STEM Design Challenge for NGSS MS-PS3-5 and MS-PS3-2 Marble Roller Coasters

STEM Design Challenge for NGSS, I use this as a STEM design challenge towards the end of our unit on energy.  We usually take two, 60 minute class periods to do the challenge including the building, testing and reflection.

Day 1: Explore day for planning how to build the coaster and for students to investigate how the marbles interact with different track materials. I do a demonstration of how to make the marble go down the track and then challenge students to make a working marble loop.  I have students draw out sketches of the coasters they want to build on white boards as a team and them take a photo for reference to use on day 2.

Day 2:  Build and Test Day students are given about 30 minutes to build the track before I start doing the rounds to observe the completed ride for scoring on the rubric. Students need to use their design sheets to record make a labeled sketch of the final design and write up their explanation about why the roller coaster meets or exceeds the design requirements

Students will also be doing this towards the end of the unit so they should be familiar with potential energy, kinetic energy, and systems. These are things to check for in your oral formative assessments while students are doing this task.

Designed for the NGSS

MS-PS3-2. Develop a model to describe that when the arrangement of objects interacting at a distance changes, different amounts of potential energy are stored in the system.

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.

Contains

• Cover, thank you, and TOU (3 pages)
• Lesson Planner, Teacher Notes, Materials, and Suggested Scaffolding for Students (PDF) (3 pages)
• Marble Coaster STEM Design Challenge Design Sheet (1 page)
• Coaster Design Specifications and Test Results Worksheet (2 pages)
• Rubric (1 pages)