K-12 Engineering Education Standards: - International Technology ...

Brainstorm and Design
Help students get grounded
in concepts like Newton’s
First Law, acceleration,
trajectory, and potential
and kinetic energy. Show
the animation, How Can
Use a 30-second animation to visually
explain the concepts of potential and
kinetic energy.
Potential Energy Be Used
to Do Work? Ask students:
How will you modify the
cup so it can carry a marble down a zip line and also drop
it onto a target? (They can build a door, platform, shelf, or
holder.) How will you remotely release the marble from the
cup? (They can attach a string on the uphill side of the cup,
opposite the platform or door, to pull when near the “drop
zone.”) When do you need to launch the marble so that it
will hit the target? (The marble will keep moving as it falls,
so they’ll need to release it before reaching the target.) Have
your students sketch their design ideas on paper.
Build and Test
Have kids set up a zip line
between two objects (i.e., a
table and chair). The zip line
should be stretched tight
and at an angle. Invite kids
to choose their best design
and build it. When kids are
ready to test, they should
place a target near the end of
the zip line. Then have them
send the cup down the line
and try to hit the target with
the marble, using the remote
release. As they test, help
students problem-solve any
issues they face.
index card
platform
marble
tape
guides
handle
string to
tip cup
Examples of a platform and a door
design.
Evaluate and Redesign
How close did students get to hitting the target? Encourage
them to make changes to improve their designs. Is the cup
moving slowly down the zip line? Make sure it can slide
freely and check the steepness
of the zip line. Does the marble
get stuck? Suggest that kids
enlarge the opening, unblock
the platform, or make “guides”
out of tape to help direct the
marble. Does the marble miss
In the episode Backyard Thrill Ride,
teams bring the adrenaline rush of an
amusement park ride to a 13-year-old’s
backyard with zip line-inspired thrills.
16 • Technology and Engineering Teacher • February 2011
the target? Tell kids to check
for interference from the
door or platform and remind
them about timing the release
to account for the marble’s
forward motion.
Share
Have your students show each other their modified cups
and talk about how they solved problems that came up.
Discuss what modifications they made, how the marble
moved after it was ejected, and how they saw Newton’s First
Law in action. Share photos of their designs on the Design
Squad Nation website. Click “Read more” about On Target
for a link.
Water in Space: A Real-
World Connection
Just as they do on Earth, astronauts who are in space need
air and water to survive. But bringing a large quantity of
water is expensive—over $25,000 a pound—so NASA
engineers have developed a way to recycle it. Show kids
NASA Toilet, the video profile of aerospace engineer Evan
Thomas, who works on
water recovery systems
that can turn even waste
water like urine into clean,
drinkable water. Find it in
the Space/Transportation
Download or stream two-minute video
profiles in which kids see real engineers
in diverse, creative careers.
resource topic.