Straw Rockets
Straw Rockets https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/learn/project/make-a-straw-rocket/ Days: 1 Mode: Individual Take-home: Paper rocket; launch straw handed out at end
Teaching & key ideas
Key concepts: Flight, fins, drag, stability, launch angle, measurement.
Hook: Launch two rockets with different fin arrangements.
Test / evidence: Students make repeated launches and measure distance or accuracy.
Variables to change: Fin size; fin position; nose mass; launch angle.
Lesson flow
Lesson plan:
Day 1: Build rockets first → teacher releases straws for controlled test rounds → measure → redesign fins
Video:
Learning Space: Make a Straw Rocket
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTd2f59TSVo
Safety / cleanup:
Launch only toward marked targets; never toward faces; collect/release straws at controlled times.