Title: __Foil Boat___STEAM Lesson Brief
Educators on the team: _____ Georgette Yakman ______
Theme that this lesson would tie to: STEAM Ahead: Global Transportation
Specific Topic Concept within that theme: Buoyancy – Foil Boats
PROJECT IDEA + brief notes & supplies
Concept: - purple shows how all the
subjects are recognized
Students will research (LA, & S, T & E)
the density of known objects in a lab
and in PE (S & M & PE). Students will
research the history of boats,
especially the advent of metal cargo
boats (SS, S, T&E), then design, plan
(T,E & M) & implement the making (
T, E & M) of a boat and analyzing
elements of everyone’s boat (FA, S, T,
E & M) and performance (S, T, E & M).
Students will then create a team
plan(S, T, E & M) with instructions on
how to make (LA) a toy boat
accompanied with an ad (Art) and also
create a musical composition made by
materials of different densities falling
into water (Music).
Basic Plan:
Students will be introduced to a few
video clips about buoyancy and boats.
They will research different types of
boats and when they were first used
and what types (materials & styles) of
boats perform what types of functions
best. They will then create 1 inch
density cubes of fruit and guess if
they’ll float or not. Test them, weigh
them and calculate their density and
buoyancy. They will then design,
make, build, track and test boats
individually with a required set of
materials and specifications. Students
will cross-analyze positive and
negative attributes of everyone’s
boats and come up with a written
instructional plan for creating a team
boat which will then be tested and
analyzed by the teams. In PE they will
test the buoyancy of various sports
CC. 2103
Put in Order of Logical Sequence – in this lesson, music can come in at any
time, but it makes sense to introduce the topics in the order listed below.
PE – should be done towards beginning of project. Helps engage the students
with familiar objects.
 Concepts – the act of buoyancy and its effect on sports games – water
polo, water skiing, swimming,
 Goals / Objectives –
 Standards
 Careers – life guards, Navy, Coast Guard, fisherman, pools & hot tubs
 Project – students will estimate basic ideas about buoyancy and then
physical test them
o 1 - human buoyancy experiments if a pool or lake is available
o Or 2 - can use a large plastic tub for testing the buoyancy of
various sports balls (golf ball vs. water polo ball) – displacement
(math)
 Assessment – can students estimate which things will affect how well
something will float or sink and then demonstrate if they were correct or
not.
Science –
 Concepts – Archimedes Principle
 Goals / Objectives –
 Standards  Careers – oceanographers, environmental scientists, marine biologists,
 Project – Students will make 1” density cubes out of fruit and guess if
they’ll float or not. They will analyze them by measuring and weighing
them and calculating their density and buoyancy. They will experiment
with these to test and explore the scientific understanding of density,
force, displacement and buoyancy that they will record on charts. They will
experiment with various forms of metal to understand why a block of
metal sinks, where as a sheet of metal can be shaped to float.
 Assessment – can the student pick out which elements to analyze in the
process to figure out the density, buoyancy and classification of the objects
tested and prove the properties of density and buoyancy with their
experiment charts.
SS –
 Concepts – History of the discoveries of boats, density & Archimedes
principle. The Current use of Cargo Boats, Advances Desired in Cargo
Boating Industry
 Goals / Objectives –
 Standards  Careers – historian, sociologist, business analyst, investor
 Project - They will research different types of metal cargo boats and when
STEAM Education
Lesson Brief
equipment in tubs of water, and/or
play water sports and do personal
experiments with buoyancy. In music
they will make songs based on the
splash effects of different items in
water based on their density. In art
they will design magazine ads to sell
their boat plans where they show their
plan with a photo, a diagram and
supportive text describing the S, T & E
attributes of their boat related to the
M of the performance results for
current or future audiences (SS). They
will present and then display their
boats and ads at the end of this
project.
Skill level (Grade Range): K-16 –
Paperwork written for upper
elementary level.
Timing of Lesson:
2-3 class periods – 45 mins. each. Min.
for each subject.
Basic Supplies:
All subjects:
Scale
400 pennies
Tub of water
Towels
Aluminum foil
Rulers
Science:
Bananas
Melons
Plastic Knives
PE:
equipment – variety of balls
Music:
Audio Recorder
IT Resources:
PowerPoint
Audio Software
Photo Software
Look up:
Archimedes
CC. 2103

