2016 San Diego Science Education Conference

In this session, I will share the work I have done developing an NGSS-style unit around the phenomena of roller coasters and how they work without an engine. Through student-directed discovery and exploration, students learn about the roles that important physical science concepts play in the working of a roller coaster such as energy, forces, and momentum as well as human issues of safety. Through the design cycle, their work culminates in the creation of their own new coaster that showcases the laws of physics and their engineering creativity!