Title: TEST FILESTEAM Lesson Brief - "REVIEWED"
Educators on the team:Sarah LaPointe, Winnsboro, SC July 2014
Students use knowledge from across the disciplines to strengthen their understanding of each subject’s
content and its related careers through topic or theme oriented realistic problem-based activity-rich
lessons.
PROJECT IDEA + brief notes & supplies
BASIC CONCEPTS
Concept:Student will research and design a roller
coaster based on specific parameters and market
it to the student body. Students will have an
opportunity to share their research and projects as
part of an all school Science and Engineering
Festival (aka. Science Fair).
Still need: T&E – MA – LA – SS – FA – PE – Mu
Science –
 Concept–To create a roller coaster that is a
system model of the transformation of
potential to kinetic energy and back.
 Standards–MS-PS3-2. Develop a model to
describe that when the arrangement of
objects interacting at a distance changes,
different amount of potential energy are
stored in the system.
 Careers– Mechanical
Engineer,Astronomer, Physicist, Chemical
Technician
 Project Element–Using supplies that are
gathered over the course of the year, have
students work in teams of 2 to create a
roller coaster that is consistently reliable
and still be exciting. Have a minimum of
peaks/valleys, turns, loops, etc.
 This is very good for engineering, here
there should be more of a focus on the
physics of this project.
 Assessment–Create a rubric with the class that
contains the requirements and use this to
grade the final products.PLEASE do not say
‘use a rubric’ without saying what categories
and basic parameters will be on it. It is
expected that every assessment be rubricbased.
Basic Plan:Students will be introduced to the
concepts of potential and kinetic energy through a
game volleyball. The class will be divided into
three teams. Two teams will play against each
other and the third team will be brainstorming a
list of interactions and labeling them as mostly
potential energy or mostly kinetic. Then they will
transition to working in teams of two in an
investigation that determines how the mass of an
object impacts its speed, by rolling a variety of
balls with different masses down a plank and
creating a data table to record the speed. Using
this knowledge, students will continue working in
the same team of two for the remainder of the
unit and present their collaborative effort as a final
finished product at the Science and Engineering
Festival.
Please include all of the projects listed on the right
side.
Skill level (Grade Range): Middle School
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Timing of Lessons:3 weeks
Class Period: 40 minutesHow many class periods?
In what subjects?
CC. 2013
STEAM Education
Extension - For students really interested
in creating roller coasters, have them work
independently with materials at home to
create a more elaborate roller coaster and
bring it in for extra credit or another class
incentive. Sample Roller Coaster video
Lesson Brief
Supplies:
 Science
o Metal BB’s (6mm diameter)
o Plastic tubing with an inside
diameter of >6 mm (6.4 mm or 9.5
mm)
o Masking tape
o Cardboard boxes
o Aluminum foil
o Large straws
o Stopwatches
o Miscellaneous materials that the
students want to bring in to
decorate their roller coasters.
 Technology & Engineering
o Same as above
 Math
o 3-beam balances
o Planks of particle board
o Variety of balls (Wooden, glass,
steel, BB, etc.)
o Graph paper
 Language Arts
o Word processing device
o printer
 Social Studies
o Colored pencils
o Paper
o Ruler
o tape
 Art
o Computer or other electronic
device with the software to create
a 6-panel brochure
 PE
o Volleyball
o Gym time approx. 30 min
 Music
o Recording devices for commercial
o Computer or other electronic
device with software to edit
commercial
CC. 2013
link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TijYtZ
6T2bo
Technology & Engineering –
 Concept–Using supports and other
materials, create a structure that will
guide a BB from the start to finish of a
roller coaster without getting stuck, losing
energy, or falling off the track.
 Standards–MS-PS3-4 Plan an investigation
to determine the relationships among the
energy transferred, the type of matter, the
mass, and the change in the average
kinetic energy of the particles as measured
by the temperature of the sample.
 Careers - Civil Engineer, Aviation Inspector,
Industrial Engineer, Computer Science
 Project Element–The BB can with be
placed within the plastic tubing or can be
placed between two pieces of plastic
tubing. The idea is that the BB will move
from the start to the finish and be
consistently safe and accurate. The
students will create a basket or cup to
catch the BB at the end.Great!
 Assessment– Record the number of trials
that the BB was placed in the start position
and how many successful runs to the end
position without leaving the track and
getting stuck. Use that as a percentage of
a homework grade.
 Extension - Have a younger grade class
come through and be the product tester.
Use this as an additional score when
computing the overall accuracy of the
model.
Math –
 Concept–Create a data table that records
mass of the ball in grams and the speed of
the ball in centimeter/sec over the same
distance for each trial. Make sure to
conduct at least 3 trial per type of ball.
 Standards–MS-PS3-1 Construct and
interpret graphical display of data to
describe the relationship of kinetic energy
STEAM Education
Lesson Brief
IT Resources:
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Videos:
Homemade Roller Coasters
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TijYtZ6T2bo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IksxNYmHGX
g&list=PL031C74A0A5EFFCF4
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Websites:
http://modelrollercoasters.webs.com/
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Other Resources:
Musical instrument from the music department or
possible a keyboard donated for the unit from a
student.
