Roller Coaster Building
In this provocation, students will plan and design a roller coaster
Objective:
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Can you create a roller coaster that allows a marble to travel from the starting point to the end point using various forces (push, pull, gravity)?
Problem-solving and strategic thinking:
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Students will use a variety of building materials and/or recycled materials to build a roller coaster.
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Students will reflect on how their different design choices affect the marble’s motion.
Standards/Objectives addressed:
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NGSS 1-PS2-1: Plan and conduct an investigation to describe and classify different kinds of materials by their observable properties.
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NGSS 1-PS2-2: Analyze data to determine if a design solution works as intended to change the speed or direction of an object with a push or a pull.
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NGSS 2-PS1-1: Plan and conduct an investigation to describe and classify different kinds of materials by their observable properties.
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NGSS 2-PS2-1: Define a simple design problem that can be solved by applying scientific ideas about magnets.
Background knowledge needed:
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Basic Forces: Understanding push and pull actions through everyday examples.
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Gravity: Recognizing gravity as a force that pulls objects downward.
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Friction: Knowing that friction opposes motion and can vary with different surfaces.
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Materials Properties: Familiarity with various materials (e.g., plastic, wood) and their observable characteristics.
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Measurement Skills: Basic skills in measuring height and distance using simple tools.
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Teamwork: Experience in collaborating, sharing ideas, and listening to peers.
Materials:
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Foam Pipe Insulation, Marbles, Cardboard, Tape (masking or duct tape),Scissors, Rulers, Markers/ Crayons
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Various surfaces (e.g., carpet, tile, sandpaper): To test how different surfaces affect motion.
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Containers or trays: For collecting and testing marbles at the start and end of the coaster.
Prompts – questions or statements to elicit engagement:
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What happens when you push a toy car? How fast can you make it go?
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Can you think of a time when you used a push or pull to move something? What did you do?
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How do you think gravity affects the way a marble rolls down a hill?
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What materials do you think will work best for our roller coaster? Why?
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If your marble doesn’t make it to the end, what changes can you make to improve your design?
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How do different surfaces change the way objects move? Can you predict what might happen?
Vocabulary:
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Force, Motion, Gravity, Friction, Push, Pull, Speed, Direction, Design, Heigh, Distance
Reflection prompts:
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What did you learn about how forces affect motion?
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What was the most surprising thing you discovered during the project?
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How did your design change from your original plan? Why?
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What challenges did you face while building your roller coaster?
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How did working with your group help you learn more about force and motion?
Extension:
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Explore Simple Machines:
Investigate how simple machines (like levers and pulleys) use force. Students can create models using everyday objects to demonstrate how these machines work. -
Paper Airplane Challenge:
Students will design and build various paper airplanes, testing how changes in design (wing shape, size) affect flight distance and stability, exploring the forces involved in flight. -
Pendulum Experiment:
Using string and a small weight (like a washer), students can create pendulums of different lengths and measure how the length affects the swing speed and distance. -
Friction Experiment:
Set up a slope with different surfaces (sandpaper, carpet, plastic) and have students roll marbles down each slope. They will observe how friction affects the speed and distance traveled.