they were first used and what types (materials & styles) of boats perform
what types of functions best. Who are the current manufacturers of
cargos? Where are these companies located? What are benefits and
impacts of cargos?
Assessment – Can they fill out a power point or chart about their research
and projections that is based on historical and current evidence.
Technology & Engineering –
 Concepts – Designing, Constructing & Testing a Boat
 Goals / Objectives –
 Standards  Careers - fluid engineers, ocean engineers, hydro-dynamics engineer,
machinist, analyst, simulation expert, welder, drafter,
 Project – They will then design, make, build, track and test boats
individually with a required set of materials and specifications. Students
will cross-analyze positive and negative attributes of everyone’s boats and
come up with a plan for creating a team boat which will then be tested and
analyzed by the teams.
 Assessment – how the boat meets the design parameters and minimum
retention expectancy & performance, cross analyzing boats to come up
with hybrid plan for best boat
Math –
 Concepts - weighing, division, comparison, bouyancy
 Goals / Objectives –
 Standards
 Careers – data anyalyst
 Project - They will then create 1 inch density cubes of fruit and guess if
they’ll float or not. Test them, weigh them and calculate their density and
buoyancy. They will then make, build, track and test boats individually with
a required set of specifications. Students will cross-analyze positive and
negative attributes of everyone’s boats and make a plan for a hybrid boat.
 Assessment – The student will figure out the density, buoyancy and
classification of the objects tested. Students will count how many pennies
their boat holds and analyze the ratio of the weight of their materials to
the weight of the cargo held. They will evaluate their teams and the
classes’ performance numbers to establish the means, medians and
averages.
LA –
 Concepts – Technical Writing – Instructional Compositions
 Goals / Objectives –
 Standards  Careers – technical writer, media writer, instructional writer
 Project – Students will create a written instructional plan for creating a
team boat.
 Assessment – Can students create a manual for creating their boat
including grammatically correct instructions with clear steps on how to
accomplish the task?
Music –
STEAM Education
Lesson Brief

Cargo Boats
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barge
coloring page
CutAway Photo
What are cargo ships
Cargo Ship Types
Cargo Boat Designs
Cargo Ships & Environment
Loading Cargo Boats Picture
Flip Boat
Other Resources:
- Local specialist who works on
boats
Misc: (Extensions & Variations)
Future of Shipping
Abandoned Ships
Photos:





Concepts – composition & the physics of sound related to dropping things
in water
Goals / Objectives –
Standards Careers – musician, acoustical analyst, mixer, sound engineer,
Project - In music they will make songs based on the splash effects of
different items in water based on their density.
Assessment – can they produce a variety of sounds by dropping various
objects into water and make a pattern out of those sounds
Art – should be done at end of lesson since it is based on results – also adds a
‘fun’ synopsis to the project.
 Concepts – Graphic Art
 Goals / Objectives –
 Standards  Careers – graphic artist, media writer, layout manager
 Project - . In art they will design magazine ads to sell their boat plans
where they show their plan with a photo, a diagram and supportive text
(LA) describing the (S, T & E) attributes of their boat related to the
performance results (M) created for current or futuristic audiences (SS).
 Assessment – Is the student’s ad appropriate, well-balanced, clear and
engaging?
http://www.cdn.sciencebuddies.org/Fi
les/4760/6/foil_boats_img.jpg
Similar Projct
Another Similar
Another
Video of an 8th grade class doing a
similar project
CC. 2103
STEAM Education
Lesson Brief
Cargo Ship Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barge
Vacationing on a Cargo Ship
coloring page
Photo 1
Flip Boat
Photo 2
Video 1
Video 2
Video 3
Picture 1
Article 1
Article 2
Flip Extension Experiment
CutAway Photo
What are cargo ships
Cargo Ship Types
Cargo Boat Designs
Cargo Ships & Environment
Loading Cargo Boats Picture
Barge for Sale
More for sale
Misc: (Extensions & Variations)
Wooden Cargo Ship Toy
Paper model of a cargo ship
Shipping Company
Cargo Workers Law
Mazda Cargo Ship Accident
Cargo Ship Stuck
 Photo of this ship
 Another article – MS & HS
Cargo Ship Tipped
Workers Conditions – for HS+ students
Distribution Article - HS
New Designs – Cost & Eco
Elec Diesel Dutch Cargo – MS & HS
Future of Shipping
Abandoned Ships
Sinking Cargo Ship
Futuristic Cargo Ship
Archimedes
Hybrid Cargo Ship Proposal
Archimedes Wolfram
Wind Cargo Ships
Archimedes Drexel
Wind & Solar Cargo Ships
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archimedes
Eco Friendly Cargo Ships – MS & HS
CC. 2103
STEAM Education
Lesson Brief