United States Roller Coaster STEM Challenge - Engineering Design
Go on a thrilling ride with this complete lesson! Read the letter from fictitious travel guides explaining the invention of the roller coaster in the United States.
Grades: Kindergarten - 5th
Teaching Duration: 2 hours
“Great STEM activity for the whole class. This quarter we are studying careers and this STEM activity lends itself to the career of structural engineers. ”
lesson overview
Go on a thrilling ride with this complete lesson! Read the letter from fictitious travel guides explaining the invention of the roller coaster in the United States. Students will first learn about different forms of energy, including potential and kinetic, with a detailed demonstration along with learning about the science involved in riding a roller coaster. Then, using the engineering design process, student teams are tasked with designing a roller coaster to get a ball into a cup! Students also learn about the STEM careers of structural engineering and neuroscience to bring in a real-world STEM connection. Related math problems extend the learning fun!
As with many STEM activities that are student-driven, this challenge can be tailored to students of various skill levels and abilities.
Included in this product:
Detailed teachers guide with links to resources
Grading rubric for the engineering design process
STEM Career Connections
Science demonstration instructions
Student handouts to guide them through the engineering design process
Math extension problems
Digital and Printed STEM journals
Teacher Slides
Required Materials for Challenge: Paper/plastic cups, tape, foil, card stock/standard paper, scissors, paper plates, craft sticks, and a small ball.
