Metric Olympics Makes Learning Metrics Fun for Sixth Graders

The sixth grade science class at St. Joseph Parish School recently held a Metric Olympics. Sixth graders competed in five different events: the paper plate discus, paper straw javelin, cotton ball shot put, right-handed marble grab, and the left-handed sponge squeeze. Students first estimated what they thought their measurements would be then performed the tasks and recorded their actual measurements. Gold, silver, and bronze medals were awarded to the top three scores in each category.

 “Learning metrics is important because it is the agreed upon measurement system in countries all over the world,” said science teacher Mrs. Laura Karwoski. “Any child interested in pursuing a career, especially in the fields of science or medicine, must be comfortable with metrics.  Having this event was a fun way of reinforcing the concepts that were learned in the classroom and to show them how metrics can be used in their daily lives.”