Heavy Backpacks
Grade Levels:
4-6
Background:
Doctors say it isn’t healthy for students to carry more than ten percent of their weight in their backpacks.
Question:
Are the students in your school carrying too much weight in their backpacks?
Possible Hypotheses:
Students are/are not carrying too much weight in their backpacks.
Materials:
Weight scale
Procedure:
- Make a chart with the names of all the students in your class, as shown.
- Weigh all of the students in your class and calculate ten percent of their weight. Record this on the chart.
- Weigh all of the student backpacks before they go home every day for a week. Record the weights on the chart.
- Circle the backpacks that are overweight.
Analysis and Conclusion:
How many students in the class carry overweight backpacks? Is it a major problem? Talk to your classmates and teacher about ways to remedy the problem.
Reprinted with the permission of the NEED Project. © 2008 National Energy Education Development Project - All Rights Reserved.
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