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Notes for Teachers

Materials listed will make 1 rocket and launch station. Read through whole lesson to decide how many rockets, launch stations and data collecting materials you will need for your class.

Slideshow for students is at the end of this presentation.

List of Materials

Rocket

1 straw
½ ear plug

Launch Station

1 Pitsco Rocket Launcher
Optional: Masking Tape

Data Collection

Paper
Pencil
50-100 ft measuring tape

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Standards- Math

A1.A-APR.B

Understand the relationship between zeros and factors of polynomials.

A1.A-CED.A

Create equations that describe numbers or

relationships.

Standards -

Science & Engineering

HS.P3U1.6

Collect, analyze and interpret data regarding the change in motion of an object or system in one dimension, to construct an explanation of Newton’s Laws.

HS+Phy.P3U1.3

Develop a mathematical model, using Newton’s laws, to predict the motion of an object or system in two dimensions (projectile and circular motion).

Science and Engineering Practices

● ask questions and define problems ● develop and use models ● 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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Instructions

Day 1:

Place students in groups of 3-4. Give them 1-2 minutes to assign each member one of the following roles.

Scribe
Measurer 1
Measurer 2

Have students create a hypothesis on the following question.

“How will angle measure affect the distance a rocket can travel?”

Have students collect materials and assemble their rockets.

Split the class into 2 groups
Group 1:

Will go into the hallway, launch their rockets and collect data on distance. When all team members have launched their rocket, take the average of the 4 launches to be the official distance.

Group 2:

Will stay in the classroom, watch the videos of 15, 30 and 45 degrees and collect data on height.

When both groups are finished, have them switch. All groups should have a completed data table by the end of the class.

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Instructions (cont.)

Day 2:

Use data from the data table to graph the motion of the rockets.
Answer conclusion questions.

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Comparing Key

Features of Parabolas

Team members:

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Objective(s):

Students will be able to describe characteristics of parabolas by collecting data of straw rockets and using it to create graphs of the flight path.

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Agenda (Day 1)

Assigning roles and giving instructions (10 minutes)

Collecting data (40 minutes)

Clean up (5 minutes)

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Day 1 Creating the Straw Rockets

Step 1: Collect materials for your group

4 Straws
2 Ear Plugs
Scissors

Step 2: Cut your ear plug in half

Step 3: Stuff half of the ear plug into 1 end of the straw

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Driving Questions

Think of when you have seen a parabola in real life. List as many examples as you can.

Think about the path that rockets usually take. If you change the angle a rocket is launched at, how will it affect the path of the rocket?

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Day 1 Collecting Data on Distance

Gather your rockets and 1 pitsco rocket launcher
Set your launcher to 15 degrees
Place your rocket on the metal tube
Place the launcher with the rocket behind the launch line (blue tape on floor)
Hold on to the rocket while pulling the handle back as far as it goes
Release the handle
Repeat steps 2-6 for each team member
Measure the distance from the launch line to each rocket
Repeat steps 3-8 for 30 degrees and 45 degrees

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Day 1 Collecting Data on Height

Watch the following 3 videos and determine the height of the rocket at each angle. (Each brick is 4 inches tall)

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Day 1 Collecting Data Table

Use the table below to collect data from your launches

Straw #	1	2	3	4	Average(x)	Height(y)
Distance 15°	in	in	in	in	in
Distance 30°	in	in	in	in	in
Distance 45°	in	in	in	in	in

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Agenda (Day 2)

Examine example graph (10 minutes)

Create 3 graphs from data (25 minutes)

Answer closing questions (15 minutes)

Clean up (5 minutes)

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Example Graph

Graph the 60° arc in green

X-intercepts: 0, 361
Y-intercept: 0
Max value: 180, 96
Axis of Symmetry: x=180
D:( 0 , 361 ), R:( 0 , 96 )

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500

100

Straw #	1	2	3	4	Avg	Height
Distance 60°	421in	315in	374in	325in	361in	96

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Day 2 Graphing the Arcs

Graph the 15° arc in red

X-intercepts:
Y-intercept:
Max value:
Axis of Symmetry:
D:( , ), R:( , )

Graph the 30° arc in blue

X-intercepts:
Y-intercept:
Max value:
Axis of Symmetry:
D:( , ), R:( , )

Graph the 45° arc in black

X-intercepts:
Y-intercept:
Max value:
Axis of Symmetry:
D:( , ), R:( , )

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Day 2 Comparing the Arcs

Which arc was the:

Highest?
Lowest?
Farthest?
Shortest

Describe the relationship between distance and height:

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Assessment Rubric

Category	Exceeds - 3	Meets - 2	Approaches - 1	Falls Below - 0
Driving Questions	Student answered questions with great detail.	Student answered questions with some detail.	Student answered questions with little or no detail.	Student did not answer questions.
Collecting Data (Distance)	Student completed all launches and averaged their distance correctly.	Student completed all launches and averaged their distance incorrectly.	Student completed some launches and averaged their distance correctly.	Student did not complete all launches or average their distance correctly.
Collecting Data (Height)	Student correctly identified the maximum height of all three parabolas.	Student correctly identified the maximum height of two parabolas.	Student correctly identified the maximum height of one parabolas.	Student did not correctly identify the height of any of the parabolas.
Traits of 15 degree graph	Student correctly identified all traits of the 15 degree graph	Student correctly identified most traits of the 15 degree graph	Student correctly identified some traits of the 15 degree graph	Student correctly identified no traits of the 15 degree graph

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Assessment Rubric

Category	Exceeds - 3	Meets - 2	Approaches - 1	Falls Below - 0
Traits of 30 degree graph	Student correctly identified all traits of the 30 degree graph	Student correctly identified most traits of the 30 degree graph	Student correctly identified some traits of the 30 degree graph	Student correctly identified no traits of the 30 degree graph
Traits of 45 degree graph	Student correctly identified all traits of the 45 degree graph	Student correctly identified most traits of the 45 degree graph	Student correctly identified some traits of the 45 degree graph	Student correctly identified no traits of the 45 degree graph
Graphs	Student correctly graphed all 3 parabolas	Student correctly graphed two parabolas	Student correctly graphed one parabola	Student correctly graphed no parabolas
Ending Questions	Student answered questions with great detail.	Student answered questions with some detail.	Student answered questions with little or no detail.	Student did not answer questions.

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Differentiation

Provide a sample of a filled out table/graph.
Require 1 launch and no averaging.
Provide key vocabulary with images.
Provide additional time for tasks and assignments.
Allow for alternative modes of expression, such as verbal explanations or drawings.
Provide additional support or assign a peer mentor if necessary.

Remediation

Extension/Enrichment

Complete the same activities using paper airplanes or modify the rockets to have fins/weights/etc.
Talk about what traits of the launch will remain the same and what will be different with different types of aircraft/launchers.