What

Museum Staff-led

When

Terms 1 to 4, Monday to Friday

Duration

45 minutes in the STEM Lab

Year level

Years 3 to 10

Minmum student numbers

Minimum 15 students

Maximum student numbers

Maximum 28 students

Cost

$11 per student + education service fee

Booking information

Bookings 13 11 02

School visit information

Building a marble roller coaster is a great way to promote STEM learning through fun, hands-on activity. In this program students will work in groups to meet a design challenge with limited resources.

Students will observe the physics of energy, force and inertia as they design, test and modify their roller coasters. These concepts will be unpacked in more detail by the presenter.

Victorian Curriculum links

Science 

• The way objects move depends on a variety of factors including their size and shape: a push or a pull affects how an object moves or changes shape (VCSSU048) 
• Forces can be exerted by one object on another through direct contact or from a distance (VCSSU064) 
• Energy appears in different forms including movement (kinetic energy), heat, light, chemical energy and potential energy; devices can change energy from one form to another (VCSSU104) 
• The description and explanation of the motion of objects involves the interaction of forces and the exchange of energy and can be described and predicted using the laws of physics (VCSSU133) 

Design and technologies 

• Investigate how forces and the properties of materials affect the behaviour of a designed solution (VCDSTC024) 
• Select and use materials, components, tools and equipment using safe work practices to produce designed solutions (VCDSCD030) 

Personal and social capability  

• Demonstrate skills for effective participation in group tasks and use criteria provided to reflect on the effectiveness of the teams in which they participate (VCPSCSO023) 
• Identify how persistence and adaptability can be used when faced with challenging situations and change (VCPSCSE018)