Cardboard, String, Rubber Bands and Prosthetic Hands

Imagine you were given list of household items like cardboard, paper clips, chopsticks, rubber bands, and some tape. Could you build a crude, but functioning prosthetic limb?

Eighth-graders at North Middle School were given that open-ended task this week in Julie Poetzel’s science classes. Students were given a simple list of 13 common items to build a grabbing device. Furthermore, there was a quota placed on the amount of each item they could use.

All they were told was to build a grabbing device. Poetzel didn’t give any directions, and only some guidance without giving away answers. Students were challenged to use their imaginations and careful planning to execute the task.

And students rose to the challenge. Each group seemed to craft its own version of the grabbing device. Some resembled hands, while others resembled the claws in a toy machine. Almost all of them could grab items, or even catch a ball.

The project was the culmination of preparation in the classroom. On Monday, the students dissected a chicken wing to learn about tendons and bones, and watched a 10-minute clip on the DEKA prosthetic arm. Then, the students went into the design and construction phase.

“Some students honestly were coming in during their lunch hour and before school,” Poetzel said. “The excitement in this classroom makes the project worth it. I have 100 percent engagement in the room. Children that don’t usually want to do work, are really involved.”

This is the first year that every student at North participated in a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education Coalition (STEM) project. The sixth-graders are building earthquake-proof housing, and the seventh-graders have already built roller coasters.

Poetzel is the chair of curriculum, and is hoping to incorporate a project each year. By the way, she also designed her own prosthetic hand before giving the challenge to her students.