Curated and Reviewed by
Lesson Planet
This Rocket Races lesson plan also includes:
And they are off! Using Styrofoam meat trays and balloons, individuals build racers that demonstrate Newton's Third Law of Motion. Pupils run their racers three times and make improvements between each trial. To conclude the activity, individuals record their race data and draw their best designs.
289 Views
314 Downloads
Concepts
Additional Tags
Instructional Ideas
- To emphasize the design process, place a cost on materials and give teams a budget
- Use the Pop Can "Hero Engine" as an introduction to Newton's Third Law of Motion right before this activity
Classroom Considerations
- Requires space to run the racers that is about 10 meters in length
- The Styrofoam trays are not easily cut and smoothed; this will take time
Pros
- The teacher pages provide some insight into possible issues with racers
- The lesson plan contains a material list for each racer
Cons
- It is easy to lose sight of the concept of Newton's Third Law of Motion