LA–
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Photos:
Please provide sources for your photos
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CC. 2013
to the mass of an object and to the speed
of an object.
Careers–Actuary Science, Operations
Research, Finance
Project Element–Using a variety of balls
(wooden, glass, steel, BB, etc.) and a plank
of particle board, graph the mass vs. speed
of the balls and determine if mass has an
impact on the speed of an object, and its
potential and kinetic energy.
Assessment–The graph that is generated
from the data table. Assess whether the
points have been accurately plotted and
assess graph for being correctly labeled.
STEAM Education
Concept–Persuasive argument for
brochure/flyer and commercial.
Standards–MS-PS3-5 Construct, use, and
present arguments to support the claim
that when the kinetic energy of an object
changes, energy is transferred to or from
the object
Careers–Newspaper Editor, Technical
Writer, Interpreter and Translator
Project Element–Commercials and
brochures have a limited amount of
space/time to convey key images and
details of a product. The students will
work in teams of two to write a script for
the commercial that they will be filming
during the music portion of the project, as
well as the vital information that will be
contained in the brochure that will
accompany them at the table during the
festival. Set a list of words as a class that
should be included in all teams written
work. Examples could be: kinetic, transfer,
gravity, etc.This will be an advertisement
for a rollercoaster?
Assessment–The writing will be assessed
by the standards of the district or school
based on a grade level rubric. Writing will
be clearly worded and free from errors.
Extension - Research commercials on a
specific item, such as cars or food, and
transcribe words. Count how many times
Lesson Brief
the image changes and record your
observations. Have the students use this
data and information to help them when
they create their own commercial.
SS –
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Art –
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CC. 2013
STEAM Education
Concept–Concept board for commercial
Standards– CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.7
Integrate visual information (e.g., in
charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or
maps) with other information in print and
digital texts.
Careers–Public Administration,
Geographer, Sociologist, Environmental
Studies, Screen Writer
Project Element–Create a concept board
for the commercial. Students will create
the board on regular 8 ½” x 11” computer
paper, and will tape additional pieces
together as needed. Each scene will be
given one or more squares. Have at least
one reference to an actual roller coaster in
any amusement park around the country
or close to the city in which the students
live. It is very important that the SS
Component be reflective on history,
understanding of the topics relevance to
current times and the student and to also
include an element of the student being
asked how this project or concept could be
relevant to or used in the future,
Assessment–The story board will be used
as the foundation for the commercial that
the students will be creating during the
music portion of the project.
Concept– Artwork forbrochure/flyer.
Creative presentation of the roller coaster.
Standards–MA:Cr1.1.7 Produce a variety
of ideas and solutions for media artworks
through application of chosen inventive
processes, such as concept modeling and
prototyping.
Careers–Animation, Architect,
Transportation Designer, Industrial
Designer
Project Element–The students will be using
Lesson Brief
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PE –
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many of the ideas and information they
have researched in other aspects of the
project. They will then use software to
generate original artwork of their roller
coasters, as well as a logo that will be their
brand as they present in the Science and
Engineering Festival.
Assessment–Artwork and Logo will be the
graded by use of color and on ability and
effort.
Concept–Group dynamic physical
interactions with the court and
equipment.
Standards -S1.M13.6Strikes with a mature
overhand pattern in a non-dynamic
environment for net/wall games such as
volleyball, handball, badminton or tennis.
Careers–Physical Therapist, Athletic
Trainer, Fitness Consultant, Zumba
Instructor
Project Element–Split class into 3 groups,
two groups are playing volleyball and the
third is observing the interactions between
the players, equipment, and the
environment. After teams have played for
approx. 5-7 minutes, rotate teams and
continue until all three teams have had a
chance to observe.
Assessment–Each student on the team will
help generate a list of interactions that
take place on the court and label them
with a (K) for mostly kinetic or a (P) for
mostly potential. List will be used as a
formative assessment.
Extension– Research games and sports use
potential and kinetic energy as their
primary energy sources and list the
interactions. Have the students create
their own version of these games by
combining rules or concepts from two or
more games.
Music –
 Concept–Create a commercial with the
poetry generated from the poetry miniunit.
CC. 2013
STEAM Education
Lesson Brief
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CC. 2013
STEAM Education
Standards–MU:Cr1.1.6 Generate simple
rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic phrases
within AB and ABA forms that convey
expressive intent
Careers–Jingle Writer, Music Therapist,
Choir Director, Recording Engineer
Project Element–Review the formats AB
and ABA with the students. Give them
time to work in teams of two to create a
song for their commercial. Have the team
generate several poems and choose the
best one to record.
Assessment–The poems will be assessed
by the guidelines addressed during
instruction. Do the end of the lines rhyme
correctly? Does the content of poem
relate to the topic?
Extension– Create a song for the entire
unit using vocabulary words from the LA
and SS portion.
Lesson Brief