Teacher: Laura D. Jarosiewicz
So you want to be a rocket scientist? A Model View of Rocket Design and Flight
Grades 4 to 6

Jan 19th: Let's get Moving!
Why do objects move and what are the laws that govern their movement? Create your own Pop Rocket to see these laws in action and perform other experiments that demonstrate Newton's Laws of Motion. A good foundation to any physics project is understanding these guiding principles.

Feb 9th: Under Pressure
Let's take a look at what's weighing us down - air! That's right, it can even crush a can! What is air pressure, how do air molecules affect objects, and how does it all relate to objects in flight? A few tests of physics and keen observations will give us the answers we need to be successful rocket scientists.

March 8th: Up, Up and Away
Let's test the March winds and fly some kites! How do kites stay up and which shapes fly the best. Let's try out different designs and even build a simple kite of our own and see how well they stay up in the air.

April 19th: Factors of Flight
Let's have a paper airplane contest! Which paper airplane will fly the best? What can we change about the plane to make it fly farther and longer? Can we change the paper? Or the design? Let's talk planes and find out what makes them stay up.

May 17th: Bottle Rocket Lift-off
It's a rocket launch day! T-minus 3 hours and counting….What's the best nose and wing design for our rocketship? Let's design and build a bottle rocket and test it from our very own launch pad.

Laura D. Jarosiewicz graduated from the University of Florida in 1997, with her Masters in Elementary Education. She has taught for nine years in Brevard, Hillsborough, and Orange counties in grades 5 and 6. She earned her Gifted Endorsement while teaching the Advance Academic Individualized Model (AAIM) class at Dommerich Elementary in Maitland, FL. The AAIM program is a full-time, self-contained gifted program specializing in curriculum geared towards high-achieving students. Laura has had the honor of representing Brevard teachers at a NASA summer camp for international teachers, where she was able to act as both host and participant. She also received her National Board Certification in November of 2003. As a Florida native, Mrs. Jarosiewicz has grown up with the space program in "her backyard" and looks forward to sharing her love of space flight.