ACE-ing their Water Unit at Cherry Avenue

Water—one of the four natural elements that include Earth, Wind, and Fire—was the topic of study for students participating in the ACE (Academic Challenge and Enrichment) program.

“The water unit,” Cherry Avenue ACE teacher Kelly Cummings explained, “included experiments about water tension and water density, as well  and STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) activities building aqueducts and water filters.” For their culminating project, the ACE Fourth graders constructed water slides and were eager to share their varied experiences.   

• "It was hard when we had to put the two tubes together,” Erin Burke said, “because there was a leaking problem.  So we had to layer the tube differently to fix the problem."
• "At first we were going to make stairs,” explained Abi  Alberti, “but it wasn't working out so we made a ladder instead."
• Riley Cameron agreed with Erin, "It was challenging trying to cut the tubes perfectly straight to keep the water from spilling over and leaking."
• "We didn't cut ours in half perfectly,” Gavin Walsh admitted, “but we placed the smaller end at the bottom of the slide so it would work."
• Layla Moran shared her team’s innovation, "We made our slide waterproof by putting tinfoil on the cardboard tube."
• “Our team members had to compromise about how tall our slide would be,” Chloe Norman reported. “We also had a leaking problem, but solved it with more tape." Chloe then summed up the ACE experience, when she said, "It was challenging, but fun”—exactly what the enrichment program hopes to accomplish!