Apparently the Barbie Bungee Jump project has taken on some popularity. I do this project every year and one of the first questions I got at the start of the year was if we would do it again. As the end of the school year approached, I wasn't sure we'd be able to squeeze it in with losing days to PARCC testing, field trips, graduation rehearsal, etc. But we managed to find the time!
As we did this project, many students walked by my door and were utterly confused. One of my 6th graders asked me "What does throwing Barbie's off a bookcase have to do with math?" Well, the short version is this: In 8th grade math we learned about scatterplots and how they help us make predictions. So, my students are collecting data on how far Barbie falls with 1 rubberband on her leg. Then 2. Then 3, and so on. They compile all that data into a scatterplot. From there, they practice creating a line of best fit for the data and coming up with the equation of the line. Finally, they use their equation to predict how many rubber bands it takes to have Barbie bungee jump from the railing of the stairwell and go as fall as possible WITHOUT hitting her head.
Always a fun day when we start this project.
