Fairy Tale STEM: A Coach for Cinderella [WIND-POWERED COACH CHALLENGE] Created by Sarah Wiggins 2013 More Than a Worksheet

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1 Copyright 2013 More Than a Worksheet Fairy Tale STEM: A Coach for Cinderella [WIND-POWERED COACH CHALLENGE] Created by Sarah Wiggins 2013 More Than a Worksheet

2 Thank you so much for downloading this resource! I hope that you and your students love it! I am so honored that you took the time out of your busy day to visit my store. I appreciate you so much! And in case no one told you this today: J You are an amazing teacher J Your feedback is important to me. You can reach me at sarah@morethanaworksheet.com Or you can also reach me using the Q&A section of my TpT Store, More Than a Worksheet. PS: I would LOVE to see pics of how you use my resources in your classroom! If you are on Instagram, feel free to tag I m also on Facebook and Twitter! Happy Teaching! Sarah The More Than a Worksheet Promise: I promise to create engaging learning experiences that first and foremost make students think. They are rigorous, standards-based, versatile, and perfect for the teacher who wants to light a spark in students. Teachers don t have extra time to re-invent the wheel with each lesson, but you shouldn t have to sacrifice good teaching practices in lieu of textbooks, test prep, worksheets, and standards. Let me help you add critical thinking, creativity, and fun into your curriculum!

3 Copyright 2013 More Than a Worksheet What s Included in This Packet: -detailed notes to teacher (3 pages) -visual explanations of included forms -picture examples -student recording pages (four options choose the one that is best for you) -grading rubric -extension menu -home connections letter Materials Needed: paper tape straws for blowing (optional you could just have students blow with their mouths) meter stick or ruler long flat surface or table **Note if you purchased an earlier version of this product, you will notice that I changed the materials to just paper. I found this easier to manage than bringing in the random collection of building materials. With any STEM project, though, feel free to use whatever materials you have and are comfortable with! Notes About Time: I know that sometimes it is hard to fit STEM projects into your schedule. Do not feel like you have to spend several class periods on a project. You can complete this project (and most of the ones in my store) in a single class period. The first time you do STEM, it may take a little longer as students are getting used to your expectations. As you do more and more, you will be able to set tighter time limits. Anyone can build a successful coach if they have all day to do it! With STEM engineering challenges, encourage students to work within time limits. This is an important life lesson: Sometimes you just have to make the best decision with the information you have and then tweak it if possible. Here is a timeline that I used with third and fourth graders. I would stick roughly in these time frames. One thing that I did to save time was that I would allow students to test as they were ready, rather than having everyone test at the same time and watch others. Suggested Time Frame: 5 minutes to explain 10 minutes to build first coach 5 minutes to test first coach 10 minutes to build and test second coach 10 minutes to build and test third coach 10 minutes to discuss and reflect A Coach for Cinderella Teacher Guide {page 1} What to Print: -recording sheet of your choice -OPTIONAL: grading rubric, extension menu, home connections letter, notes to teacher page 2-3 Grouping Tips: Projects like these make great team-building activities. I typically assigned students to random groups that would change with each new project. Try to keep groups to 2-3 students. When there are more than three in a group, I find that some students take the lead and others participate less. When I keep the groups small, everyone must participate in order to complete the task.

