Man The Catapult!

1. Read books on dragons, knights, catapults with students
   1. The Knight and the Dragon, Tomie DePaola
   2. Days of the Knights: A Tale of Castles and Battles, Christopher Maynard
   3. A Year in the Castle, Rachel Coombs
   4. Break the Siege: Make Your Own Catapults, Rob Ives
2. Introduce the project as a carnival game to students.

1. Task students with discovering ways to make a catapult (launcher)
   1. Students can explore the various Two Bit Circus Foundation materials
   2. Sketch, write out different designs to try. Use different materials.*Students should have a healthy level of independence during this portion. There are a multitude of ways students can design a catapult. There is no “right answer.”
2. The teacher facilitates student progress through positively constructed guided questions.
   1. How does your design work?
   2. How might we allow the catapult to launch an object higher? Faster?

1. Students build their initial catapults
   1. There will be significant design challenges and failures
   2. Support students without directing and encourage problem-solving.
2. Challenge students’ thinking and encourage growth
3. Question (Informal evaluation)
   1. “What if you made this an inch longer?”
   2. “What happens if you use another material?”
4. Give mini-lessons when needed on lever and fulcrum. (Two Bit Circus Foundation has simple machine setups available)
   1. The project may be combined with other science principles (Newton’s laws, energy, torque)
   2. Students could conduct an exploration activity—who made the first lever/fulcrum?
5. Have students test how various materials affect the catapult. (Informal evaluation)
   1. Rank materials
      1. Flexibility
      2. Hardness
      3. Heaviness
   2. Make different versions to test

1. Students revise their designs to improve them.
   1. Improvements should be seen in lever and fulcrum designs
   2. Improvement in accuracy.
2. Probe students for understanding (evaluation criteria)
   1. Challenge their science understanding
   2. Ask for precise measurements of lever arms and other components
   3. Question their Design Thinking Process
      1. Why did you pick these materials?
      2. Why did this configuration work best?
      3. Would you make any future changes if you had to do this again?
      4. What have you learned as a team?
3. Students compete in the challenge
   1. Teams take turns launching objects at the Dragon board
      1. Record scores for each team
4. Reflection
   1. Have students reflect further on their designs and those of others
      1. Do a gallery walk to showcase student work
      2. Encourage the diversity in designs
      3. Encourage the mentality of “failing forward”
         1. Failures are great learning tools
         2. Positive reinforcement of success

NGSS CONNECTION:
2-PS1-2. Analyze data obtained from testing different materials to determine which materials have the properties that are best suited for an intended purpose.*

2-PS1-3. Make observations to construct an evidence-based account of how an object made of a small set of pieces can be disassembled and made into a new object.

COMMON CORE CONNECTION:
W.2.7 Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., read a number of books on a single topic to produce a report; record science observations).

W.2.8 Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.

MP.2 Reason abstractly and quantitatively.

MP.4 Model with mathematics.

MP.5 Use appropriate tools strategically.

2.MD.A.1 Measure the length of an object by selecting and using appropriate tools such as rulers, yardsticks, meter sticks, and measuring tapes.

2.MD.A.3 Estimate lengths using units of inches, feet, centimeters, and meters.

2.MD.A.4 Measure to determine how much longer one object is than another, expressing the length difference in terms of a standard length unit.

DOK:
Level 3 – Strategic Thinking
Level 4 – Extended Thinking