Mr. Ferris and His Wheel

It's almost summer and the start of summer festival season.  We love reading books about how fun things were invented so this is the perfect time of year to read Mr. Ferris and His Wheel by Kathryn Gibbs Davis and Gilbert Ford.



In this book, we learn about how the Ferris Wheel was designed to be the star attraction at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago.  While most people thought that George Ferris's idea was crazy and would never work, Mr. Ferris was an engineer and had faith in his design.  Luckily, he persevered and now we have his fun ride to enjoy!

After reading the book to students in 3rd and 4th grade, the students were challenged to work in groups to build a Ferris Wheel using Strawbees.  Before starting, we looked at a few designs and talked about what to keep in mind when working in a group.

Each group then sketched out a design and began filling out a STEM Journal page.  After showing me their design, they were given a box of Strawbees and connectors and they got to work.  It was so interesting to see how each group approached the challenge!

 

 

This was such a fun activity incorporating literature and STEM!  We were able to really emphasize how to be productive group members.  Overall, it was challenging and most groups weren't able to finish in our time together, but they really enjoyed it!