4 Copyright 2013 More Than a Worksheet A Coach for Cinderella Teacher Guide {page 2} Introducing the Challenge: This a great challenge to do after reading a version of Cinderella. If you haven t read it with your class recently, summarize the story together so that they will be familiar with it. When you are ready to start the challenge, read it over together. Go over the constraints and success criteria. Ask: This question doesn t have to be answered in writing. This is just the basis of the challenge. Have students think about how they might do it. Imagine: Explain that in order for their coach to be successful, it must be able to travel by wind (students blowing it) for a distance of 3 meters in 10 seconds. Encourage students to think of different ways that the paper can catch the wind. Remind students that they must use the entire sheet of paper and can only use a total of 6 centimeters of tape. Give students time to brainstorm independently or with their groups. Create: This is the part of the activity where the learning takes place! Be sure to give students time to tinker around with the materials. Encourage them to try a variety of different ways until they come up with one they are happy with. Also remind them that it doesn t have to be perfect. The only way we can improve things is to have a starting design that can be improved upon. If we don t start in the first place, we can t improve. This is a hard, but very necessary, lesson for your perfectionists. Just try a design and go from there! Have students sketch their first creation. Or you could have them snap a pic if your school has the technology. Test: To set up the test, you will need a wide open space. Measure 3 meters, and mark the starting and finish line. (I used blue painter s tape to mark it on the floor). Have students set up their coach on the starting line, and begin blowing with a straw or just with their mouths, when you start the timer. If you have tile floors in your class, that will be perfect! Just slide some desks out of the way. If not, you can use the gym floor, an open hallway, or the sidewalk. (The sidewalk will be less smooth, but that s ok!) You can also use a smooth tabletop, but you would need to adjust the distance/time since you probably won t find a table that is 3 meters long. Alternative Test/Challenge Options: Determine which coach travels the farthest distance in 10 seconds. Have a contest to see which coach will travel the furthest with a single blow. You could also have a coach race if you have a large area such as the gym. *Math Extension Idea* Have students record their data on the board and graph class data at the end of the project. Improve: After they test, send students back to improve their design. Then, repeat and test again two more times. Encourage them to think of design improvements each time.

5 Copyright 2013 More Than a Worksheet A Coach for Cinderella Teacher Guide {page 3} Reflect: Encourage students to think about the project and their successes and failures. If there is time, you could debrief as a whole class. Have students Think-Pair-Share or discuss at their tables. Here are some questions to guide reflections: -Was your coach successful? How could you tell? -Which designs worked best? -Which designs were flops? -Why is it important to have designs that fail? -What was the most challenging? -Were there any surprises? Differentiation Options: -There are several recording sheet options. Choose the one that works best for your students. It s ok if some students have a different one. -For students who need extra help, you can have them work at a station with you and guide them through the first try. Note: many times, students who struggle in other areas of the curriculum may excel with STEM challenges. -For students who need additional challenges, you can give them a copy of the extension menu to work with. -Adjust the time allowed for construction to meet students needs. For students who can handle it, give them shorter time and require them to work quickly which adds to the challenge. Extension Ideas: -For individual students, the extension menu provides choices for early finishers or students who need a little more. -Parent Letter send home the included letter for students to try this challenge at home. Encourage students to bring in pictures or share their experiences at home. Grading STEM: I provided a rubric for this STEM project. In my opinion, STEM is challenging to grade because there is no black and white, right or wrong answer. With STEM challenges, we encourage students to think critically and be willing to try different solutions. Those thinking skills are difficult to assess, but I created a rubric that you can use. Use the rubric as a learning tool so that students know what you expect of them during STEM time. The Science Behind It: The successful wind-powered coaches will create a larger surface area to catch the wind. Think of how sails work. Friction, or lack of friction, will also affect the results. If you test the coaches on a smooth surface, they will likely travel further than if you test them on a rough surface such as the sidewalk or carpet. Other factors that affect the results are the way that students blow, how much wind they create, and the force of their blows. If you do the testing outside, the outside wind may also affect results.

6 Before starting, choose the recording option that is best for you. Project the challenge on your Smartboard instead of printing. Student recording sheet Option 1 Option 2 Paper saving option

7 These differentiated recording options are perfect for ELL students or students who need a little extra help. They can write or draw their process. Option 3 Option 4

8 Use the extension menu for early finishers or students who need an extra challenge. Parent letter to send home. It explains the project, gives suggestions for discussion, ways to apply it to the real world, and a chance to try it again at home.

9 Choose the rubric that you prefer. One includes number values, and one does not so you can choose your own number values.

10 Here are a couple of successful designs: A note about pictures and examples: When you show students examples or pictures, they tend to imitate what they see. I recommend that you use these pictures for your purposes only and do not show to students ahead of time. Part of the challenge is thinking creatively and outside the box. One of the benefits of STEM is that the challenges are open-ended with no one right answer. This allows students to apply critical thinking skills in ways they can t always do with typical classroom assignments. You will be amazed at what your students come up with on their own!

11 Copyright 2013 More Than a Worksheet A Coach for Cinderella Oh no! The fairy godmother was having an off night. Instead of turning the pumpkin and mice into a coach and horses, she made them all disappear. Cinderella needs help getting to the ball! Your challenge: Build a wind-powered coach to help Cinderella get to the ball. Constraints: *You may only use one sheet of paper. *You may also use 6 centimeters of tape. *You must supply the wind by blowing. Success Criteria: Your coach should travel 3 meters in 10 seconds or less.

