Making a Roller Coaster
Spero
Making a Roller Coaster (2 periods)
NJ Core Curriculum Standards
CCS Number
5.1.12.A.3
Topic
5.1 – Science Practices
A – Understand Scientific
Explanations
5.1.12.B.3
5.1 – Science Practices
B – Generate Scientific
Evidence Through Active
Investigations
5.1.12.C.1
5.1 – Science Practices
C – Reflect on Scientific
Knowledge
Refinement of understandings,
explanations, and models
occurs as new evidence is
incorporated.
5.1.12.C.2
5.1 – Science Practices
C – Reflect on Scientific
Knowledge
Data and refined models are
used to revise predictions and
explanations.
5.1.12.D.1
5.1 – Science Practices
D – Participate Productively
in Science
5.1.12.D.2
5.1 – Science Practices
D – Participate Productively
in Science
Science involves practicing
productive social interactions
with peers, such as partner
talk, whole-group discussions,
and small-group work.
Science involves using
language, both oral and
written, as a tool for making
thinking public.
5.2.12.D.1
5.2 – Physical Science
D – Energy Transfer and
Conservation
Page 1
Description
Revisions of predictions and
explanations are based on
systematic observations,
accurate measurements, and
structured data/evidence.
Empirical evidence is used to
construct and defend
arguments.
The potential energy of an
object on Earth’s surface is
increased when the object’s
position is changed from one
closer to Earth’s surface to
one farther from Earth’s
surface.
5.2 – Physical Science
D – Energy Transfer and
Conservation
5.2.12.D.4
Energy may be transferred
from one object to another
during collisions.
What Students Should Know
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Kinematics
Dynamics
Energy
o Gravitational potential energy
o Kinetic energy
o Elastic potential energy
o Internal energy
o Work
o System approach
o Bar charts
ISLE
The Engineering Design Process
Goals of the Lesson
Conceptual
What physics
concepts are
important for
construction of the
roller coaster?
How can you
integrate physics into
this engineering
project?
At what step in ISLE
is this project? Does
it fit into any one
step?
What adjustments
must be included in a
real roller coaster?
Quantitative
Be able to estimate
total cost and time of
production.
Procedural
Be able to identify
goals of a project.
Epistemological
How do you know that
your roller coaster will
function?
Be able to measure
any dimensions of
roller coaster.
Be able to work with
materials given.
How do you know what
to do in order to make a
working roller coaster?
Be able to construct
an energy-work bar
chart for multiple
points in the ride.
Be able to work
effectively with
others.
What are the ways in
which we learn how
something functions?
Identifying
assumptions.
How can I assess how
good my assumptions
are?
Important Details/Connections
Physics Content
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Forms of energy
Work
Work-energy bar charts
Dynamics
 Static and kinetic friction
Real Life Connections
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Building a model to specifications
Trying to gauge how fast a roller coaster ride will be from the initial height of
the first drop
Do all roller coaster rides only involve gravitational potential energy and
kinetic energy?
Family & Community Resources
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YouTube videos about roller coasters
Local theme parks
Car rides
Potential Student Difficulties
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Not understanding the steps in the Engineering Design Process
Being stuck on how to make their roller coaster structure sturdy
Having difficulty setting up a bar chart for a real process rather than a textbook problem
o Difficulty identifying a system
o Difficulty identifying all forms of energy needed to describe change in situation
Difficulty identifying physics assumptions
Difficulty identifying real-world engineering assumptions
Resources
Environment
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Desks
Chairs
Walls
Large spaces between groups of desks
Equipment
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Foam tubing (cut), tape, scissors, rulers, toothpicks, marbles
Worksheet for engineering
Lesson Description
Period 1
Okay, so today we are going to be starting a 2-day project on how to build your own
roller coaster! What we are going to do today is review all the materials you will have to work
with, the criteria under which I am hiring you for the job, and making a plan of what your group
wants to build and how. For today and tomorrow you are engineers, and as such I expect a neat
report that includes the following:
 An expense report on how much your plan will cost
 A preliminary plan of your roller coaster (drawing)
 A brief outline of how you are going to build it
 An estimate of how much time it will take (and how do you know?)
 And a checklist of all the requirements for the job
o Include a small list of extra essentials if this ride were going to be for
real people (like seatbelts etc…)
This will be handed into me at the end of the period, so if you want to take it home and
work on it more, you’re group better have more than one person writing.
Now you will see a sheet that I am passing out, take a minute to read it over by yourself.
