Blast Off! 5 th Grade. Blast Off!

Transcription

1 Blast Off! Unit Rationale: In this curriculum, the girls will become rocket scientists and learn about how NASA and others explore space. The first weeks will consist of exploring different elements of space exploration including rocket engines, and robots. The last three weeks will be spent by the girls building their own water bottle rockets. Session One Focus On: Rocket Engines and Flight! In this session, you will introduce the theme and each other. You will also test out how rocket engines work using balloons and straws. Session Two Focus On: Combustion Power The girls will explore how combustion power works. They will create a force strong enough to shoot bottle rockets in the air. Session Three Focus On: Robot Landing Machine The girls will use their engineering powers to create a safe and smooth landing device for their robots. Session Four Focus On: Robots in Space The girls will begin to explore the difficulty of commanding and utilizing robots in space by building end effectors and testing it with a partner. Session Five Focus On: Designing a Water Bottle Rocket In this session, the girls will design their rockets and begin the building process. Session Six Focus On: Building a Water Bottle Rocket In this session, the girls will build and complete their rockets. Session Seven Focus On: Launching Water Bottle Rockets In this session, girls will launch their completed rocket. Session Eight Focus On: Science Fair Prep The girls will create the posters and activity to prepare for the Science Fair. This is a chance to review what they ve learned and to get them excited for the Fair. They will get to show off their skills to parents and fellow classmates. 2016, Science Clubs for Girls Blast Off!, v3 Page 1

2 Notes on the Curriculum This curriculum lends itself to lots of great real world (and out of this world!) connections. If you do not consider yourself knowledge on the subject of Space, Rockets, and Robots, begin by getting very familiar with the website, where you will find lots of information on current and past space shuttle. There is so much cool info on the website that you might get lost in the discoveries! You are encouraged to always find ways to share some of these real world facts and discoveries with your girls even if it means you learning one or two facts yourself before leading the session. YouTube and the NASA website are also great ways to bring real science to your girls at each session. This curriculum is written lead your girls up to building their own rocket and launching it. The first four sessions are designed to give them an idea of how rocket are made, what robots are used for, how to land spacecraft, etc. It then switches over to building an actual rocket over 3 sessions, using a 2-liter bottle. Culminating in a launch using water pressure as the engine. Read as much as you can on this before you lead your girls in it as it can be dangerous if not done right. (But don t worry, the launch day will have lots of adult supervision). The main themes to re-iterate throughout your time with your club are: Rockets are used to get into the Space Orbit because rockets burn fuel to travel up. A rocket has an engine, a fuselage, and a track that it follows. Once a rocket gets into space it has to land very gently so that nothing breaks. Astronauts go into space to do this work. Most of them studied Physics and Engineering in college. NASA is the National Aeronautics and Space Association in the United States that oversee travel into space. Lots of other countries have similar government departments that work on space travel. There is lots of information on space travel in the world today because the world is very interested in knowing what is in outer space. Much of this curricula was supported by NASA Education: , Science Clubs for Girls Blast Off!, v3 Page 2

3 Session One Focus On: Rocket Engines and Flight Question of the Day Activity One: Setting the Tone Activity Two: Building an Engine Reflection About This Session 15 minutes minutes minutes minutes Session Objectives In this first session, you will set the tone for the entire program, providing the girls with a sense of physical and intellectual security, and with a sense that this will be a friendly, fun experience for them. You ll need to introduce the Science Club for Girls Code of Conduct, our guidelines based on safety, respect, and teamwork. With the girls, you ll create more specific expectations that the girls will agree to follow and you agree to uphold. By the end of this session, your girls will: 1) Know the Club Expectations and agree to follow them for the semester 2) Build a balloon rocket 3) Identify the fuselage, engine, and track of the rocket. Once you establish that, the girls will be introduced to the basics of rocket engines. Let the girls know that rockets have been critical to space exploration. Rockets launch satellites, which allow us to monitor space. In order to get the satellites into space, we utilize rockets. The girls will create a basic model rocket engine. The girls will learn that rockets shoot up when pressure is released. As the pressure is released in one direction, it causes the rocket to move in the opposite direction. Before Clubs Begin Age Appropriate Definitions Find out from your Site Coordinator what additional first-day activities will be occurring at your site (all-club assembly? Name game? etc.), and any site-specific discipline policy. Discuss with your mentoring team who will be responsible for what portions of the session and prepare in advance of clubs. Create nametags for yourself and the girls. Engine - any machine that converts energy into motion. Fuselage - The central body of an aircraft, to which the wings and tail assembly are attached and which accommodates the crew, passengers, and cargo. Track - path, route or course along which something moves or is directed. Newton s First Law if something is not moving, it will stay where it is Newton s Third Law for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction 2016, Science Clubs for Girls Blast Off!, v3 Page 3

4 Materials for This Session Activity 1: Introduction Per Club Per Group Per Girl Club Expectation Poster Whiteboard Markers Activity 2: Building an Engine Per Club Per Group (pairs) Per Girl 2 Balloons 1 Straw Thin String Tape Question of the Day (15 minutes) The Question of the Day is a great way to introduce the activity of the day and get the girls centered. It should be a regular starting routine of your club. The Question of the Day will usually be a question that kids and adults think about in everyday life or a question that can lead to answering a common question. Use it to get the girls talking but also focused. Question: What are we going to be doing in Science Club for Girls this semester? Convey to the girls that they are doing something unique and fun and that you are excited they are joining you! Activity One: Setting the Tone (15 minutes) Set the tone and create rules together that all the girls agree to follow. 1) Introduce and lead girls in the Science Club pledge. (This is a great opportunity for a Junior Mentor!) Explain to girls that each week of Science Club will begin with the pledge, which is designed to get them focused and excited about doing science together. Your Pledge can be found on the back of the Code of Conduct or in the Volunteer Handbook. 2) Introduce each member of your mentoring team. Be sure the girls know: Each team members name and a fun fact about them (connected to science, the curriculum topic or girls age) That Mentors and Junior Mentors will be working together to lead Science Clubs 3) Have each girl introduce herself. 4) Before moving to the Code of Conduct, make sure the girls understand a few things that are important to know over the course of the semester: Their science/topic for the semester that all projects will relate to. The type of scientist they are (Physicists, Biologists, Chemists, Engineers, etc.) At the end of the semester, the entire site will have a Science Fest and each club will teach others about what they learned. This is a major point even for kindergarteners to grasp. Your girls should be reminded 2016, Science Clubs for Girls Blast Off!, v3 Page 4

