Indiana Department of Education
Amusement of the Future
Take your class on the ride of their lives! Physical science scholars get an in-depth look at potential and kinetic energies in an amusement park-themed unit. Students research, design, and promote their own amusement parks, complete...
Teach Engineering
Amusement Park Ride: The Ups and Downs in Design
Groups design the ultimate roller coaster by considering potential and kinetic energy. They test their designs using marbles and then go on to rate each group's design based on aesthetics, loop diameter, and cost.
Curated OER
Art Tape Amusement Parks
In need of a quick way to get rid of extra art tape? This simple idea describes how learners can use it to create mini amusement parks. They'll form the tape into roller coasters, cars, and people with a little imagination and creative...
Curated OER
Designing Carousels
Students design a carousel for an amusement park. In collaborative groups they conduct research, develop a presentation, write a descriptive paragraph, evaluate design features, and draw an artistic rendering of their carousel.
Curated OER
Making a Magic Kingdom
Students develop a list of things to consider when developing an amusement park. After reading an article, they discover what issues arose when designing the new Disney park in California. In groups, they develop plastic models of an...
Curated OER
Fantastic Journeys
Learners design an amusement park attraction based on a fantastic journey from literature, film, or their own imaginations. Each design team must submit a formal proposal. The proposal should include: a two- or three-dimensional visual...
Curated OER
Roller Coasters
Twisting and turning through the sky, roller coasters are popular attractions at amusement parks around the world, but how exactly do they work? Explore the physics behind these thrilling rides with an engineering design activity....
Google
Probability Project: Design Your Own Game
Designing a game is the focus of this probability lesson. Groups develop and build a unique game, including directions for how to play, a calculation of the expected value of winning, and a personal reflection. The plan provides a rubric...
Curated OER
Principles of Physics: A Real Scream!
High schoolers apply their knowledge of the physics principles of force, energy and motion to researching the physics behind amusement park rides.
Curated OER
WebQuest: Thrills and Spills- Pick Your Park!
Students participate in a WebQuest in which they must determine which amusement park is the "median priced" park. Students visit park websites to accumulate prices for parking, activities, restaurants, and gift shops.
Kenan Fellows
Engineering Skills Through Problem Based Learning
Navigate the ups and downs of learning about energy. Future engineers consider how potential and kinetic energy apply to roller coasters. They design a roller coaster of their own and then use computer design software to showcase their...
DiscoverE
Build a Roller Coaster
Let the good times roll as young thrill seekers build a roller coaster on school grounds. Future engineers design and build a roller coaster from flexible tubing. The roller coaster is for a marble, so there will be plenty of room to let...
Curated OER
Wacky Water World: Student Worksheet
This well-designed math worksheet invites learners to work in pairs in order to determine which plan is the better value when going to an amusement park. Plan A and Plan B each have different admission fees, and different rates per ride....
Curated OER
Design a Theme Park
Students design a theme park based on people and events of the Revolutionary War.
Curated OER
Web Design
Middle schoolers are introduced to the seven web design elements. Using examples, they identify the use of good and bad elements. They work with a computer program to help them design their own website and share them with the class.
Concord Consortium
Circling Trains
And round and round the park we go! Given a description of an amusement park with the locations of three attractions connected by walkways, learners consider what happens when additional attractions join the mix by doubling the length of...
Curated OER
Unit VIII: Worksheet 2 - Centripetal Force
Circular motion can make you loopy! On this physics worksheet, learners practice solving problems regarding centripetal force, rotational period, speed, acceleration, and more. A flying aerobat and a couple of amusement park rides make...
Curated OER
Journey through the Digestive System
Learners work in cooperative groups to design a theme park called Gastro World, based on the anatomy and physiology of the digestive system. They prepare a portfolio of the park's attractions and construct a model of it.
Teach Engineering
Egg-cellent Landing
The classic egg-drop experiment gets a new bounce with an activity that asks pairs to design a lander similar to one used to land a rover on Mars within a fixed budget. The activity provides a great introduction to the idea of terminal...
Teach Engineering
Edible Rovers (High School)
Design and build a rover ... then eat it? This activity has groups of two design and build Mars rovers. The teams determine what instruments they want to include with their rover and plan a budget. They calculate the cost of the body of...
Teach Engineering
Edible Rovers
The good thing about building this rover is you get to eat it afterwards. Pairs determine rover parts they want to include in their design based upon their cost and usefulness. The teams design their rovers, build them from edible...
Curated OER
Travel Brochure for a Cell
Students create a brochure to entice readers to 'visit' their cell organelles and functions 'amusement park'. Students use humor and 'roadside attractions' for an inspiration - 'visit the ribosomes to watch proteins synthesized before...
Curated OER
Simple Machines In Action
Students name and recognize six types of simple machines. They use their research to design an amusement park ride that features different types of simple machines. Students create a brochure about their ride and how it works. Simple...
Curated OER
Mathematical Modeling and Physics
Twelfth graders use a web site to investigate roller coaster physics. In this mathematical modeling lesson, 12th graders are grouped according to their performance on a test. Each group is given an activity to complete on a web site...