Roller Coaster STEM Activity : Paper Roller Coasters

Rated 4.85 out of 5, based on 26 reviews

4.9 (26 ratings)

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Sarah's STEM stuff

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Grade Levels

5th - 8th

Subjects

Science, Physics, Physical Science

Resource Type

Projects, Activities

Standards

NGSSMS-PS3-2

NGSS4-PS3-1

NGSSMS-PS3-5

NGSSMS-PS3-1

Formats Included

Pages

8 + Digital (editable) copies

$4.25

Wish List

$4.25

Wish List

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What educators are saying

I used this as my quarterly STEAM project and it went SO well. I ended up making my own templates for students to use while building their actual coasters. This resource was absolutely perfect to get them through planning, designing, and reflecting. Thanks!

— Brittain H.

Rated 5 out of 5

My students loved collaborating together to create their paper roller coasters. We are a virtual school that meets in-person once a month and this was a HUGE hit. Each group literally came up with a completely different looking roller coaster and we had 5 different groups. AMAZING!!

— Karie C.

Rated 5 out of 5

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Description

Standards

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More fromSarah's STEM stuff

Description

Build a roller coaster while learning about kinetic and potential energy in this engaging STEM challenge! Your students will love learning about the physics of roller coasters! Students research, plan, build, and test marble roller coasters made of paper and tape. This is a yearly favorite! Students apply their understanding of kinetic and potential energy transformations as they create 4 thrills in their paper coasters. This is an annual favorite in my class!

Also includes an interactive lesson on potential and kinetic energy using a virtual roller Coaster simulation. This worksheet looks at the relationship of kinetic and potential energy and the effect of speed and height energy transformations. This is a great no prep introductory activity, used with absent students, or a sub plan.

All pages of the resource are EDITABLE, so you can modify it to meet the needs of your students - bump up the challenge for older students or simplify for younger ones.

This STEM activity follows the engineering design process and challenges students’ problems solving and critical thinking. The students design a roller coaster with different “thrills” including hills, loops, funnels, etc. Their marble needs to make it through their roller coaster from beginning to end without help and land safely at the bottom.

What's included?

Teacher directions with link to printable templates and fully editable student sheets.
Student requirements and grading sheet (editable)
Pictures of sample projects
Project Planning page (editable)
Project Reflection and Questions (editable)
Virtual Roller Coaster Worksheet (editable)

Looking for other Energy resources? Check out:

Total Pages

8 + Digital (editable) copies

Answer Key

Included

Teaching Duration

1 Week

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Standards

to see state-specific standards (only available in the US).

NGSSMS-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. Emphasis is on relative amounts of potential energy, not on calculations of potential energy. Examples of objects within systems interacting at varying distances could include: the Earth and either a roller coaster cart at varying positions on a hill or objects at varying heights on shelves, changing the direction/orientation of a magnet, and a balloon with static electrical charge being brought closer to a classmate’s hair. Examples of models could include representations, diagrams, pictures, and written descriptions of systems. Assessment is limited to two objects and electric, magnetic, and gravitational interactions.

NGSS4-PS3-1

Use evidence to construct an explanation relating the speed of an object to the energy of that object. Assessment does not include quantitative measures of changes in the speed of an object or on any precise or quantitative definition of energy.

NGSSMS-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. Examples of empirical evidence used in arguments could include an inventory or other representation of the energy before and after the transfer in the form of temperature changes or motion of object. Assessment does not include calculations of energy.

NGSSMS-PS3-1

Construct and interpret graphical displays of data to describe the relationships of kinetic energy to the mass of an object and to the speed of an object. Emphasis is on descriptive relationships between kinetic energy and mass separately from kinetic energy and speed. Examples could include riding a bicycle at different speeds, rolling different sizes of rocks downhill, and getting hit by a wiffle ball versus a tennis ball.

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