5 throughout the sessions that they will teach and lead others including parents. Be sure the girls are calmly sitting in a circle or at desks. As much as it is possible, ask mentors and junior mentors who are not leading the activity to sit with the girls as well. Mentors in non-active teaching roles may have a tendency to sit separate from the girls and sit with each other, but get them mixed in right away, to support and model participation, and build relationships with girls. 5) Get the girls attention and make sure they are clearly focusing on you. Explain to them that before they can do any science experiments, they must all agree to follow the three rules of Science Club. Introduce the Code of Conduct. These are the 3 expectations that Science Club for Girls expects all participants to follow. 6) Guide the girls to create more specific rules and write these under each code of conduct. Ask the girls probing questions like, Why do you think this is a rule we ve made? Or What do we mean when we say to be safe in Science Club for Girls? The girls will offer very directive and obedient rules like, No touching dangerous materials. Or Don t talk when the teacher is talking. Think of ways to consolidate additional expectations so that you don t end up with a long list of do s and don ts. Add these to the Code of Conduct so that the girls have a voice in the rules as well. 7) Once done, ask the girls to put their thumbs up to signify that they agree to follow the rules. You can also have all the girls sign the rules sheet. Whatever you do, be sure that you have all the girls physically show that they can agree to follow the rules. You ll need this as back up as the sessions go on! 8) At this point, explain to the girls the consequence of not following a rule. Make sure girls know that not following rules can result in a call home, being taken out of Science Club, and that it also makes the club less fun because they might not be able to do all of the fun projects if things are unsafe. These are not used to scare the girls; rather, firmly structured expectations and consequences are a regular part of an out-of-school-time program. A great way to continue to involve the girls is to ask them, What happens when rules aren t followed? What happens when the rules are followed? Do groups have more or less fun when rules are followed? 9) Now, explain to the girls the benefit of following the rules. (Great experiments! Getting to know each other! Being curious! Fun!) Watch the clock. Be aware of the time since it is your first day. 10) Now, clearly go over the basic routine of the club. This involves: Where they meet each day there is SCFG (Cafeteria? Classroom? Gym?) What they are to do when entering the classroom (Sit on the rug? at a table? sit in a circle? some tables off limits? Get their journals from the bin?) How you will show that you are ready to begin (Hands-up? Peace signs in the air? Clapping rhythm?) Review the Science Club routine - Pledge (required for Clubs Grades K-3), Question of the Day, Activities, Clean up, Reflection Review how the club will end each session for reflection time (return to rug, back to tables? All areas cleaned up?) 2016, Science Clubs for Girls Blast Off!, v3 Page 5

6 Activity Two: Building an Engine (20-25 minutes) In this activity, the girls identify the engine, track, and fuselage of a balloon rocket. Background Information: Aircraft powered by jet, piston, or rocket engines are capable of sustained flight. Remaining aloft longer means the aircraft offers greater utility and convenience to users. The aircraft engine provides a constant source of thrust to give the airplane forward movement. This activity will allow students to build and demonstrate a source of thrust found in some research aircraft: the rocket engine. The straw represents the fuselage, the balloon represents the aircraft engine, and the string represents the track. Once the balloon is filled with air, there is a difference in air pressure between the outside and the inside of the balloon. The inside of the balloon has higher pressure than the outside of the balloon. The air on the inside of the balloon equalizes with the air on the outside of the balloon when the balloon is released. Energy is generated as air equalizes from high pressure areas to low pressure areas. The balloon moves in the opposite direction of the flow of the released air because every action has an opposite and equal reaction. Since the air is released from one small hole, the release of the air is focused in one direction. Because it is focused in one direction, the balloon and straw are forced to move down the string in the opposite direction. Procedure: 1. Group students in teams (of 2 preferably) and provide each team with a set of materials. 2. Have the students inflate a balloon and let it go. Ask the students to make observations about what happened to the balloons when they were released. Explain to the students that the balloons move because the air pressure on the outside and the inside is different. Have the students observe how the balloons go off in all different directions. The balloons will move. The energy inside the balloon propels it. Tell the students that the movement of the balloon can be directed toward one place. 3. Now have the students assemble their models. Have the students place the string through the straw. One student will hold one end of the string, and the other end of the string should be tied to the back of a chair. Then, have the students inflate a balloon with air and hold the end tight while another team member tapes the balloon to the straw. Once this is done, the students can release the balloon nozzle, and observe the balloon (air engine) as it moves across the string line. 4. Next, ask the girls if they think the same thing will work if they did the activity vertically, similar to a rocket ready for takeoff? Ask them if they think the air will create enough force to push the balloon up? 5. Find an object in the classroom that you can tape or tie the string so that it creates a vertical (or slightly vertical) path. Make sure if the girls stand on chairs that there is someone spotting the girls. Have the girls attempt the same activity but with the balloon flying up instead of sideways. 6. Once each team has attempted a first round, you can make this activity a competition. Tell the girls that they will be competing to see whose balloon makes it the furthest distance UP. Give the girls a few minutes to think about what they will need to make their balloon engines travel the farthest. Then, have the girls set up their strings parallel to one another along the longest length of the classroom. 2016, Science Clubs for Girls Blast Off!, v3 Page 6

