Governor's Institute for Career Education and Work
Design an Awesome Roller Coaster
Governor’s Institute for Career Education and Work Activity
by Joyce Shull, Chiron Thompson and Jackie Santanasto
| Title | Design an Awesome Roller Coaster |
|---|---|
| Standards Addressed |
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| Brief Overview | Web based inquiry developed at Lehigh University. Students will understand the five properties that make roller coasters move: energy, inertia, friction, centripetal force and gravity through links on the website. Next the students will design a roller coaster using a roller coaster simulation website. |
| Grade Level | 8th |
| Content Area(s) | Science, Technology |
| Other standards supported |
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| Prep Time | Approximately 15 minutes before each session |
| Implementation Time | Five to six, 45-minute sessions |
| Learning Objectives | Design a roller coaster utilizing the five properties that impact how a roller coaster works. |
| Materials Needed |
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| Detailed Activity Steps | Follow the links to understand
how roller coasters work and complete each activity in the link:
Go to Funderstanding, and follow the directions on the website. |
| Theory basis | Experiential Learning Theory |
| Evaluation/Assessment | Share results on the maximum
speed achieved while successfully staying on the track. Write a
rationalization why the roller coaster stayed on track. Teacher evaluation. |
| Comments | Web-inquiry developed by Lehigh University, http://www.lehigh.edu/~amb4/. See site for other quality activities. |
| Adaptation for at risk kids | Adapt per IEP. |
| Resources |
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