Students in the GATE program at Birdwell Dual Language Immersion School are proving that learning comes alive when creativity and science come together.
While reading Jackrabbit McCabe & the Electric Telegraph, GATE students in grades 3–5 explored how communication once traveled across great distances using electricity and coded messages. The story sparked curiosity about how energy moves through circuits, leading students into a hands-on investigation of kinetic and potential energy.
After learning the science behind electrical circuits, students were challenged to become engineers. Using simple materials, they designed and built a device that converts energy—creating a working flashlight from a popsicle stick. Students tested, redesigned, and adjusted their circuits to ensure they were closed and that kinetic energy could be seen when the LED light turned on.
Once their flashlights were working, the lesson came full circle. Just like Jackrabbit McCabe in the story, students used their lights to send and decode messages in Morse code, practicing how early inventors used the electric telegraph to communicate across distances.
This interdisciplinary lesson blended literature, science, and engineering, allowing students to read, build, problem-solve, and communicate—all while having fun. Birdwell’s GATE students once again demonstrated that when imagination and innovation meet, powerful learning happens.
