Collaborative Project Planning Template

Motion and Design - Creating a Rollercoaster

Project title
Subject(s)/Course 5th Grade Science
Project Author Anna Goodrum

I. Project Purpose

The purpose of this project is to allow students to have experience collaboratively working in a
What is the purpose of the project? group to solve an engineering challenge.
In order for students to understand the design principles they will need to work together in small
groups to research and then create the actual physical structure. The hands on component
would require for students to be in working teams to design using online tools, research and
create a presentation. An additional optional component of sharing outside of our school setting
allows for additional collaboration and teamwork.

Why is collaboration essential to this project?

Will the collboration be individually within groups only or will there be
collaboration among groups?
The collaboration will be in groups of 4-5. Students will collect information and research
independently, but work as an entire group to complete the challenge and share it with the school
community.
Students will research, design a blueprint, create and test a mock coaster.They will work
collaboratively in small groups using the design process (hypothesis, prototype, test, recursive
steps, test, etc.) to create a roller coaster using given materials. Students will use design
features to create hills, loops, and meet challenges set forth by the given guidelines. Students
will then test their roller coasters to see whose marble goes the farthest and fastest. At the end of
the assignment period students will reflect on their own creation and that of others: What parts of
the design process did you use? Look at the fastest and slowest coaster in the classroom: what
factors impacted the speed of the marble?

Essential Questions:
How do forces affect the motion of objects?
How do engineers make predictions about motion?
How do recursive steps improve design?
Goal(s)
1) Students will identify and use the design process
2) Students will understand the relationship between force and motion
3) Students will research and share findings using a web platform tool
4) Students will draft a technical drawing using a shared web drawing tool and explain how it
represents their three-dimensional model.
5) Students will create a multimedia presentation that includes graphs, video, drawings and
completed research

Objectives
 5th Grade Science Standards NC:

5.P.1 Understand force, motion and the relationship between them.

5.P.1.1 Explain how factors such as gravity, friction, and change in mass affect the motion of
objects
5.P.1.2 Infer the motion of objects in terms of how far they travel in a certain amount of time and
the direction in which they travel.
5.P.1.3 Illustrate the motion of an object using a graph to show change in position over a period
of time.

ISTE standards for Students:

Critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making Students use critical thinking skills to plan
and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using
appropriate digital tools and resources.
a. Identify and define authentic problems and significant questions for investigation
b. Plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project
c. Collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions
d. Use multiple processes and diverse perspectives to explore alternative solutions

Alignment with State Standards

II. Project Description

7-8 instructional periods (one period will need to be 2-3 hrs uninterrupted)
Students will research, design a blueprint, create and test a mock coaster.They will work
collaboratively in small groups using the design process (hypothesis, prototype, test, recursive
steps, test, etc.) to create their roller coaster using given materials. Students will be given the
challenge to create 2-3 hills,1-2 loops, and smoothly get the marble from one end to the other.
Students will then test their roller coasters and create a multimedia presentation to share with
classmates/community. At the end of the unit students will reflect on their creation, that of others
General Description and Time Frame and the recursive steps they took to accomplish challenges.
Direct instructions of scientific engineering principles pertaining to motion and design. Online
discussion tools and research resources. Shared collaborative document creation. Creation and
use of video and media tools. Student collaborative teams. Monitoring of student learning teams.
Use of project rubrics and student self assessment templates
Instructional Strategies employed
Instructor will use direct instruction and learning labs to attain student understanding of force,
Instructor role (i.e., student or teacher centered? student or teacher motion and design principles. Facilitate student groups during creation of coasters. Model the
Directed?) use of online collaborative tools and multimedia creation.
Content type and specific content elements Science content combined with ELA focus of speaking, writing and listening skills

