Balls and Ramps introduces basic physics concepts to young children by focusing on the properties and characteristics of balls and some of the factors that affect the way they behave. Students define the characteristics of a ball by comparing how a wide variety of balls roll and bounce, then they make their own balls out of various materials and explore their movement as they roll down ramps, through tubes and around bends.
Students record their learning through journals and discussions.
Funded by a National Science Foundation Grant, the D.E.S.E.R.T Project promotes inquiry-based instruction and creates systemic change in the way science is perceived and taught. Inquiry-based curricula improves students' abilities to think creatively and critically, encourages problem solving through real experiences, fosters the development of positive attitudes about science, bridges science concepts to current social and environmental events, incorporates technology and promotes literacy by integrating science with the rest of the curriculum, particularly math and language arts.