oForce and Motion: Roller Coaster Ride
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Vocabulary: Hill, Ramp, Roll, Slope, Gravity, Longer, Shorter, Faster and Faster, Slower and Slower, Time
Materials: Flexible foam pipe insulation (cut in half, lengthways), Marbles, Masking tape, Blocks
Activity: Create a marble path! Tape path to walls and tables, to form curves and loops. Lay path over blocks, to form hills. Place cups as targets for the marbles.
Measurement: Measure how far the marble travels. Measure how fast the marble travels.
Resource: Williams, R et al. (2010). Preschool Scientist, pgs. 80-81. (Buy on Amazon)
oBig Ideas from Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines
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Properties of Matter: How does the type of landing surface affect how far the marble rolls?
Force and Motion: How does the shape of the hill affect the speed of the marble?
Earth Science: How does the shape of a snow ramp affect a ski jump?
Characteristics of Organisms: How does body structure affect how a namib wheeling spider rolls? (Wikipedia: Terrestrial Locomotion)
Tools and Measurement: How does the slope of the ramp affect how far the marble rolls?
oAdditional Photos
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Loops Down a Chair
Loops Down the Wall
