Experimenting with Model Rockets
Grades 6—8
Written by Cary I. Sneider
It really doesn't take a rocket scientist. This exciting
series of rocketry activities—deliberately crafted to appeal
to girls as much as to boys—introduces the importance of
controlled experimentation to all scientific endeavors. Building
on the GEMS guide Height-O-Meters,
which is a prerequisite to this unit, Experimenting
with Model Rockets takes students through the analysis, modification,
and record-keeping involved in assessing the variables
that affect rocket flight. They develop skills in planning and
conducting controlled experiments, measuring in degrees and meters,
and graphing and interpreting data. Safety considerations and
teamwork are stressed at all times.
The launch of real model rockets built and customized by the students
offers the opportunity to involve parents or the school; "Launch
Day" can be an exciting celebration of accrued knowledge,
as students' knowledge and rockets fly.
Time: Seven 45-minute sessions
Comment on this GEMS unit. |
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