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The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project

Precious Cargo: A Safer Landing

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Precious Cargo: A Safer Landing

A 6th grade STEM lesson

Jaime Camero

04/10/2023

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Notes for teachers

Having students work as partners works best for this activity.
You will need a high place from which students can drop objects to collect data (We have a balcony, but step stools will also work. Keep student safety in mind.)
Plan for this to take two 50 minute class periods at a minimum, but if you have more time, four-five class periods is ideal to complete data analysis and chemical engineering/testing at least two prototypes.
Emphasize criteria and data collection when teaching the engineering/design process.

List of Materials:

Read Aloud Book: How Do Parachutes Work by Jennifer Boothroyd*
Lightweight Materials (napkins, paper towels, tissue paper, plastic wrap, plastic baggies, wax paper, parchment paper, index cards, etc.)
Single Hole Punch
String

Per partner pair:

Article
Engineering Journal (These can be printed out for each team of students if your classroom is not a one-to-one setting)
Stop watch
Tape
Scissors
Paratrooper
Metal Washer
Paper, Ruler, Pencil to draw blades of different lengths

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Arizona Science Standards

6.P2U1.4

Develop and use a model to predict how forces act on objects at a distance.

Arizona Science & Engineering Practices Standards

ask questions and define problems
plan and carry out investigations
analyze and interpret data
use mathematics and computational thinking
construct explanations and design solutions
engage in argument from evidence
obtain, evaluate, and communicate information

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Arizona ELA Standards

6.RI.1

Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

6.RI.7

Integrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words to develop a coherent understanding of a topic or issue.

6.W.1

Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.

Arizona Math Standards

6.NS.B

Compute fluently with multi- digit numbers

6.SP.A

Develop understanding of statistical variability.

6.SP.B

Summarize and describe distributions.

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Technology Standards

Standard 3. Knowledge Constructor - Students critically curate a variety of resources using digital tools to construct knowledge, produce creative artifacts, and make meaningful learning experiences for themselves and others.

Standard 5. Computational Thinker - Students develop and employ strategies for understanding and solving problems in ways that leverage the power of technological methods to develop and test solutions.

Standard 6. Creative Communicator - Students communicate clearly and express themselves creatively for a variety of purposes using the platforms, tools, styles, formats and digital media appropriate to their goals.

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Objectives:

After engaging in an investigation about air resistance(conducting background research and designing/constructing/testing multiple prototypes) all learners will be able to engineer landing gear for simulated cargo to argue a best design to safely land cargo in space by writing a Claim supported by Evidence and Reasoning (CER) that receives a score of 3 or better using the rubric.

Learning Outcomes:

Plan and carry out investigations
Analyze and interpret data
Evaluate solutions for effectiveness
Demonstrate understanding of why it is difficult to land rovers in space
Compose an argument based on evidence

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Agenda (four hours)

If you are in a time crunch:

Lesson 1: (~50-60 minutes)

Introduction to Parachutes
Background Research
Partner Reading
Testing out the paratroopers

Lesson 2: (~50-60 minutes)

Design/Construct/Test a parachute to land your cargo safely
Write CER

If you have four-five full days:

Lesson 3: (~50-60 minutes)

Design/Construct/Test a parachute

Lesson 4: (~50-60 minutes)

Using the data collected in Lesson 3, redesign parachute and test again
Test helicopter blades of different lengths
Design landing gear that uses the best blade and the best parachute based on data collected

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Intro

Think About:

How do parachutes work?
Why do you think it’s designed this way?

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Hands-on Activity Instructions Lesson 1

Partner Up
Independently read the article Read-Pause-Partner for ten minutes
Make observations and record your data about how your paratrooper’s chute behaves for ten minutes

Hands-On Activity:

Watch the video and discuss why it is so difficult to land on Mars and how that might also affect the Artemis moon landing
Give background info: Mars is a smaller planet, having about half the diameter of Earth. Because of its lower mass, it cooled more rapidly and had a shorter period of volcanic outgassing to release carbon dioxide. Much of its early atmosphere was probably lost to space because there was too little gravity to hold it. Mars now has a very thin atmosphere with a total atmospheric pressure of only 0.007 – 0.010 bars. Therefore, although the atmosphere is composed of more than 95% carbon dioxide, the total atmospheric pressure and the amount of carbon dioxide (i.e., the partial pressure) are too low to induce a substantial greenhouse effect. Earth has an atmosphere composed mostly of nitrogen (78%) and oxygen (21%) with a total atmospheric pressure of 1.014 bars. Water vapour is variable, and makes up from 0% to 4% of the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide averages about 0.035%. Earth’s early atmosphere was like those of early Venus and Mars, composed largely of carbon dioxide, water vapour, and nitrogen with a strong greenhouse effect. Because the Earth was further from the sun, the atmosphere cooled enough for water vapor to condense and fall as rain (for millions of years). The water filled basins to form the early oceans, where carbon dioxide was drawn from the atmosphere and reacted with dissolved salts to form carbonate rock. The appearance of carbonate-depositing cyanobacteria (stromatolites) about 3.5 billion years ago also helped to draw carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The loss of water vapor and carbon dioxide left an atmosphere largely composed of nitrogen. The evolution of photosynthesizing bacteria and algae added oxygen to the atmosphere, which slowly rose to the current value of 21% by about 500 million years ago.
Direct students to read the article as partners using the Read-Pause-Partner Protocol:

Individuals silently read the first section of the assigned text (Paragraph 2 and Image 1).
Partners make eye contact to signal that both have completed the section of reading.
Partner A summarizes the section read.
Partner B responds to Partner A, adding any details or connections.
Individuals silently read the next designated section of the assigned text (Paragraphs 3-5).
Change roles - Partner B summarizes first and Partner A responds.
Continue to read one section at a time alternating which partner shares first. No need to wait for teacher prompt, use the 10 minutes to read as far as you are able.

Test behavior of paratrooper and collect data using the observation record worksheet(s)

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Hands-on Activity Instructions Lesson 2

Engineer It!
Make observations and record your data
Write a CER

Criteria	Constraints

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Hands-on Activity Instructions Lesson *3

Determine Criteria and Constraints
Design/Engineer a parachute (prototype 1)
Evaluate it for effectiveness
Redesign/Reiterate based on findings (prototype 2)

Criteria	Constraints

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Hands-on Activity Instructions Lesson *4

Test the different blade lengths and collect record observations about their behavior
Evaluate the blades to determine the best one to use
Design landing gear using the best blade and the best parachute
Write a CER based on your findings

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Assessment

Math: Record Observations (tables and/or graphs)
Engineering: Test prototypes and evaluate their effectiveness to meet the criteria
ELA: CER

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Differentiation

provide the criteria and constraints to struggling students
have pre-made blade length sheets ready for students that struggle to use measuring tools to draw blades on paper
provide a calculator to use for math calculations
provide a paragraph frame to help with the CER

Remediation

Extension/Enrichment

complete as many iterations as time allows
construct a third prototype that uses both the parachute and the blades together
draft a letter to NASA explaining what they did in class and their findings
have students test out studier materials (cardboard, card stock, twine, etc.) to construct a prototype