shot-2019-03-29-at-10.54.16-AM-768x615.png 768w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Screen-Shot-2019-03-29-at-10.54.16-AM-370x296.png 370w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Screen-Shot-2019-03-29-at-10.54.16-AM-270x216.png 270w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Screen-Shot-2019-03-29-at-10.54.16-AM-740x593.png 740w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Screen-Shot-2019-03-29-at-10.54.16-AM.png 1106w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-18888\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Battle Physics Tournament Schedule and Rules. Click or tap to enlarge.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Higher stakes and engagement for the win!<\/h2>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/JPhillipsVT\/status\/1105109202509488128<\/p>\n<p>When the final tournament day arrived, teams were pumped!\u00a0 Competitors worked hard to calibrate their launchers, set up targets, and do the math! Trigonometry is NOT standard issue middle school math, so Green Mountain provided some high school math helpers for the middle school-only teams.\u00a0 Calculations complete, they launched their projectiles and hoped for a hit.<\/p>\n<p>In between rounds, students mingled with competitors from other schools, checked out the wide variety of launcher designs, and reflected on how they might improve their own designs.\u00a0 This hands-on learning inspired teachers, participants, and spectators alike.<\/p>\n<p>Projectile launchers will never not be fun, but they aren&#8217;t the real driving force here. The cross-school competition raised the stakes and elevated the experience for all learners. It was a day filled with emotion: nervous energy, excitement, the thrill of hitting a target, the disappointment of a near miss, and the joy of a shared experience. Consequently, the event and the learning will be more memorable, and isn&#8217;t that what we really want?<\/p>\n<h2>Your turn: would you like to enter a team in next year&#8217;s Battle Physics tournament?<\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>*Full disclosure: the granting agency mentioned in this story is our organization, The Tarrant Institute. We fund innovative school change projects to qualifying schools around Vermont.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Battle Physics hosts first multi-school tournament That is just what Allan Garvin and Becky Bushey did to raise the stakes of their annual Battle Physics competition. After four years of engaging students in the designing, building, calibrating, and competing of projectile launchers, they invited other schools to join the learning and the fun. Wait&#8230; what &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/battle-physics-tournament\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Nevermind the physics: it&#8217;s all about collaboration&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":54,"featured_media":19454,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[758,762,58,111,565,1090,468,506,1089],"class_list":["post-17862","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-green-mountain-union-high-school","tag-leland-gray-union-middle-high-school","tag-math","tag-physics","tag-proficiency-based-learning","tag-projectile-launchers","tag-the-dorset-school","tag-transferable-skills","tag-trigonometry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17862","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/54"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17862"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17862\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19463,"href":"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17862\/revisions\/19463"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19454"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17862"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17862"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17862"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}