7 7. Have each team tape their engine parts (straw, balloon, and string line) to a piece of paper and use this to explain how the activity worked. Have the students make a drawing of their air engines, and then write or tell about how the air engine worked. Have the students write how air power helps airplanes fly. After the girls have cleaned up, ask them why the straw moved along the string. The balloon moves along the string when the air pressure inside the balloon escapes out of the nozzle. Since the balloon is taped to the straw, the straw moves with the balloon when the air is released. Help the students make the connections between this and how airplanes and rockets shoot up into the air. Let the girls know that rocket engines are able to shoot up because there is greater force pushing out. Some kind of combustion creates pressure. Once the pressure is released, this force causes the rocket engine to push in the opposite direction. Reflection (15-20 minutes) Reflection is a time to bring your girls together and share their thoughts, expressions, and discoveries from today s club. It is an essential component of the Science Club for Girls experience. As a group, summarize the topic and question of the day, using the girls journal as a guide. Girls can write or draw in their journals. Many girls will need help getting going, so offer your guidance in getting them to write or draw. Have the students diagram their air engines, write about how the air engine worked, and identify the different parts of the air engine model: straw (fuselage), balloon (air engine), string line (track). How does air power help air planes fly? After clubs are done for the day, read what your girls wrote and write something back to them in the space provided. This is a valuable way for you to develop a dialogue with each girl. Be supportive in your comments, especially in the early weeks when girls are still getting to know you. 2016, Science Clubs for Girls Blast Off!, v3 Page 7

8 Session Two Focus On: Rocket Combustion Question of the Day Activity One: Film Canister Rockets Reflection About This Session 15 minutes 45 minutes 15 minutes Session Objectives In this session, the girls will continue to explore rockets. In this activity, the girls will become rocket scientist and they will test various materials to see which ones cause the greatest amount of combustion pressure to shoot a bottle rocket. (The bottle rocket is a film canister.) The girls will learn to test different materials until they come up with the best combination for a combustion. The girls will realize that creating enough pressure to shoot a rocket involves a lot of testing and trial and error. Be sure to emphasize these points. The girls are being rocket scientists for today! Before Clubs Begin By the end of this session, your girls will: 1. Build a mini-bottle rocket 2. Identify the fuselage, engine, and track of the Film Canister rocket. 3. Learn what combustion is Age Appropriate Definitions Discuss with your mentoring team who will be responsible for what portions of the session and prepare in advance of clubs. Set out nametags. Read up on current NASA missions and decide whether to share some with girls during Real Life Connection Combustion a chemical change accompanied by the production of heat and light Pressure the application of continuous force applied over a surface, body or object. Materials for This Session Activity 1: Film Canister Rockets Per Club Per Group Per Girl Box of Baking Soda Tape Measure Eye Goggles Bottle of Vinegar Small Paper Plate Box of Alka-Seltzer Empty Toilet Paper Roll Water Source Several Pieces of Toilet Paper Bottle of Lemon Juice Can of Soda 2 Glass Jars Roll of Paper Towels Newspaper 2016, Science Clubs for Girls Blast Off!, v3 Page 8

9 Question of the Day (15 minutes) Why aren t airplanes used to fly in outer space? How are they different than rockets? This will be a great question to plant in your girls heads in the beginning of the session and bring much more clarity to by the end of the session after the tests they will do and see. The answer is taken directly from The Space Place NASA website a great resource in preparing for this session. To get a spacecraft to even the lowest Earth orbit requires a rocket. Rockets do not depend on air, even for burning their fuel. Rockets take advantage of some basic laws of nature that were discovered by the brilliant scientist Isaac Newton late in the 17th century. One of these, called Newton's third law, says that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. This explains what is going on when you blow up a balloon, then let it go without tying a knot. The air rushes out of the mouth of the balloon and that pushes the balloon in the opposite direction. This law also tells us that, to build a powerful rocket, we need to shoot out a lot of high-speed material opposite the direction we want the rocket to go. That is exactly what a rocket engine is designed to do. Most rockets use high- speed exhaust gases from burning rocket fuel to propel themselves up and away from Earth's surface to the vacuum of space. Unlike planes, they don't need air to lift them up. Source: Activity One: Film Canister Rockets (45 minutes) You can do this activity in one of two ways: 1. You can either divide the girls up into teams and each team tests out one combustion combo. 2. You can have the entire group test out each combo. Either way, make sure that you ask the girls a lot of questions. First the girls will test out the baking soda and vinegar combo and the Alka-Seltzer and water combo. However, the point of this activity is for the girls to combine the two and come up with an Alka-Seltzer and vinegar combustion. This final combination will be the most powerful. These combinations of fuel have worked. However, the girls may need to try them several times before they get it right. Motivate the girls to be persistent! Begin the activity by telling them they will be testing and improving. Note: If it is a nice day, you may want to try this activity outside. If not, discuss other options with the Program Manager. Demonstration Activity: 1. Start off by asking the girls if they know what type of reaction baking soda and vinegar make. Ask them if any of them have seen baking soda and vinegar interact. 2. Next, ask the girls if they ve ever seen how an Alka-Seltzer reacts with water. 3. Do a little demo of each reaction in the glass jars. Have the girls come around you so they can see. a. In one glass jar, pour some vinegar, next pour in some baking soda and watch the reaction. b. In another glass jar, pour some water. Then, throw in the antacid tablet and watch the reaction. c. Discuss quickly with the girls what happened. The reactions created chemical reactions, 2016, Science Clubs for Girls Blast Off!, v3 Page 9

10 which resulted in bubbles, which is pressure. Tell the girls that you will use this pressure to create combustion for a bottle rocket. Blasting Off Procedure: Alka-Seltzer 1. Put on your eye protection. 2. Take a toilet paper tube and mark a spot 1" from the end. Cut five slits up to that spot and fold the slits out (this forms the base of the rocket launcher). 3. Take a paper plate (or a plastic plate) and tape down the toilet paper tube (with the "legs" out flat). 4. Take this outside. Your rocket is a 35mm film canister. The clear ones work best, but the black ones will do fine. The best ones are the ones with the cap that fits INSIDE the canister. 5. Fill the canister about 1/3 full of water. 6. Take 1/4 tablet of Alka-Seltzer (or equivalent store brand) and drop into canister. Put the lid on tightly and place LID DOWN into the toilet paper tube. Step back. 7. It takes about 1 minute or so for the rocket to launch. Blasting of Procedure: Baking Soda and Vinegar 1. Put on your eye protection. 2. Turn the film canister upside down and remove the canister's lid. 3. Wrap a tablespoon of baking soda inside a single sheet of toilet paper. The rocket works better if you only use a single layer of toilet paper (single ply) 4. Put the wrapped baking soda into the cap of the canister. The wrapped baking soda should be big enough to just fit inside the depression in the lid. You can also tape he wrapped baking soda to the lid if it is having trouble staying in the lid depression. 5. Put some vinegar in the canister. Note: the less vinegar the better the result. But, the girls will have to test how much is enough. 6. Snap the lid on tight. The baking soda should not fall onto the vinegar yet. Place the canister in your bottle launcher cap side down. 7. Stand back and wait. Your rocket will blast off! Extension: If the girls are into the activity and you have enough time, suggest they try the soda and lemon juice in their combinations. Trying too many new materials may be very messy and the girls may get too unruly. So, use your discretion! You can allow them to explore even more options with these materials. Real World Connection Let girls know that real-life missions to space are happening all the time! If there is time, peruse NASA s list of current missions ( ) and share details about one or two highlighted missions with girls (especially if those missions feature female astronauts). 2016, Science Clubs for Girls Blast Off!, v3 Page 10

