Straw Rockets[AL1]

Grade/ Grade Band: 3-5th Topic: Straw Rocket Lesson # __7__ in a

grade series of _7___ lessons

Brief Lesson Description: The mission is complete and we will need to get the crew
back to Earth.

Performance Expectation(s):
3-PS2-1 Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of
balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object.
3-PS2-2 Make observations and/or measure of an objects motion to provide
evidence that a pattern can be used to predict future motion.

Specific Learning Outcomes: By investigating the best model design for a straw
rocket, students will be able to build and test a straw rocket and then test the
rocket to determine the best construction. Students will finish up the storyline
and complete the unit.

Lesson Level Narrative

Our mission is to get our crew launched into orbit from the surface of Mars[AL2] .
You will build the rocket on the surface of the planet to send the mission crew back to
Earth when they are done with their mission.
Science & Engineering Disciplinary Core Ideas: Crosscutting Concepts:
Practices: PS2.A Forces and Motion Patterns
Planning and carrying out Each force acts on Patterns of change
investigations to answer one particular object and can be used to make
questions or test solutions has both strength and a predictions
to problems: direction. An object at rest Cause and effect
Plan and typically has multiple forces Cause and effect
conduct and acting on it, but they add to relationships are routinely
investigation give zero net force on the identified
collaboratively to objects speed or direction
produce data to of motion.
serve as the basis Patterns of an
of evidence, using objects motion in various
fair tests in which situations can be observed
variables are and measured; when that
controlled and the past motion exhibits a
number of trials regular pattern, future
considered motion can be predicted
Make from it.
observations and/or
measurements to
produce data to
serve as the basis
for evidence for an
explanation of a
phenomenon or test
a design solution.

Possible Preconceptions/Misconceptions:
Students tend to call the active actions force but do not consider passive actions as
forces Gunstone, R., Watts, M. (1985). Force and motion. In Driver, R. (Ed.),
Children's ideas in science (pp. 85-104). Many students know that a force can cause an
object to move. A typical example of students sharing their understanding of forces is
that the source of motion comes from outside the object (for example, the soccer ball
moves because someone has kicked it). Students need activities to engage in that will
help them uncover the four sources of change in motion. Force can change an
objects speed and make an object move. Force can stop an object and change its
direction.
LESSON PLAN 5-E Model

Teacher: Student

ENGAGE (Rafeka) (approx. time ___ mins.): Opening Activity Access Prior
Learning / Stimulate Interest / Generate Questions: Rafeka
You already send your astronaut on Mars. You need to bring our astronaut back from the
mars. -How might an astronaut land safely on earth?

-would your astronaut coming back to earth safely?

- how big rocket would be?
-do you need same rocket or small rocket?
Be sure to follow up with a discussion of why they dont need as big a rocket to lift off from
Mars (difference in gravity and air resistance). Ask students to tell you what we already talke
about in an earlier lesson that compared the gravity and atmosphere of Earth vs. Mars -
Nancy

-For todays lesson, we will be designing our own... Today you going to make a Soda-Straw
Rocket landing system/model that will safely bring your astronauts to the earth.
We are not designing a landing system - only a small rocket to blast off from Mars and bring
us back home. - Nancy
EXPLORE (Christine) (approx. time _5__ mins.): Lesson Description What
should the teachers ask and do? What will the students do? ( Christine )
We are almost at the end of our mission. To re-cap, we have launched, landed
and built our rovers to explore the surface of Mars to find if there is evidence of life
or if life can be sustained here.We have done different experiments with sand that
had sugar, yeast, and bicarbonate. We took soil samples to see if it also contained
evidence of life, no matter how microscopic. So today, we will be making rockets to
take us back to Earth after our mission is completed. We have very minimal resources
to build our rockets, so please keep in mind these things: (1) we need fuel; (2) a
vehicle to get us back to Earth (safely); (3) able to carry back all our samples, plus the
Astronauts. Recall what you did on our very first project of launching our rockets and
try to apply those methods to designing your rockets to take us home.

