I'm Ming Zheng.
I teach 18 children, ages three to five,
with two other team members: Polly...
Where's this going to go, it's really big.
ZHENG: ...and Dan.
Can you help her set the bowl up
so that her marble will go in?
ZHENG: Children learn by observing the world...
Push it.
Trying to figure out how things work...
We'll make these supports.
ZHENG: ...and then testing their ideas.
Wow, what did we knock over?
To do this, they need a great environment to explore.
My ball!
For our ramp unit, we put a lot of thought
into the materials we use, the activities we do,
and the learning centers we create.
Ah, that was close.
So imagine that you just put it on there and didn't touch it.
Is it going to slide, roll, or stay still?
Stay still.
ZHENG: At one of our learning centers,
we tested if objects placed on a ramp
would roll, slide, or stay still.
This one rolled.
ZHENG: At another center,
children could set up marble tracks...
What!
ZHENG: ...and create ramps with blocks.
One second.
That was close.
At our third learning center, we set up a tabletop experiment
similar to our roll, slide, and stay in place center.
But this center allowed children
to change the steepness of the ramp.
Cool!
ZHENG: We also created an art center
where the children could create paper rollercoasters
and draw ramps and tracks.
And of course, at our book center,
we added books on ramps, rolling, and movement.
What's he thinking about?
Granny's.
Granny's?
Come on!
We also used our outdoor environment,
rolling balls and other objects down hills and ramps.
Go!
All of this made for an incredibly rich environment
with lots of choices for the children.
Which one went furthest?
Mine.
Yeah.
It's important that our learning centers allow the children
to explore different aspects of ramps in motion.
How do you think the orange is going to roll?
Crazy!
ZHENG: For example, at our roll, slide, or stay center,
the children experiment by testing objects
on a ramp that is stationary.
So their observations are focused
on the objects they are testing.
Now before you put it on the slide,
what do you think will happen now, Riley?
It will roll.
It will roll?
ZHENG: With the marble track center,
the children are not testing different objects;
they are using only marbles
and exploring what happens when they change the track.
CHILD: Need some tape here.
Tape onto the rug.
ZHENG: This center is fabulous for children working in teams
and for giving all our children a way to move around.
Throughout our ramp unit, we'll also change the design
and focus of our centers, giving them a new spin.
Whoa, that was close.
At our roll, slide, and stay in place center,
we experiment with different texture ramps.
Did it go do smoothly?
It went down bumpy.
ZHENG: And at our marble track center,
we gave the children challenges
like getting the marble to land in a bucket.
Let's try that.
I got it.
ZHENG: Being able to explore ramps in so many different ways
really helps reinforce their understanding.
It's not high enough.
ZHENG: And the freedom of following their own interests
makes it even more fun.