11 Reflection (15 minutes) Review the topic and question of the day with the girls. What material combination worked best for a more powerful combustion? How did you figure it out? What scientific strategies did you use? What did you learn today as a rocket scientist? Be sure to write something back to each girl in her journal after clubs are done for the day. NOTE: Before the girls leave for the week, tell them what they are going to be doing next week An egg drop competition to see whose egg can land safely, remaining uncracked, when dropped from a high height. Tell the girls that they will be given lots of materials such as straws, toothpicks, cotton balls, paper cups, paper, and tape. Encourage the girls to look up online: Egg drop design, egg drop contest, and egg drop strategies ; to see different ways they might want to build theirs. Tell them that like any scientist they have to do lots of research before jumping into a project. Hopefully this will do two things: 1. Get them excited about next week s session and do out-of-club research 2. Help you to begin next week s session immediately since they will need the entire session to build it. And if they ask, feel free to provide a prize! 2016, Science Clubs for Girls Blast Off!, v3 Page 11

12 Session Three Focus On: Robot Landing Machine Question of the Day Activity One: Egg Drop Reflection 15 minutes 45 minutes 15 minutes About this Session Moving away from how to get into the space orbit, these next two session focus on what to do once in space. In this Session, the girls will use their engineering skills to create a Robot Landing devise that will not harm a robot as it lands on the moon. They will have to try and use random supplies to create a cushion for the Robot s landing. The Robot in this case, will be an egg! Before Clubs Begin: Session Objectives By the end of this session, your girls will: 1. Learn what a robot is 2. Learn what NASA is 3. Perform an egg drop contest Age Appropriate Definitions Discuss with your mentoring team who will be responsible for what portions of the session and prepare in advance of clubs. Set out nametags. Organize materials and determine a good place to do the egg drop. Robot - A mechanical device that sometimes resembles a human and is capable of performing a variety of often complex human tasks on command or by being programmed in advance. NASA National Aeronautics and Space Association, created in 1958 by President Eisenhower. Studies space exploration, scientific discovery and aeronautics research. Materials for This Session Activity 1: Egg Drop Per Club Per Group Per Girl Straws Egg Plastic Wrap Use of all materials as needed Aluminum Foil Bag of Cotton Balls Paper Towel Paper Cups Popsicle Sticks Coffee Cans Glue Plastic Bags Roll of String Rolls of Tape 2016, Science Clubs for Girls Blast Off!, v3 Page 12

13 Question of the Day (15 minutes) How do scientists prevent spacecraft from breaking in space? How does spacecraft land on the moon? When spacecraft lands on a surface such as the moon or Mars, it must be very careful not to have a forceful landing. One of the reasons for this is because often times landing very hard can break equipment worth millions of dollars that engineers spent years building just to be in outer space. So when something lands on the moon is must gently come down and land perfectly. Transition the girls into thinking of it like dropping an egg from a very high height and having it land gently so that nothing breaks! That s exactly what they will do! Activity One: Egg Drop (45 minutes) In this activity, the girls are working for NASA. It is their job to create a landing device for the Robot. Once Robots are built, they must carefully be placed on the moon or in orbit. In order to do this, NASA must come up with a special drop or landing devices that can carry the precious robot without damaging it once it lands. The device must be able to drop the Robot from a great height without causing ANY damage to it (say a second story or from the top of a table you decide!) Their robots will be a raw egg. And, they have this one session to prepare, test and implement their Robot Drop Machine. It might make it more personal if your girls drew on their eggs and gave them faces! Give the girls most of the Club session to create their machine. You can put certain restrictions on the amount of materials they use. (Say it is too expensive for NASA to use too much of it.) Allow about minutes before the end of the session to test out the egg/robot drops. Have the girls write in their journals how they come up with the idea for their machines and why. Explore what methods worked best and why. Reflection (15 minutes) Review the topic and question of the day with the girls. Ask the girls why they think their method worked or did not work? How did each of the pairs come up with their idea? What kind of science did they use in order to build an egg drop device? Have the girls diagram an egg drop in their journals it can be what they did or they can change it into something they think will work better. Be sure to write something back to each girl in her journal after clubs are done for the day. 2016, Science Clubs for Girls Blast Off!, v3 Page 13

14 Session Four Focus On: Robots in Space Question of the Day Activity One: Making Robot Arms Activity Two: Robot Role Play Reflection About this Session So far with your rocket scientist girls, you have safely taken off in your rocket and landed on the moon with your robot intact. Congratulations! Now your girls must use the robot in outer space to pick up some samples to bring back to earth! In this Session, the girls will learn how robots work in Space. They will first build a robot arm (or an End Effector.) Then they will role-play being either a Robot or a Programmer to see how difficult it is to program a robot to do work. 15 minutes minutes minutes 20 minutes Session Objectives By the end of the session, your girls will 1. Learn what an effector is 2. Understand everyday uses for end effectors on machines not in outer space 3. Discover that programming a robot involves detailed yet simple instructions The girls should also be led in a way that is far more hands-off than the previous sessions. The Student Direction Sheet used in this session should allow you to help the girls complete a task and take on leadership roles in achieving. Before Clubs Begin Age Appropriate Definitions Discuss with your mentoring team who will be responsible for what portions of the session and prepare in advance of clubs. Set out nametags. Print copies of the student directions sheet Robot - a self-controlled device consisting of electronic, electrical or mechanical units. More generally, it is a machine that functions in place of a living person or animal. End Effector - common robot arm that works to grasp objects such as ground samples in outer space. 2016, Science Clubs for Girls Blast Off!, v3 Page 14

