Students will be introduced to the basics of rocket design and how they move as they explore the forces that apply to rocketry. Then students will engage in the engineering design process, working in teams of engineers by designing a straw rocket ready for launch. Rockets will be tested and engineering concepts will be applied so they can rebuild a new rocket based on information gained from the original launch. Distance of rockets will be assessed.
(Students must bring a lunch.)Resources
Pre-Visit Materials
Lesson Plan
Post Visit Materials
Next Generation Science Standards
Performance Expectation
3-5-ETS1-1 Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.
3-5-ETS1-3 Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.
5-PS2-1. Support an argument that the gravitational force exerted by Earth on objects is directed down.
Science and Engineering Practices
Asking Questions and Defining Problems
Making and Using Models
Planning and Carrying Out Investigations
Engaging in Argument from Evidence
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Connections to Nature of Science
Scientific Knowledge is Based on Empirical Evidence
Disciplinary Core Ideas
ETS1.A: Defining and Delimiting Engineering Problems
ETS1.C: Optimizing the Design Solution
PS2.B: Types of Interactions
Cross Cutting Concepts
Influence of Science, Engineering, and Technology on Society and the Natural World
Cause and Effect
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Connections to Nature of Science
Science is a Human Endeavor
Maryland College and Career-Ready Standards (MD-CCRS)
ELA/Literacy
W.5.8 Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; summarize or paraphrase information in notes and finished work, and provide a list of sources.
SL1.c Pose and respond to specific questions by making comments that contribute to the discussion and elaborate on the remarks of others
Mathematics
MP1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
MP2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
MP4. Model with mathematics
MP5. Use appropriate tools strategically.
MP6. Attend to precision
5.MD.A.1-Convert among different-sized standard measurement units within a given measurement system (e.g., convert 5 cm to 0.05 m), and use these conversions in solving multi-step, real world problems.