Sequence and timeline for lesson events
How will collaboration be established and facilitated?
III. Role of Students
How will students be grouped?
What are student roles within the project?
Prior to starting the challenge the instructor will use learning labs and direct instruction to provide
information about motion and design principles.
Day 1 and 2: Students will research and work with simlulation software to determine how the
laws of motion relate to rollercoasters. Information will be shared in an edmodo small group
discussion site.
Day 3 and 4: Students will work in small teams to design a blueprint of their coaster. Students
can work online using Google Draw or Scribblar to create a mock up. Students will collaborate by
creating this illustration as a team using laptop computers, ipads or other devices available.
Day 5 - (extended period - 2-3 hours): create and test a mock coaster.Students will work
collaboratively in small groups using the design process (hypothesis, prototype, test, recursive
steps, test, etc.) to create a roller coaster using given materials. Students will create a coster
with hills, loops, and meet challenges set forth by rubric. (This has to be done in one class period
unless it is portable and there is a requirement of creating a scaffolded structure. Students often
attach to bookcases to gain height etc.) Students will work to revise their blueprint, test and
record in a chart speed, and record the working coaster using video software. Materials they can
use include: paper towel rolls, foam pool noodles, straws, toothpicks, tongue depressors, tape,
measuring tools, marbles or super balls,
Day 6: Students will create a quick multimedia presentation to share with the class.
Day 7:Students will view presentations and reflect on their own creation and that of others: What
parts of the design process did you use? Look at the fastest and slowest coaster in the
classroom: what factors impacted the speed of the marble?
Day 8: Optional (If a collaboration has been set up with another classroom within the school or
beyond - there could be a skype session to share coasters, or it can be done in an online format
using a platform tool to share multimedia presentations.
Collaboration within the classroom will be established using edmodo as a tool for discussions
and research collection. Google drive applications will be used to create project documents. .If
the use of outside classrooms is used to increase learning, teacher will use online connection
tools such as Skype and epals to find and create an interaction.
Student teams will be formed by the teacher with a limit of 4-5 students per group. Groups will be
formed with achievement, learning styles and strengths taken into consideration.
Roles include: Project Manager, Materials Manager/Time Keeper, Data collector (timekeeper for
speed tests) , Photographer/Video recorder (for importing into the multimedia presentation.)

How will students work within a group?
How will group issues be resolved?
Students will begin working in the group through discussion posts. Students will work in the
creation piece of the project using the designed roles. All students will be involved in the
research and building of the coaster.
Project manager: Student in this role will keep students on task and make sure that they are
meeting the outlined challenges.
Materials Manager/Time keeper: This student will collect the needed materials and manage the
time. noting when the creation is finished and the test time has begun.
Data Collector: This student will record the time trials and create a graph to represent the
findings
Photographer/Video Recorder: This student will document the creation through photos, record a
video of the coaster functioning.
(Groups of 5 will split the rolls of time keeper etc.)
Students will follow the school Peace Process for resolving issues(consists of I statements and
listening skills to resolve conflict). Teacher will intervene when an agreement cannot be reached.

IV. Assessment and Evaluation

Students will be assessed on research/discussion posted to the group discussion boards
(minimum of four posts per group member), role completion in creation and presentation,
observation from teacher during group tasks and peer feedback. Instructor will use the Google
Docs feature to look at the revision history and gauge the work of each student in the
Individual Accountability collaboration.
Students will complete a reflection of the project using paddlet. Students will post a sticky note at
the end of the project stating what worked well and ideas for improvement. Instructor will use
observation data to assess group interactions as well as feedback from a peer survey.
Group Process Evaluation
Project will be evaluated using a group and individual rubric. Individual rubric will include
knowledge of force and motion concepts, accomplishment of challenges during the creation, and
Project Evaluation multimedia presentation requirements.
Students will assess their peers through a peer reflection survey. The instructor will be the only
one to see the results and will use this as part of the overall evaluation. Questions will include:
Did all of your group members contribute to the research, creation of the coaster and
presentation? What task was each member assigned? Do you feel that your teammates were
positive in their interactions with others? What were the strengths and weaknesses of the group
interactions? These will promote honest feedback and provide an opportunity to share what
Peer Evaluation worked and did not work.
Formative assessments feedback include:
1) Discussion posts in Edmodo. Instructor can provide feedback in discussion posts based on the
research findings from simulation and websites.
2) Blueprint/Technical drawing - Direct feedback will be in comments posted on the groups
illustration in Google Drawing
Summative assessment feedback will be given in person after the final presentation in the form
Mechanism for feedback to students and groups - formative and of a rubric shared with the groups in their google folder
summative

V. Techology and Cyber Safety

Edmodo, Google Drive Applications (docs, forms, sheets, slides, drawing) Digital Camera ,
Imovie App on the IPad (for video editing), Scribblar, Skype, Epals, Paddlet
Web tools available and suggested
 Tools used will only be those approved for students under the age of 13 and allowed within the
district guidelines. Lessons will be given ahead of the project pertaining to cyber ethics. This will
include, how to cite sources used in research, proper etiquette when contributing to
conversations online and safe sharing of personal information/projects. Parents will sign a
permission form in advance of the project allowing student use of digital tools.
How will student cyber safety be addressed and mitigated?