15 Materials for This Session Activity 1: Making Robot Arms Per Club Per Group Per Girl End effector example 2 Styrofoam coffee cups Student Directions Sheet 3 different color craft string Clear Tape Ruler Plastic Knife Scissors Activity 2: Robot Role Play Per Club Per Group (2) Per Girl Completed End Effector Blindfold 3 Legos, similar objects Question of the Day (15 minutes) If scientists have discovered ways to have people in space, how come robots do a lot of the work? Ask girls why they think NASA uses robots in space? Write their responses on the board, then read/summarize and discuss other reasons listed in this quote: Robots are especially desirable for certain work functions because, unlike humans, they never get tired; they can endure physical conditions that are uncomfortable or even dangerous; they can operate in airless conditions; they do not get bored by repetition; and they cannot be distracted from the task at hand. Thus, robots are especially valuable to space exploration. Not only can they travel to environments too hostile or too distant for human exploration, but they can also enhance the work schedule of a manned space mission. - Museum of Science Boston. Activity One: Making Robot Arms (25-30 minutes) Divide the girls up into teams of two. Each team will now make a common robot arm. This type of robot arm is called an End Effector. It works by grasping objects (such as rocks, minerals, etc.) using a wire snare device. The End Effector rotates, causing three metal cables to close tightly around an object. The girls will make a similar device out of string and Styrofoam cups. 1. Show the girls the example of the pre-assembled End Effector. Tell them that each team will be making one of these. 2. Do a little demo of how the End Effector works. 3. Use the end effector to pick up an object such as a pencil, eraser, etc. Have someone hold a pencil upright. Open your end effector so that the strings are not crossing each other. Slip the end effector over the pencil so that the pencil extends down the center and not through any of the loops. Rotate the outer cup until the strings grasp the pencil. Pick up the pencil. 4. Hand each team a copy of the Student diagram of the procedure. This will make the process of making 2016, Science Clubs for Girls Blast Off!, v3 Page 15

16 the end effectors easier. However, make sure to go through each step out loud and to watch the girls while they work. It is a good idea to divide the tasks. Have one team member cut the string while the other team member cuts the cups. 5. Once the girls are done making one End Effector per team, allow them to test it out. Let them try to pick up random objects for a few minutes. Activity Two: Robot Role Play (15-20 minutes) In this activity, the teams will get a chance to test out how a robot works. One team member will be the programmer and the other will be the robot. Make sure the girls know that they will each get a chance to role-play both. 1. Separate the girls into teams of two. 2. Tell the girls the following: A robot follows a set of instructions (a program) that are either set up beforehand (pre-programmed) or during use, in order to accomplish its tasks. One of the hardest things about operating a robot is programming it to do what you want it to do. A robot cannot think for itself. It only knows and does what it is programmed (or instructed) to do. Thus, the directions it is given must be exact, and robots do not ask questions or directions. 3. Have one of the girls from each team, put on a blindfold. She will be the Robot and will be controlling the End Effector. 4. The other girl will be giving the instructions, or programming the Robot. She will have to give the Robot instructions on how to pick up the pieces of blocks on the table and where to put them. 5. Each team will have to pick up three pieces of blocks and stack them one on top of the other. You or 2016, Science Clubs for Girls Blast Off!, v3 Page 16

17 the JAs should lay out the pieces of blocks after the Robot has been blindfolded. Try to lay the blocks the same for each team. 6. The Robot is not allowed to think for itself. Therefore, it cannot speak AT ALL! It cannot ask any questions. 7. You can choose to make this activity into a competition between teams. The team who finishes with the task first wins. Make sure to have the girls switch roles once you are done. Reflection (20 minutes) Review the topic and question of the day with the girls. Ask the girls how they felt being blindfolded and listening to instructions from their partner? Ask them how they felt giving instructions? What did they learn about giving instructions? (Point out that you have to give very detailed, precise instructions in order for a Robot to get the work done). Remind the girls that this is how detailed NASA has to be when they write computer programs for Robots. Have the girls write about What they learned about programming Robots? in their journals. Be sure to write something back to each girl in her journal after clubs are done for the day 2016, Science Clubs for Girls Blast Off!, v3 Page 17

18 Student Directions Sheet Procedure and Diagram for Making Robot Arms Step 1: Nestle the two cups together, one on top of the other. Next, cut through both cups where indicated in the diagram by the dashed line. It should be about two inches from the top of the cup. Smooth the cut edges by scraping them with the picnic knife edge. Step 2: Cut three pieces of string (one of each color) 4 inches long. Tape the end of the girls string to the inside of the inner cup near where you made the cup. Tape the other end of the string to the outside of the cup. Do not press the tape tightly. Repeat this step with the other 2 pieces of string. Step 3: While holding the rim of the inner cup, rotate the outer cup until the three strings cross each other. Pull the end of the strings on the outside until they are straight and intersect in the middle. Now press the tape tightly to hold the string in place. 2016, Science Clubs for Girls Blast Off!, v3 Page 18