The main part about this roller coaster is that you are allowed to fix it to any surface your choose,
so choose well! If you want you can attempt to have it free standing which gives you more
flexibility in location, but is more challenging to build. Now I want you and your group to come
up and take a look at the materials available. You may take some back to your table, but only to
experiment a bit with how they might fit together. I do not want anyone jumping ahead and
building before they have a plan ready.
Now that you have had 10 minutes to start planning what you are going to do, I want you
to also start a second page, to be handed into me tomorrow when we make the roller coasters. On
this page you will have:
 2 full work-energy bar charts for at least 3 different points along your ride.
 A description of how this assessment of the energy needs of your ride will
influence your design.
o Do you need to make revisions in light of this?
 Identify any physics assumptions you are making.
o Do you think they will pose serious problems?
o How can you avoid any? (friction for example)
 Identify any physics topics that are relevant to building or planning this roller
coaster.
Please make sure you name and date all of your work so we don’t lose it. For tomorrow
you are going to be making any changes on a brand new sheet, so I want you to be able to see
what you had before and after, so don’t erase or throw anything out.
Now that there is only 5 minutes left, please clean up and hand in one copy of that first
sheet per group. Don’t forget to write all of your names on it.
Period 2
Okay before you go and take your materials let me give you to timeline for today. You
will have all period except for the last 10 minutes in order to build your roller coaster such that
your passenger (the marble) survives. As you are doing this, please write on a separate piece of
paper any new ideas you are implementing and if they work. You will need this to do your
homework tonight. With 10 minutes left we will be showcasing our roller coaster to each other
and then disassembling them or you can take them home. GO!
Time Table
Clock Reading
During Lesson
Period 1
0-5 minutes
Title of Activity –
Connection to Goals
Goals and viewing
materials
5-15 minutes
Planning
15-40 minutes
Planning
40-45 minutes
Cleaning Up
Cleaning Up and
handing in 1st sheet.
Period 2
0-5 minutes
Setting Up
Getting all materials
to build roller coaster.
5-35 minutes
Building/Revising/Building Building the roller
coasters, failing to
have marble complete
the journey, revising
their plans, recording
revisions, and
rebuilding.
Moment of Truth
Quickly testing roller
coasters in front of
class by rolling down
a marble.
Cleaning Up
Cleaning Up
35-40 minutes
40-45 minutes
Students Doing
Teacher Doing
Listening to teacher,
going up to see
materials available.
In groups planning
device to
specifications.
Still in groups
planning roller
coaster and answering
questions for both
sheets.
Giving goals for the
day, handing around
handouts.
Helping students
that are totally
stuck.
Giving advice and
helping students
make a clear report
that an engineer
might make.
Helping construct
work-energy bar
charts.
Cleaning up and
collecting 1st sheet.
Making sure
students have all
materials. Hand
back sheets from the
day before with any
comments or
suggestions.
Helping students
with the building
and periodically
checking that they
are continuing to
record their
revisions.
Observing and
recording as needed.
Cleaning Up and
collecting 2nd sheet
from day before.
Making a Roller Coaster
Spero
Formative Assessments
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Period 1
o Asking students in individual groups to show their progress:
 Do students have a cost list?
 Do students have a time estimate? What is it based on?
 Do students have all requirements in mind?
 Do students have a good drawing of their planned ride?
 Do students have a well-constructed work-energy bar chart for at least 3
different locations on the ride? Did they use the idea of a system correctly
or at all?
 Did student identify relevant physics?
o Homework
Period 2
o Asking students in individual groups to show their progress:
 Are students working together to build the ride? Or is one person
dominating one aspect and another focusing on a separate part?
 Are students revising what they are doing based on a reasoned trial and
error approach? Are they recording the revisions? (In words and pictures?)
 Are students using the bar charts to help them revise design? Are new bar
charts made to reflect the real ride rather than just the plan?
 Are students able to finish constructing in time?
o Homework
Homework
1st Night:
I want this posted on our blog with every person contributing their opinion on the matter.
Each post should include:
 If you were really going to build this roller coaster for a park, what obstacles
might you run into that we have no discussed in class? Something possibly not
related to physics.
 What part of the ISLE cycle does building this roller coaster fit into? Does it
fit in any one place?
 How does this job fit into the engineering cycle process? Are we skipping any
steps? (Be specific, list the steps and the corresponding work you did today.)
2nd Night:
In this blog entry I want you to reflect on how your roller coasters functioned and how
you may have changed them along the way. Answer the following questions:
 Did your design work according to the plan you developed the day before?
 What adjustments did you make? Why? (Be specific.)
 How does this fit in with the engineering process?
 Do you think real engineers make mistakes or ever need to redesign
something?
Page 6
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What did you learn?
How did you learn it?
What still remains unclear?
If you were the teacher what would you have done differently to help students
understand?