“Project Collaboration”

Located on this website is a series of Science experiments which were

developed in 2002 at McGill University under the direction of Professor
Brian Alters, PhD. This 3-year experiment involved science and education
graduate students, high school teachers, and elementary teachers working
together to explore educational reform and to develop school science
activities which could be easily done in regular classrooms.

Three (3) units in particular lend themselves to the study of trains: force,
speed, gears, levers, pulleys, wheels and axles, and inclined planes. These
units are:
1. How Does Your Bicycle work?
2. Life in Motion
3. Complex Problems, Simple Machines

The projects and activities can be modified and personalized as professional

teachers see fit for their classrooms. Listed below are some suggested
changes to correspond to the study of trains.

1. How Does Your Bicycle Work?

Activity 1-if sleds are unavailable, purchase small sleds at a
Dollar Store/Wal-Mart, etc and place a heavy object such as a
brick on the sled prior to the activity.
Instead of the suggested extension activity with animals and
their paws, ask the students to relate their findings to the wheels
on a steam engine, i.e. would the wheels need to slide easily,
how do the wheels stay on the track?

Activity 2-relate to baggage on a train

Activity 3-relate to wheels on a train

2. Complex Problems, Simple Machines

Activity 4-how does an inclined plane relate to trains
progressing up a slope?