The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project

5th Grade Newton’s Cradle Design Challenge: Part 2

5th Grade Newton’s Cradle Design Challenge: Part 2

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A 5th Grade STEM Lesson

Chelsey Griess

March 2023

Notes for Teachers

• This design challenge is broken up into four parts, this is part two. This lesson will focus on building the device that groups imagined in the previous lesson (Build).
• In order to successfully execute this lesson, students should have spent the previous lesson brainstorming the design that they will build in this lesson with their group.
• In this challenge, students will build a system where energy is transferred between objects for as long as possible (i.e. Newton’s Cradle).
• It is highly recommended that you make sure that an actual Newton’s Cradle is available for student’s to view as they build to help them with any revisions.
• Part 1- Click here
• Part 2- Click here
• Part 3- Click here
• Part 4- Click here

List of Materials

• Newton’s Cradle
• Lab Sheet- one per group
• Wooden craft sticks (20 per group, structure)
• Piece of cardboard (1 per group, surface- used by some students as the base)
• Straws (6 per group, structure)
• Pony Beads (5 per group, fastener)
• Marbles (5 per group)
• Hot glue (1 gun and 3 glue sticks per group)
• Masking tape (One roll per group, fastener)
• Pipe cleaners (4 per group, fastener or structure)
• Paperclips (10 per group, fastener)
• String (3 feet per group, fastener)
• Paper bags (one per group, used to hold supplies)

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Standards

5th Grade Science Standards- AZ

5.P2U1.3 Construct an explanation using evidence to demonstrate that objects can affect other objects even when they are not touching.

5.P3U1.4 Obtain, analyze, and communicate evidence of the effects that balanced and unbalanced forces have on the motion of objects.

5.P3U2.5 Define problems and design solutions pertaining to force and motion.

5.P4U1.6 Analyze and interpret data to determine how and where energy is transferred when objects move.

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Science & Engineering Practices

• Ask questions & define problems
• Plan & carry out investigations
• Construct explanations & design solutions
• Engage in argument from evidence
• Obtain, Evaluate, and Communicate Information

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Engineering Design Process

This is the Engineering Design Process:

Objective(s):

Build a device that allows energy to be transferred for at least 20 seconds, similar to the Newton’s Cradle.

Agenda (50 minutes)

• Review criteria & constraints- 5 minutes
• Select building jobs & review safety rules- 5 minutes
• Build & evaluate- 30 minutes
• Class discussion & closure (10 minutes)

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Review- Criteria & Constraints

Criteria: In a group of 3, build a device that maximizes the Three Laws of Motion to allow energy to be transferred between five marbles for at least 20 seconds, like Newton’s Cradle.

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Constraints: Two, 45-minute time blocks to complete the build and you can only use the materials listed below:

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Other agreed upon tools:

Build- Collaboration

Goal: Have each team member contribute to the build of your device. Before building, talk as a team and agree on each person’s job during the build.

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Example jobs: hot glue gun expert, measurement expert, supply runner

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Safety Rules

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• Use a wooden craft stick to spread any hot glue- not your finger.
• Be conservative in how much got glue you are using- a little goes a long way!
• Use your materials as tools, not toys.
• Groups will not be able to continue building if they are seen using their supplies in an unsafe or unintended way.

Build & Evaluate

Goal: Use the materials provided to build the design that your group agreed on.

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If you finish your build before the end of the session, ask the teacher to time your device to see how long the marbles stay in motion. Record these times on your lab sheet.

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Then, evaluate to see what can be improved on your device based on Newton’s Laws and make improvements so that your marbles stay in motion even longer. In some instances, you may need to restart. Extra supplies will be available if you need.

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Build- Piggy-Backing or Knowledge Sharing

If your team stalls out or gets stuck during the build, visit other groups to see what decisions that they made with their design for inspiration to get you “unstuck.”

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How do we assess our work?

• We ensure our design meets the criteria & constraints.
• We build and revise to maximize the amount of time that the marbles in our device are in motion.

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Share- Wrap-Up

• Did you complete your build?
• If yes, did your build meet the criteria?
• What problems did you encounter today during your build?
• Can you connect those problems to any of the Laws of Motion?
• How did you overcome those problems?
• Were you able to revise your design to make your marbles stay in motion longer? How?

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Differentiation

Students that struggle to make sufficient progress in their build can be given additional time at the teacher’s discretion.

The teacher should be asking students that are struggling to come to consensus or make sufficient progress to knowledge share or piggyback off of other groups that are having success to see what considerations they made in their designs.

The teacher can also encourage groups that are struggling to revisit the actual Newton’s Cradle to reverse engineer it’s design.

Lastly, the teacher can be asking questions that will help to steer the students in the right direction during the build such as, “How will you make sure that your strings are the correct length and placement?”

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Remediation

Extension/Enrichment

Ask groups that complete their build and successfully maintain consistent momentum in their device to evaluate and improve their design to lengthen the amount of time that their marbles are in motion. Students should be recording their times on their lab sheet.