19 Session Five Focus On: Building Bottle Rocket Question of the Day Activity One: Quick and Easy Rocket Planning Activity Two: Water Bottle Rocket Building Reflection About this Session Now you and your girls will begin building real bottle rockets that will be launched on the last day of science club. They will encompass everything all the ideas and themes that have been previously introduced in the session before this one as the rocket they build will also be equipped with a parachute to land (or try) safely and gently back in the ground. Building these will take careful attention to detail and precision. Not following the instructions could result in a dangerous situation when it comes to launch. 15 minutes 20- minutes After Planning minutes Session Objectives By the end of this session, your girls will: 1. Design their bottle rockets 2. Begin building water bottle rockets 3. Understand the concepts of the previous 4 sessions Before Clubs Begin Discuss with your mentoring team who will be responsible for what portions of the session and prepare in advance of clubs. Set out nametags and organize supplies. Print out copies of Mr. Hayhurst s Quick and Easy Bottle Rockets to give to each team of girls. Load video to demonstrate rocket launch: Materials for This Session From Mr. Hayhursts Quick and Easy Bottle Rockets %20Bottle%20Rocket.htm Activity 2: Rocket building Per Club Per Group Per Girl Roll of Duct Tape 2 Two Liter Empty Bottles Scissors Small Plastic Athletic Cone Hole Puncher 1 Manila Folder Roll of String Reinforcements Labels Large Plastic Trash Bag 2016, Science Clubs for Girls Blast Off!, v3 Page 19

20 Question of the Day (15 minutes) How can we, as a club, get into space now that we ve learned about it? What do you need to build a rocket? Activity One: Quick and Easy Rocket Planning (20- minutes) In this activity, the girls begin planning actual bottle rockets. Before you let your girls jump right into building bottle rockets, it is important that you get the girls to see how the sessions have been connected and how they have been like actual rocket scientists/astronauts: Session 1 Pre launch spacecraft info meeting Session 2 Launching the spacecraft Session 3 Landing the spacecraft safely Session 4 Using robot for work Session 5 Combing information in real bottle rocket Make sure the girls can make the connection between each session and how the rocket they will build encompasses all of the previous session s ideas (using the Robot for work is a stretch). The girls have now passed all the steps necessary to move onto phase 2 of rocket science building a more complex version of a rocket and doing an actual launch into the air. Start by showing the girls something similar that they will be doing. A cool clip of it can be found on YouTube: 1. Once the girls are good an excited, tell them that they will be working in pairs to construct one rocket each. They will be using a guideline to make it, but they can be creative in things like size of wing blades, size of parachute, parachute material. 2. Next, present them with the guidelines they will follow. Instructions can be found and printed from the end of this curriculum which provides very easy, safe, and clear instructions on how to build a water bottle rocket. 3. Pass out a set of Mr. Hayhurst s Bottle Rockets Instructions to each girl and have them talk about how they want to build the rocket. Who will do what instructions? Will they name it? 4. Answer any questions the girls might have (they will most likely want to know how they will launch it) 5. After 20 minutes, those who want to can begin their rocket, and those that want more time to plan can continue, but they must be done planning at the end of the session. The planning is an important part, so make sure the girls check with you before going off to build. Ask them questions to make sure they have thought everything through. 2016, Science Clubs for Girls Blast Off!, v3 Page 20

21 Activity Two: Water Bottle Rocket Building (After Planning) In this activity, the girls will begin to build the bottle rockets they planned in the last activity. Help the girls as they build the rockets, but be sure to not do it for them. The directions are simple and clear enough for them to be able to follow. They might need help is being precise and patient in things like cutting or gluing. Encourage your girls to use precision and accuracy two words they will hear a lot if they study science in building their rockets. Do they think NASA puts rockets together sloppily? Think about how careful NASA must be in building a rocket worth 2 million dollars? They should build theirs with the same care, especially since they will only have one! Reflection (10-15 minutes) Review the topic and question of the day with the girls. Ask the girls how they are feeling about what they will be doing over the next few weeks? Excited? Nervous? Confident? Hopeful? Have each group share what they were able to accomplish during the day s session as well as what their goals are to accomplish by the next session. Have them write their goals in their journals. Be sure to write something back to each girl in her journal after clubs are done for the day 2016, Science Clubs for Girls Blast Off!, v3 Page 21

22 Sessions Six Focus On: Rocket Assembly Question of the Day Activity One: Water Bottle Rockets Continued Reflection About this Session In the session, the girls will continue building their rockets. With them they should have two 2-Liter Bottle for each pair. You will be given a few extra in case a pair doesn t have theirs. Girls will work together with you and JAs overseeing and encouraging them as they go. 10 minutes minutes minutes Session Objectives By the end of this session, your girls will: 1. Reach their expected goal after Day 1 of Rocket Building 2. Learn how a real rocket launches 3. Identify the fuselage, engine, and track of their rocket Before Clubs Begin Discuss with your mentoring team who will be responsible for what portions of the session and prepare in advance of clubs. Set out nametags and supplies. You may want to print a couple of extra copies of the bottle rocket instructions in case the girls have lost them. Read Insider Tip and begin to prepare for the rocket launch with the SCFG site coordinator. Materials for This Session Activity 1: Rocket building continued Per Club Per Group Per Girl Roll of Duct Tape 2 Two Liter Empty Bottles Scissors Small Plastic Athletic Cone Hole Puncher 1 Manila Folder Roll of String Reinforcements Labels Large Plastic Trash Bag 2016, Science Clubs for Girls Blast Off!, v3 Page 22

23 Question of the Day (10 minutes) We re using water to launch our rocket, but what do real rockets use to launch? Chances are your girls will be ready to work on their rocket from the start so get the answer to this question out of the way and then let them work. Answer: Have them recall the film canister rockets they made. They caused a reaction to build up they then had to get released. The release pushed the film canister up, even the release of the reaction went down. Real rockets work in the same except they use rocket fuel. An engine is any machine that converts energy into a mechanical force or motion. A rocket engine is generally throwing mass in the form of a high-pressure gas. The engine throws the mass of gas out in one direction in order to get a reaction in the opposite direction. The mass comes from the weight of the fuel that the rocket engine burns. The burning process accelerates the mass of fuel so that it comes out of the rocket nozzle at high speed. This causes the rocket to go up. Activity One: Water Bottle Rocket Continued (45-50 minutes) Remind the girls that the next session will be for launching the rockets, so they must finish today (You might find 5 or 10 minutes in the next session for quick last minute things, but encourage the girls to have everything done at the end of this session). Help the girls as they build the rockets, but be sure to not do it for them. The directions are simple and clear enough for them to be able to follow. They might need help being precise and patient in things like cutting or gluing. Encourage your girls to use precision and accuracy two words they will hear a lot if they study science in building their rockets. Do they think NASA puts rockets together sloppily? Think about how careful NASA must be in building a rocket worth 2 million dollars? They should build theirs with the same care, especially since they will only have one! Reflection (10-15 minutes) Review the topic and question of the day with the girls. Ask the girls to share a little about what materials they chose for their rockets. Why did they chose the material they used? Talk about why girls may have chosen different materials. Ask the girls how big they decided to make their parachutes, and wing spans. How might differences in sizes affect the rockets? Be sure to write something back to each girl in her journal after clubs are done for the day 2016, Science Clubs for Girls Blast Off!, v3 Page 23

