Curricular Unit: Rockets

Contributed by: Integrated Teaching and Learning Program, College of Enginering, University of Colorado at Boulder

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Grade: 4 (3-5)

Summary

This unit teaches students how and why engineers design satellites to benefit life on Earth as well as allows students an opportunity to explore motion, rockets and rocket motion. Students discover that the motion of all objects including the flight of a rocket and even the movement of a canoe is governed by Newton's three laws of motion. Space exploration is a huge consideration for aerospace engineers, and this unit introduces students to the challenges of getting into space for the purpose of exploration. The ideas of thrust, weight and control are covered, allowing students to fully understand how and why rockets are designed with these concepts in mind. Also, students learn about the engineering design process and re-engineering as they design and build their own rockets after learning how and why the experts make specific engineering choices. Lastly, students explore the concept of triangulation that is used in navigation satellites and global positioning systems designed by engineers. And, by investigating these technologies, they learn how people can determine their position or the location of someone else.

Keywords: acceleration, action, chemical reaction, communication, design, energy, force, GPS, mass, motion, Newton, orbit, re-design, rocket, satellite, thrust, weight

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