12 Name Date A Coach for Cinderella [ASK] How can I create a wind-powered coach using only one sheet of paper? [IMAGINE] [CREATE] Create your coach, and sketch your design. Think of ways that you can use a sheet of paper to harness the wind. What are some coach designs you might try? [TEST] Place your coach at the starting line. Begin blowing when the timer starts. Measure the distance it travels in 10 seconds. Trial 1 Distance Did your coach travel at least 3 meters? [IMPROVE] Adjust your coach to make it better, and test again. Distance Trial 2 Yes No Make your final adjustments to your coach, and test one more time. Distance Trial 3 Did your coach travel further than before? Yes No Did your coach travel further than before? Yes No [REFLECT] Were your changes effective? Why or why not? Were there any outside facotrs that affected the success of your coach? Copyright 2013 More Than a Worksheet

13 2013 More Than a Worksheet Name Date [ASK] [IMAGINE] A Coach for Cinderella Oh no! The fairy godmother was having an off night. Instead of turning the pumpkin and mice into a coach and horses, she made them all disappear. Cinderella needs help getting to the ball! Your challenge: Build a wind-powered coach to help Cinderella get to the ball. Constraints: *You may only use one sheet of paper. *You may also use 6 centimeters of tape. *You must supply the wind by blowing. Success Criteria: Your coach should travel 3 meters in 10 seconds or less. How can I create a wind-powered coach using only one sheet of paper? Think of ways that you can use a sheet of paper to harness the wind. What are some coach designs you might try? [CREATE] Create your coach, and sketch your design. [TEST] Place your coach at the starting line. Begin blowing when the timer starts. Measure the distance it travels in 10 seconds. [IMPROVE] Adjust your coach to make it better, and test again. Distance [REFLECT] Trial 3 Distance Trial 1 Did your coach travel at least 3 meters? Yes No Distance Trial 2 Did your coach travel further than before? Yes No Make your final adjustments to your coach, and test one more time. Did your coach travel further than before? Yes No Were your changes effective? Explain. Were there any outside factors that affected the success of your coach?

14 Copyright 2013 More Than a Worksheet Name Date A Coach for Cinderella Write an explanation or draw a picture that tells what you did to build a coach Cinderella. Then, circle if your coach was successful or not. First Next Then Last Was your coach a success? Circle: Yes No

15 Copyright 2013 More Than a Worksheet Name Date A Coach for Cinderella Write to explain your thinking and building process for this project. First I tried Then I noticed Next I decided to Finally I learned Was your design a success? Circle: Yes No Explain:

16 Name A Coach for Cinderella This is your assessment for your A Coach for Cinderella STEM engineering challenge. As engineers, growing and improving is very important so that we can become skilled and model engineers. N G S M Novice Engineer (7 points) Criteria is not attempted or is attempted incorrectly. STEM Engineering Levels: Growing Engineer (8 points) Criteria is attempted correctly, and there is room for improvement with the results. Skilled Engineer (9 points) Criteria is attempted correctly and met accurately. Model Engineer (10 points) Criteria is attempted and met accurately and in an exemplary way that serves as an example for other engineers. A Coach for Cinderella STEM Engineering Challenge Criteria Engineering Level Imagine & Create Brainstorm multiple possible solutions to meet the design challenge. Discuss different ways to construct the coach. Create a coach using a single sheet of paper and 6 cm of tape. It should meet the design criteria (travel at least 3 meters in 10 seconds) and also adhere to the constraints for time and materials. Test, Improve, & Reflect Conduct the test carefully by blowing the coach for 10 seconds. Measure the distance it traveled. Accurately record results of the test. Consider multiple possibilities for improvement, and design a new coach. Reflect on the successes and failures of your design. Participation and Teamwork Participate cooperatively with teammates. Contribute ideas and suggestions to the group discussion, and be respectful of the ideas from other group members. Share in the responsibilities of this project. Focus on the task at all times. Effort and Determination Demonstrate best effort, and maintain a determined attitude. Do not give up when a design flops, but instead keep trying and looking for other solutions. Be willing to try new things and learn from and appreciate both successes and failures. Grade: Comments: 2013 More Than a Worksheet