Excellent, Christine. I really like the way you outline the challenges of getting a rocket
back to Earth from Mars. - Nancy

Questions:
-What would you need to get your rocket to lift-off? Other than fuel? (Remember from
our first project).
-What type of design do you think would help to get your rocket off the surface
quickly, but safely? And finally:
-What must we do to keep our astronauts and all our Martian samples safe and
secure?
Just a few reminders, that Mars atmosphere is much thinner than Earths and the
gravity is less than ours. Try to keep all of this in mind when you are designing
your rocket.
Now, Kabir will Explain what you will be doing with the materials and the type of
rocket
you will be building.

Vocabulary:
Force: strength or energy exerted
Drag: something that impedes motion, action or advancement
Air pressure: pressure exerted by air, compression
Fins: airfoil appendage attached to an airplane for directional stability.
Angle: direction from which someone or something is approached.
Nose cone: a protective cone constituting the forward end of an aerospace
vehicle.
Gravity: physical force that is responsible for interactions which occur because of
mass between particles.

Very thorough planning. Thank you for thinking through and writing your portion so
carefully. -Nancy

EXPLAIN (Kabir) (approx. time __15_ mins.): Concepts Explained

We are going to show students how to construct the model rocket using a pencil,
sheet of paper, scissors, and scotch tape.
We will set up testing parameters to ensure safety to avoid injury and maintain order
in the classroom.
We will discuss the importance of how important it is to return home to Earth after
visiting another planet. The rocket we are using to return home is different from the
rocket originally made to get to the other planet destination because the atmospheres
of the planets are varied.
Further discussion will be made on how to make an optimal rocket design with some
fine tuning, like making a pointed nose cone and proper placement of the fins towards
the back of the shuttle.
Students will then be reminded the importance of safety precautions and to tell one of
the teachers immediately if they see someone doing something wrong.

ELABORATE (approx. time 5ish mins.)(Jenna): Applications and Extensions:

I will mainly be asking about the construction of the students straw rockets:
-How did your launches go for the first test? How about the second launch?
-What did your model look like??
->Was is short? Was it longer? Did it have fins?
-Did you tightly roll your paper or was it loosely rolled?
-Did your changes to the rocket make the launches better or worse? Why?

Good. Take advantage of opportunities that may arise to ask open-ended follow-up
questions. -Nancy
EVALUATE (Katty) (approx. time __5_ mins.):

Formative Monitoring (Questioning / Discussion):

I would ask the students to share their ideas
I will ask the students what else they could have done in order for their rocket to be
more successful.
What ended up working for your rocket, and what didnt work

Summative Assessment (Quiz / Project / Report):

is needed.
Katty, How will you determine if students met the performance expectations and
learning outcomes (see sections near top of this lesson plan) of this activity? Think
about it and add something here. - Nancy

Elaborate Further / Reflect/ Enrichment:

N/A

Comments from Dr. Linton:

[AL1] Possible Journal Entries: Candidates can enter in science related questions about
forces and motion.

Found a video for this lesson:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPncAiZlFcY

http://messenger-education.org/Interactives/ANIMATIONS/grav_assist/gravity_assist_m
enu.html

Candidates can take a look at this video when they are putting some finishing touches
on the lesson plan or when they are having some difficulties with remembering what
they did in the NASA course. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPncAiZlFcY

Remind the students that they need to have some resources for this lesson plan. They
will need to take picture of their rockets, add some commentary about the forces that
are connected to this concept.
Required: Candidates need to make a connection to their content courses (biology,
chemistry, and geo). This does not have to be related to the lesson, but encourage
them to use their imagination to make a connection. This will be easy for the geo
students, this might be harder for the bio and chem folks.

My Science Story Spill can talk about how they can relate ANYTHING to what they are
learning in the content based courses or in the NASA course.

Remember that they need at least one page of reflection from this lesson/learning
experience.

Take pictures of the designs that your students built. Take pictures in stages, the
beginning, the middle and the end. Talk about the testing process and how important it
is in learning about forces.

[AL2] Students should assume that the Mars Ascent Vehicle makes its own fuel when it
lands on the planet when the astronauts get there.