STEM Week: Fourth and Fifth Grades Get Loopy

Designing roller coasters with foam insulation tubing is harder than it looks, especially when you are a Wake Christian Academy 4th or 5th Grader!

During the first part of STEM Week 2016, teams had to systematically work through eight different trials to gain a greater understanding of how each modification affected the results. Their objective was to “test different hill heights to determine how it affects the marble’s velocity and distance traveled.  What effect does does adding 1 and 2 hills make?”

Students made comparisons among the trials to determine the cause/effect of each change. These experiments encouraged hypothesizing, critiquing of design and the knowledge gained from these deconstructed roller coaster trials would be integrated into the final product planning.

After completing the trials, students were ready to work on their unique roller coaster design that had to be both safe and fun. This meant the marble must not leave the track and must stop at the end! With rubric in hand, groups worked to add challenging dimensions such as corkscrews, loops, hills and banks. They took precise measurements and kept detailed drawings/notes. To add to the challenge, teams had a “supply budget” of $250.00 which was not to be exceeded when “purchasing” additional materials.

Take a look at our Roller Coaster Engineers at work… We are quite proud of their hard work!

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