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OLYMPIAD

CATAPULT CHALLENGE SUPPLEMENTAL LESSON PLAN

GFESCDr. Curtis Varnell, Science Specialist

Amber Cobb, GT SpecialistSome Lessons Adapted From DESIGN SQUAD/DESIGN SQUAD CHALLENGE & http://www.westsoundstem.org/

CATAPULT CHALLENGE GUIDELINES

Students will create a catapult that will launch a large (jumbo) marshmallow as far as possible within a fairway lane.

Students will be given one throw. If the student misfires on the first attempt, they may have ONE more attempt.

Winner will be determined by the student whose catapult throws the marshmallow the farthest distance that stayed within the 8 ft. wide fairway.

AUTHORIZED MATERIALS

1 school size (8oz) milk carton Up to 3 rubber bands Up to 3 wooden pencils (regular size) Up to 1 meter masking tape Up to 3 toothpicks Up to 2 plastic spoons

Catapult History: When you hear the word “catapult”, you might think of devices used during battles in the Middle Ages. Today, catapults are used many different ways. Did you know that the military sometimes uses catapults to launch planes on aircraft carriers? And, at the amusement park Knott’s Berry Farm, a catapult helps power the Montezuma’s Revenge roller coaster ride!

Launch: A catapult is a device used to launch or throw something a great distance without electricity. There are many types of catapults, including trebuchets, mangonels, and ballistas. A trebuchet is one of the most powerful types. The way it is built gives it lots of potential energy. When the catapult drops its load, kinetic energy goes to the object being thrown, and that object (or projectile) is launched with a lot of force.

Science Behind Catapults: When you push or pull an object, you are exerting a force. People exert this force to move objects from one place to another. This exerted force is called work. Simple machines help people perform work. A lever is an example of a simple machine. A lever consists of a plank that is free at both ends (like a teeter-totter) and a steady object on which the plank can rest. The object the plank rests on is called the fulcrum. The object on the plank that one is trying to move is called the load. (On a teeter-totter, you are the load!) Force pushing down one end of the plank moves the load in the opposite direction. On the teeter-totter, if the far end is forced down, you go up! This is a lever in action. A catapult is a kind of lever.

*Information obtained from westsidestem.org

This activity emphasizes the engineering design process. Introduce this process to the students.

LESSON:

1. Allow students to read and discuss the handout about catapults. 2. Before organizing students in groups, introduce them to the engineering design process.

3. Ask them to identify the problem: to create a catapult that will launch a large (jumbo) marshmallow as far as possible within a fairway lane (STEP 1 of the engineering process IDENTIFY PROBLEM).

4. Ask students if they have ever seen a catapult? Allow students to watch a short video on catapults and how they work. Guide them in answering the following questions (STEP 2 of the engineering process RESEARCH):

i. What is a catapult used for?ii. How do catapults make work easier?

iii. What simple machines make up a catapult?

5. Once students have identified the simple machines used in a catapult, display the materials list used for the competition. You might want to allow students to look and play with the materials. After they have had a chance to explore the materials, ask the following:

i. What material could we substitute for ___________? (name a simple machine used in a catapult) Continue this process until students have brainstormed substitutions for each simple machine used in a catapult (STEP 3 of engineering process BRAINSTORM possible solutions).

6. Allow students to divide into their groups.7.8. Pass out the “Goal Setting/

Plan of Action” work page. Tell students that many times, it takes multiple trials to solve a problem. Scientists often design, test, and redesign their ideas before their final product is ready. Using the work page, students answer the question “What will be the hardest part about building the catapult?”

9. Next, students draw out their design under the plan of action section. Students must label each of their materials in the picture (using the materials list).

10. Begin the actual building of their catapult. (Allow students to build their catapult, even if you see potential problems. Most of the learning phase of this project is in the problem solving/reflection piece. Many students have limited practice working in teams, so you may notice one person doing most of the work, allow this the first time. Students should notice after the reflection sheet that they need to work together or specialize in certain jobs during the catapult building). Scientists also create detailed records so that improvements can be made. Using the “Research Log” ask students to write down how they built their catapult, and the specific tasks that each group member was responsible for.

11. Allow students to test their catapult. Using the launching site, students must record each time, using the “Control Launch Distances” sheet attached. Although they will only get one launch at the competition, for learning purposes they will launch the catapult more than once during the lesson. Explain to the students that in order to get an accurate time, it is best to launch the catapult more than once so that an average time can be developed. (You may want to conduct a mini lesson on how to find the average of 3 numbers).

12. Pass out the “Reflection” page. Explain to the students that scientist often design, test, and redesign their products. Scientists also create records of their trials so that improvements can be made. Using the “Reflections” page, ask students to record exactly what they observed during the “test trial”.

13. Using their “Reflections” sheet as a guide, ask students to redesign their “Plan of Action” design. Using the attached matrix, students make notes in the boxes using the criteria. If no change needs to be made, students can simply write “no change”. Test again. Students may go through this process as many times as needed to get their intended product (or as many times as time allows).

Note: It is important for students to have multiple attempts at trials. A 21st century skill we want our students to learn is collaboration. Collaboration is not one person doing all the work. Collaboration requires all group members contributing to the effort. For example, a group may realize that the process takes less time if they assign jobs to each member ( Sally cuts the string, Joe, counts out the materials and distributes them, Susan stuffs the straws with string, etc.) You also want students to avoid abandoning their idea if it takes longer than the one hour time allotted (on the first few trials at least). They should come to understand that their bridge could be a usable model, but that they need to get more efficient at the building process.

catapultlaunch SITE

catapultlaunch SITe

Goal Setting Work PageGroup Members:

_______________

_______________

_______________

I think the hardest part about building the catapult will be ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.

Plan of ActionDraw what your model will look like. Label the supplies in the picture (use the supply list for

help).

Research LogGroup Members:

_______________

_______________

_______________

How did you build your catapult? (Explain in such a way that someone could follow your directions and make the catapult the same way you did). ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Evaluation MatrixCan we

make it in an

hour?

Can we make it with the required material

?

Can we make it without

help every time?

What was the average distance

?

Trial One

DesignTrial Two

DesignTrial

Three Design

Which design would be best for the competition, keeping in mind the rules and regulations? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Control (Practice) Launch DistancesLaunch # Distance

The average launch distance was ______

Our goal is to add ________ to the launch distance.

After the adjustments were made to your design, test your catapult again.

Launch # Distance

The average launch distance after adjustments was _____. The distance (increased/decreased) by ____. We (DID NOT MEET/MET/EXCEEDED) our goal of _____ above the control time.

Team Work LogTrial 1

Group Member Name Describe What Each Member Did To Contribute

Trial 1 ReflectionsWhat happened when you tested your catapult? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What changes need to be made before the next trial? _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

THINKING DEEPERHow long did it take you to build your final catapult? _______________

How many trials did it take for you to make your final catapult? ________

How could you or did you redesign your catapult so that it would launch the marshmallow farther?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Something I learned about the materials we used was…..__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The most important material we used was __________________________

What was the most important strategy you need to remember when building this catapult again?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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