NGSS Lesson Planning Template

Grade/ Grade Band: 3-5th grade Topic: Roving the Moon Lesson : three on mission to mars
Brief Lesson Description: Now that the astronauts are on the surface of Mars it is important that they are able to move about the planet.
Astronauts will need to drive across the moons surface, carry supplies, travel to outpost, and explore the area.
Performance Expectation(s):
MS-PS3-5 Construct, use, and present arguments to support the claim that when the kinetic energy of an object changes, energy is
transferred to or from the object.
MS-ETS1-4 Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification of a proposed object, tool, or process such that an
optimal design can be achieved.

Specific Learning Outcomes: To engage in this engineering challenge, which will have students studying how to design a rover that
moves. The testing is iterative. The students will articulate the aspects of the design that positions the rubber bands so that the rover
moves the further. Students will need to explain their model in terms of kinetic energy changes, transferring the energy from the rubber
bands to the wheels.
Lesson Level Narrative
The crew has landed on Mars and established a base camp. It is time to get to work on the planet and this requires a mode of
transportation. The crew will need to build and use a mars rover to drive across the planets surface, carry supplies, get to areas where they
will need to build their outpost, and explore the area. Your tasks as engineers is to engage in the engineering design process to: build a
rover out of cardboard; figure out how to use rubber bands to spin the wheels; and improve their design based on testing results.
Science & Engineering Practices: Disciplinary Core Ideas: Crosscutting Concepts:
Developing and Using Models to understand PS3.B: Conservation of Energy and Energy and Matter
what it takes to produce a vehicle to help the Energy Transfer Energy may take different forms,
astronauts do work. When the motion energy of in this case this is energy of
the rover changes, there is motion.
Using scientific reasoning inevitably some other change
in energy at the same time
Analyzing data from system trials to determine
which design is best for landing on the surface ETS1.A: Defining and Delimiting
of Mars Engineering Problems
The more precisely a design
Engaging in Argument from Evidence tasks criteria and constraints
Student will complete a number of can be defined, the more likely
trials with their rover and make it is that the designed solution
connections between three will be successful. Specification
components (wheels, how the rubber of constraints includes
bands are set up, and how far consideration of scientific
individual rovers move). They will use principles and other relevant
these factors to describe the knowledge that is likely to limit
observable features of the rover and possible solutions
how this is related to kinetic energy ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions
of the object. Research on a problem should
be carried out before
beginning to design the
system. Testing a solution
involves investigating how well
it performs under a range of
conditions

Possible Preconceptions/Misconceptions:
Research about forces and motion starts with middle-school age students and their ideas. Younger students will need a great deal of
guidance to connect to the content ideas that are embedded in this lesson. They will need guidance to begin understanding the ideas of
force needed to change motion (speeding up, slowing down or changing the direction of motion of an object). Make sure that you ask
students many questions to get a good understanding about what students think they know about what will make the rover move.
Students may think that the rover is moving because a force in the direction is causing the motion Champagne, A., Gunstone, R., Klopfer, L.
(1985). Effecting changes in cognitive structures among physics students. In West, L. (Ed.), Cognitive structure and conceptual change (pp.
61-90). Students will need to know that forces acting on the rover can occur in opposite directions, and that even when an object isnt
moving the object is not exerting any force. Teaching elementary and young middle schoolers that objects that are not moving can change
may lead them to understand that active and passive objects exert force Minstrell, J. (1982). Explaining the "at rest" condition of an object..
The Physics Teacher, 20, 10-14.

LESSON PLAN 5-E Model

Teacher Student
hello my awesome engineers Today we are going
to be building another device to help us with our Students will recap the mars mission so far
mission to mars. Now what have we done so far to
get our astronauts to mars?

recap: Previously we build a rocket to get to mars,

we then created something to make a rover land
safely when launched to mars.

new mission: today on our mission to mars ,our

rover has touched down successfully but how did
you the engineer build it? and will it go the
distance on the red planet?

model: show them rover you designed. students students will observe the model rover and think
this is the prototype of the rover we developed about the mission given

question: ask the students to think of ways the students will give us ideas on how this rover will be
rover will be used and as to how it can be built. will used on mars
it have round tires? triangle? square?

engineer process:
my engineers the goal of this mission is to build a
rover and develop wheels to get it as far as
possible.

you will all brainstorm in your groups and come up

with a design idea

EXPLORE: Lesson Description What should the teachers ask and do? What will the students do?

your mission is to build a rover with these materials

- card board
- pencil
- straw
- mints
- rubber band
- tape

Alright students so right now we are going to brain storm and come up with a way to design this rover.
(give 3-5 min)
Questions to ask after brainstorming
What do we have to do to make the rover move, what gives it motion?
what are the various ways to make wheels
would square wheels have an effect on how the rover moves?
what are the various ways you may use rubber bands to power rovers?

after brainstorm show video : http://pbskids.org/design-squad/build/roving-mooon/

ask students what vehicles on earth are similar to the rovers we send out to space
 based on the materials you saw will the rover's front and back wheels be the same?
what shape will you make your wheel?
(show students how they will build the body and attach wheels)
Steps:
1. Fold cardboard in half and cut it
2. take one of the halves and cut it in half these will be your wheels
3. take the other half and fold it into threes to develop the body
4. take the pencil to place the back wheels to the body
5. take the straw and put it in the front to develop and axel with the mints
6. take the rubber bands overlap them to form a not so that we can develop a way to propel and engine
7. attach rubber band to pencil and cut a slit on the bottom to attach the rubber band
let the kids know the more corners your wheels have the faster it will go

-give students 30 minutes to build their rover . (use timer so they know when times up)
-after that time limit have them line their rover up outside in a starting point to see how far it goes ( they have to
name their rover)
- the rovers that went to 1st and 2nd furthest get to go against a fancier rover to see if they can beat it by distance

EXPLAIN: Concepts Explained and Vocabulary Defined:

my engineers you all successfully built a rover. Now can you tell me what where some obstacles you encountered
when building the rover?
students may respond
wheels don't work
the rover went crocked
it did not travel far distance
the wheels did not stay in place

Vocabulary:
Motion:the action or process of moving or being moved.
Prototype:a first, typical or preliminary model of something, especially a machine, from which other forms
are developed or copied.
Axle:a rod or spindle (either fixed or rotating) passing through the center of a wheel or group of wheels.
"axle grease"
Potential energy:the energy possessed by a body by virtue of its position relative to others, stresses within itself,
electric charge, and other factors.
Kinetic energy:energy that a body possesses by virtue of being in motion.
Friction: the resistance that one surface or object encounters when moving over another
Traction:the action of drawing or pulling a thing over a surface, especially a road or track.

ELABORATE: Applications and Extensions:

- re-test rover with modification. students should see if modifications helped or hindered the design.
EVALUATE:

Summative Assessment (Quiz / Project / Report):

kahoots quiz on vocab

Formative Monitoring (Questioning / Discussion):

ask students what they learn?
ask student what the mission was today?
Elaborate Further / Reflect: Enrichment:
If time permits race rover against more advanced rover