How Many Party Balloons Does It Take To Lift A Person?

by Tzu-Li Tien

Introduction Concept Map Project Calendar Lesson Plans Letter to Parents Assessments Resources Modifications

As for the final assessment of my topic, “How Many Party Balloons Does It Take To Life A Person?”, I would like the students to do team projects and present their results in front of the class. There are two possibilities for the project. First, the students can choose a person they know, could be their classmates, their teachers, or their parents, and try to calculate how many helium balloons it would take to lift that person. The second option is more advanced. Since buoyancy is included in the lesson plans, they can choose an object, like a car, a ship, or an airplane, and pretend that it’s sunk into the bottom of ocean. After that, they need to calculate how many ping-pong balls would it take to lift that object to the surface and if it’s feasible or not. Therefore, the students need not just knowing the ability to calculate, but also the ability to search online and find the information they need for the projects.