Rocket Power

Alka Seltzer, Inc. Project Details & Guidelines

Driving Question:
How can we use the scientific method to design a rocket and measure data according the Alka Seltzer Companys objectives?

Project Overview:
Alka Seltzer, Inc. wants to give their companys branding a makeover and they need your scientific expertise to do it! Alka Seltzers new motto is powerful all over relief, but they need a powerful new commercial to match. Thats where you come in. Your challenge is to design a rocket fueled by Alka Selzter tablets that demonstrates the explosive power of Alka Selzter. Using the scientific method, your teams will design a rocket, select multiple variables to measure (to test for most power), record data and analyze results. Each team will apply skills in measurement and unit conversion to record the distance rockets travel and the amount of rocket chemical reaction time. Teams will then design a commercial and presentation to showcase their scientific process and market their Alka-Seltzer rocket. Alka-Seltzers CE0, as well as other key company players, will evaluate the commercials/presentations and award prizes for the most powerful, persuasive presentations. Awards will also be presented for rockets in two categories most accurate reaction time hypothesis and most attractive appearance (to be determined by Alka-Selzters CEO and other key players).

Project Duration
The project will last ~ 6 weeks.

Group Assignments & Due Dates These dates are subject to change.
something changes.

I will keep you well informed if

Group Assignment 1) Rocket Design Proposal (including physical and experimental design) 2) Rocket supplies brought into class 3) Completed rocket design 5) Experiment 1 (first day - control) 6) Experiment 2 (second day, changed variable) 7) iMovie Commercial and Presentation

Due Date

End of Oct

Individual Assignments:
1) Quizzes, tests, labs, classwork; Unit 1 Test will be on ____________.

Assessment:
Final assessment will be with a rubric based on your individual answers to questions relating to Focus Concepts on the final presentation day. You will also have the written Unit 1 test on _________.

Final Presentation Day Details:

You must wear professional dress (think about what you might wear if you went to a summer job interview collared shirts, tops without logos, well fitted clothing, etc.) Teams will showcase their commercial (1 minutes) and Prezi presentation (4-5 minutes) to the AlkaSeltzer CEO, key company players, and the rest of the class; each person must be speak in the commercial for equal length Individual content questions will be asked of each person after the commercial presentation (based on focus concepts).

CA State Standards: Investigation and Experimentation

7. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept and addressing the content in the other three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations. Students will: a. Develop a hypothesis. b. Select and use appropriate tools and technology (including calculators, computers, balances, spring scales, microscopes, and binoculars) to perform tests, collect data, and display data. * c. Construct appropriate graphs from data and develop qualitative statements about the relationships between variables. d. Communicate the steps and results from an investigation in written reports and oral presentations. e. Recognize whether evidence is consistent with a proposed explanation. h. Identify changes in natural phenomena over time without manipulating the phenomena (e.g., a tree limb, a grove of trees, a stream, a hill slope). * includes content on measurement and unit conversion, including the metric system, length/height, mass, volume and temperature

21st Century Skills

Collaborate in teams to produce group and individual products Communicate effectively (listening, speaking, reading, writing) Think Critically to address and solve problems Create steps and products using creativity 2

Rocket Power
Focus Concepts
Directions: Answer the focus questions below to help prepare for the final presentation. You will be asked questions relating to these concepts as a way to evaluate your content knowledge in a verbal-test format. Driving Question: How can we use the scientific method to design a rocket and measure data according the Alka-Seltzer Companys objectives? 1. Explain how asking meaningful questions and conducting experiments leads to scientific progress.

2. Give 3 examples of how you used the steps of the scientific method in your project.

3. a. Be able to explain the difference between observations and inferences.

b. Give examples observations and inferences from your rocket experiment.

4. a. Define the term hypothesis.

b. Explain how your team designed and tested your hypothesis.

5. a. Explain the relationship between manipulated and responding variables.

b. Describe how variables were manipulated in your teams experiment.

6. a. Why do scientists use procedures?

b. How did you design a scientific procedure for your rocket experiment?

7. a. Describe your teams graph.

b. Explain the importance of data analysis in your rocket experiment.

8. a. Explain the difference between quantitative and qualitative data.

b. What kind of data did you collect in your experiment?

9. Be able to define & measure mass, length and volume using the appropriate tools. Fill in the blanks. Mass Definition: Length Definition: Volume Definition:

Measurement Tool:

Measurement Tool:

Measurement Tools For liquid: For solid:

Units: 10.

Units:

Units:

a. Why do scientists use the metric system?

b. How did you use the metric system in your experiment?

c. Be able to convert the length of a rockets launch distance between centimeters and meters. EX: If a rocket traveled 150 centimeters, how many meters did it travel? 150 cm = _____ meters 4