24 Insider Tip As leader of the Club you ll need to begin thinking ahead and planning for the day of the launch. You ll need to meet with the Program Manager to go over the exact procedure and safety guidelines for the day of the launch. You ll also need to see the launch pad. It will be a simple bike pump launch pad, built with PVC pipe to connect it. The rockets will be shown at the Science Fair pre-launch. It d be a great idea for the girls to have a booth explaining how they made them and showing film canister rockets. Parents and other kids can then vote on which rocket they think will go this highest or stay in the air the longest. The rockets will be launched on the last day of Science Club for Girls, which might not fall on the same day as the Science Fest (depends on the calendar year). Questions you ll want answered include: Where will the girls be launching the rockets? (Large open space, but where?) What adult supervision will be there? Will all the girls of SCFG be joining? Will there be someone there who has done a water bottle rocket launch before? What safety equipment will the girls wear? How far back do the girls needs to stand? Who will be pumping the bike pump to build the pressure? 2016, Science Clubs for Girls Blast Off!, v3 Page 24

25 Session Seven Focus On: Rocket Launch Day Question of the Day Activity One: Safety Guideline Sheet Activity Two: Water Bottle Launch! Reflection About this Session The day has come for the actual launch of the rockets the girls have worked so hard to build! Go over the safety guidelines with the girls BEFORE even going outside to launch. 15 minutes minutes minutes 20 minutes Session Objectives By the end of this session, your girls will: 1. Safely launch their rockets 2. Estimate how high they think the rockets went up 3. Time how long they are in the air Before Clubs Begin Set up the launch pad outside (maybe have a JM stay outside with it while others are going over the question of the day and the safety guidelines with the girls) Discuss with your mentoring team who will be responsible for what portions of the session and prepare in advance of clubs. Set out nametags. Print out a safety guidelines sheet for at least each pair of girls. Materials for This Session Activity 1: Safety Guidelines Per Club Per Group Per Girl Safety Guidelines Sheet Activity 2: Water Bottle Rocket Launch Per Club Per Group Per Girl Launch Pad Water Bottle Rocket Safety Goggles Stopwatch LARGE OPEN OUTSIDE SPACE 2016, Science Clubs for Girls Blast Off!, v3 Page 25

26 Question of the Day (10 minutes) What types of things do we need to consider before we launch the rockets? Get your girls centered on safety from the start. Ask them what makes great launch sites? What should they wear to protect themselves? Who should perform the actual launch? You d be surprised by their answers so go over the Safety Guidelines Sheet next. Activity One: Safety Guideline Sheet (5 minutes) Go over the NON-NEGOTIABLE Safety Guidelines Sheet with your girls before the launch. The rules can also be found as a one pager for the girls. 1. Everyone MUST wear Safety Goggles 2. Must stand at least 12 feet from launch pad 3. Only person at the launch pad is the Adult in Charge 4. Do not approach the rocket if it fails to launch! An adult will fix it. 5. Do not approach a launched rocket until it has landed on the ground. 6. When it your pairs turn, one person will be in charge of the stopwatch. 7. If you are not following any of the rules, you will be taken out of the activity and return to the classroom. Activity Two: Water Bottle Launch! (50 minutes) Time to Launch! KEEP IN MIND: These instructions are general and may change depending on where you are launching and who is launching the rockets and what equipment you use. 1. Place the rocket launch in flat ground. 2. Measure 12ft. from at and tell your girls to stand there and no closer. 3. Take the first rocket to be launched and fit the launcher piece in the open bottle end. 4. Place the bottle upside down with the launcher end up. Make sure the rocket is held steady by the PVC pipe tube. 5. Take your place at the bike pump and slowly push down for the first pump. Your girls will get very excited so please make sure they are still standing back 2016, Science Clubs for Girls Blast Off!, v3 Page 26

27 6. Continue to pump as the pressure builds 7. Rocket will launch high into the air due to the buildup of air in the water bottle. The water shoots out. Make sure your girls understand this! 8. Launch the next rockets one at a time, and have fun! EXTENSION: if time, experiment with launching rockets at different angles (90 degrees vs 45 degrees, etc). Girls can log data and observations in their journals. Reflection (10 minutes) Review the topic and question of the day with the girls. Sit with your girls and ask what they liked about it? Do they think would enjoy building bigger and better rockets? If they could have done something differently, would they? What would they change? Tell them that Science Club for Girls has a rocket team that high school girls can join, but even for girls their age there are lots of science, physics and rocket space camps that they could go to if they liked this and wanted to do more. Be sure to write something back to each girl in her journal after clubs are done for the day. 2016, Science Clubs for Girls Blast Off!, v3 Page 27

28 Session 8 (If available) Focus On: Getting Ready for the Science Fair About this Session The Science Fair is a very special event that wraps up a year of Science Club programming. It is an opportunity for the girls to show-off what they have learned to their family members, friends, and school community. Materials for This Session Poster board Markers Various craft materials like scissors, glue, ribbon, etc. Today, you will be prepping the girls for the science fair. A major part of today will be working on posters that help explain what the girls have learned. A Few Hints Have the girls look at their journals to remind themselves of what they did this semester. Assign different groups different topics to draw (one student can draw a space suit while another draws the egg drop), with a mentor or JM supporting each group. A Few Hints for Next Week The fair can be hectic, with parents and families coming and going. PLEASE spend some time talking to the girls about expectations (no running, no yelling, etc.). You might like to make nametags for all of the girls, so it is easier to keep track of them. Make sure parents sign girls out by keeping the sign-out sheet handy, and having the JA keep her eye on the girls. Lead the girls around the fair in an organized manner and let them see what type of projects they will be doing next year. 2016, Science Clubs for Girls Blast Off!, v3 Page 28