17 Name A Coach for Cinderella STEM Engineering Levels: N G S M Novice Engineer Growing Engineer Skilled Engineer Model Engineer This is your assessment for your A Coach for Cinderella STEM engineering challenge. As engineers, growing and improving is very important so that we can become skilled and model engineers. Criteria is not attempted or is attempted incorrectly. Criteria is attempted correctly, and there is room for improvement with the results. Criteria is attempted correctly and met accurately. Criteria is attempted and met accurately and in an exemplary way that serves as an example for other engineers. A Coach for Cinderella STEM Engineering Challenge Criteria Engineering Level Imagine & Create Brainstorm multiple possible solutions to meet the design challenge. Discuss different ways to construct the coach. Create a coach using a single sheet of paper and 6 cm of tape. It should meet the design criteria (travel at least 3 meters in 10 seconds) and also adhere to the constraints for time and materials. Test, Improve, & Reflect Conduct the test carefully by blowing the coach for 10 seconds. Measure the distance it traveled. Accurately record results of the test. Consider multiple possibilities for improvement, and design a new coach. Reflect on the successes and failures of your design. Participation and Teamwork Participate cooperatively with teammates. Contribute ideas and suggestions to the group discussion, and be respectful of the ideas from other group members. Share in the responsibilities of this project. Focus on the task at all times. Effort and Determination Demonstrate best effort, and maintain a determined attitude. Do not give up when a design flops, but instead keep trying and looking for other solutions. Be willing to try new things and learn from and appreciate both successes and failures. Grade: Comments: 2013 More Than a Worksheet

18 A Coach for Cinderella Extension Menu Engineering Create a coach, and see how far it travels with a single blow. Art Decorate and display your wind-powered coach. Creative Thinking & Writing Pretend you are the fairy godmother. Write an apology letter about the whole mishap with the coach. Math Create a bar graph or a double bar graph of the class data from this project. Writing Re-write a version of Cinderella, and include your coach as part of the story. Engineering Use a variety of other materials such as newspaper, cardboard, or construction paper to create and test more wind-powered coaches. Reading Read and compare several different versions of Cinderella. Technology & Engineering Research wind power, and make a list of different things that can be powered by wind. Engineering Have a wind-powered coach race with your classmates. Set a starting line and finish line. See who can make it to the end first More Than a Worksheet

19 More Than a Worksheet More Than a Worksheet [DEAR PARENTS] Today, we worked on an exciting STEM Engineering Challenge! We constructed a wind-powered coach for Cinderella using only paper and tape. The challenge was to create a coach that traveled 3 meters in only 10 seconds, powered by wind. Here are some ways you can support your child s learning at home: Discuss it: Ask your child to tell you about the project. Here are some questions to guide you: Was your coach successful? How could you tell? What things did you do to improve your original design? Did you try any designs that didn t work? What surprised you about this project? What frustrated you about this project? Apply it: As you are out and about, talk about different forms of energy that you notice. Talk about the pros and cons of using wind energy. Try it: Try to repeat the challenge at home. You will need paper, tape, and a straw. Create coaches that can be powered by blowing into the straw. Try to create the most aerodynamic design. This makes a fun family challenge! See who can create a coach that travels the furthest. [DEAR PARENTS] Today, we worked on an exciting STEM Engineering Challenge! We constructed a wind-powered coach for Cinderella using only paper and tape. The challenge was to create a coach that traveled 3 meters in only 10 seconds, powered by wind. Here are some ways you can support your child s learning at home: Discuss it: Ask your child to tell you about the project. Here are some questions to guide you: Was your coach successful? How could you tell? What things did you do to improve your original design? Did you try any designs that didn t work? What surprised you about this project? What frustrated you about this project? Apply it: As you are out and about, talk about different forms of energy that you notice. Talk about the pros and cons of using wind energy. Try it: Try to repeat the challenge at home. You will need paper, tape, and a straw. Create coaches that can be powered by blowing into the straw. Try to create the most aerodynamic design. This makes a fun family challenge! See who can create a coach that travels the furthest. If you try this challenge at home, I would love to hear how it goes and even see pictures! Thank you for your support at home J If you try this challenge at home, I would love to hear how it goes and even see pictures! Thank you for your support at home J

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