29 Safety Guidelines for Rocket Launch!! 1. Everyone MUST wear Safety Goggles 2. Must stand at least 12 feet from launch pad 3. Only person at the launch pad is the Adult in Charge 4. Do not approach the rocket if it fails to launch! An adult will fix it. 5. Do not approach a launched rocket until it has landed on the ground. 6. When it your pairs turn, one person will be in charge of the stopwatch. 7. If you are not following any of the rules, you will be taken out of the activity and return to the classroom. 2016, Science Clubs for Girls Blast Off!, v3 Page 29

30 Mr. Hayhurst's Quick and Easy Bottle Rocket Much of this information was "borrowed" from Jake Winemiller of N.E.R.D.S. Inc. and observations of many rockets launched in competitions in which I have participated. Please treat it with respect. Also remember that this is only a start. You have to do the testing and the minor adjustments. Problem Create one bottle rocket that will fly straight and remain aloft for a maximum amount of time. Materials Two 2-liter bottles One small plastic cone (athletic) Duct Tape Scissors String Manila Folder Large Plastic Trash Bag Masking Tape or Avery Paper reinforcement labels (you'll need 32/chute.) Hole punch Procedure Cut the top and the bottom off of one bottle, so that the center portion or a cylinder remains. Tape the cylinder to another bottle to create a fuselage (a place to store the parachute) 2016, Science Clubs for Girls Blast Off!, v3 Page 30

31 Get the manila folder; fins will be made from it. Cut three shapes out of the folded bottom in the shape that the diagram shows. Your fins will be triangular. 2016, Science Clubs for Girls Blast Off!, v3 Page 31

32 The next drawing indicates how the fin should look once folded. Mark straight lines on the bottle by putting the bottle in the door frame or a right angle and trace a line on the bottle with a marker. Use these lines as guides to place the fins on the bottles. 2016, Science Clubs for Girls Blast Off!, v3 Page 32

33 Make three fins and tape them on the rocket. Be sure that the fins are spaced equally around the rocket body. This can be achieved by using a piece of string and wrapping it around the bottle and marking the string where it meets the end. Mark the string and lay it flat on a meter-stick or ruler. Find the circumference of the bottle by measuring the length of the string to the mark. Once you know the circumference, then you can divide it by three to find the distances the fins should be separated. 2016, Science Clubs for Girls Blast Off!, v3 Page 33

34 Use the athletic cone to make your nose cone. Use fairly rigid scissors and cut the bottom square off of the cone. Depending upon your project's mass limitations, place a golf ball sized piece of clay in the tip of the cone. This will add mass to the cone and give the rocket/cone more inertia. Then, using scissors, trim the cone to make it symmetrical. (Hint: the diameter of the bottom of the cone should be a little wider than the diameter of a 2-liter bottle. Attach the cone with string to the top of the other two-liter bottles so that it looks like the diagram. Tie a knot in the end of each piece of string to give it more friction and tape it using a piece of duct tape to the inside of the cone and to the inside of the rocket body. 2016, Science Clubs for Girls Blast Off!, v3 Page 34

35 Many students have trouble with their nosecone getting stuck on the top of the rocket and not coming off. This can be prevented by making a pedestal for the cone to sit on. It should be high enough up so that there is space between the cone and the top of the parachute compartment. You can make a pedestal out of the same material you will make the fins, the manila folder. Make three mini-fins, invert them and tape them on the rocket where the cone should sit. Making the Parachute 2016, Science Clubs for Girls Blast Off!, v3 Page 35

36 Don't forget a good parachute has shroud lines that are at least as long as the diameter of the canopy. Lay your garbage bag out flat. Cut off the closed end. It should look like a large rectangle and be open at both ends. Lay down the bag on a flat surface and smooth it out. The bag has a long side and a short side and is open at both ends. Fold it in two so that the short side is half as long as it was originally. Make sure the edges are perfectly lined up during each fold. Now fold it in half along the long axis. 2016, Science Clubs for Girls Blast Off!, v3 Page 36

37 Make a triangle with the base of the triangle being the closed end of the previous fold. Now fold it again. Fold the hypotenuse so that it lines up with the right side of the triangle in the above drawing. 2016, Science Clubs for Girls Blast Off!, v3 Page 37

38 Examine the base of the triangle and find the shortest length from the tip to the base. This is the limiting factor for chute size. The most pointed end will end up being the middle of the canopy. For an example; if you want the diameter of the chute to be 34 inches then measure 17 inches from the center of the canopy (the most pointed side of the parachute) along each side, mark it and then cut it. After cutting it, unfold it. If you have been successful there should be two canopies. 2016, Science Clubs for Girls Blast Off!, v3 Page 38

39 Fold the canopy in half, then into quarters, then into eighths. Carefully crease the folds each time. Crease it well and fold it again. Now the canopy is divided into 16ths. Unfold the parachute. Notice the crease marks. Get masking tape and put a piece around the edge at each fold mark. You may also use Avery reinforcement tabs. Place one on both the inside and outside of every crease, making sure that they are overlaid on top of each other. Punch holes through every piece of masking tape or Avery tab pairs and use these to attach the kite-string shroud lines. As mentioned earlier the minimum length of the shroud line should be the same length as the diameter of the canopy. After punching the holes fold the canopy in half. Pick four holes and tie the shroud lines to the holes. After doing this tie the four lines together at the end most distant from the canopy. Repeat this four times until the chute is completed. Once you have it complete attach it inside the fuselage. Generally a couple of pieces of duct tape will hold the parachute to the rocket. Pack the parachute loosely and put the nosecone on the rocket. 2016, Science Clubs for Girls Blast Off!, v3 Page 39

40 You are now ready to launch your rocket. Carefully read the safety instructions. Fill the rocket half full of water, place on the launch pad, pressurize, and launch. Copyright Ó Pat Hayhurst Home URL: Last Updated: Wednesday, November 17, 2004 Be safe, and have fun! 2016, Science Clubs for Girls Blast Off!, v3 Page 40