Learning Goals
Students will be able to explain how pushes, pulls, gravity, drag, and air resistance affect a parachute's motion and how air behaves like a fluid in the wind tunnel.
Students will be able to identify variables, control conditions, and carry out fair tests to investigate how parachute design changes affect flight performance.
Students will be able to measure, record, and graph parachute data such as fall time and descent distance to describe patterns, variability, and uncertainty.
Students will be able to compare multiple parachute designs and justify improvements using evidence from test results and criteria.
Students will be able to collaborate to communicate evidence-based conclusions about their parachute investigation and connect them to STEM careers in flight, physics, and engineering.
Products
Parachute Investigation Notebook
A personal research notebook that documents each student's question, variable choice, test method, measurements, graphs, and analysis of what the data shows. It also includes notes on uncertainty, errors, and what the student would change next time.
Wind Tunnel Parachute Investigation Report and Expo Presentation
A team report and short presentation that combine members' evidence into one clear explanation of the final parachute design, test results, revisions, and limitations. Teams must show how their findings connect to forces, airflow, and a real STEM career in flight or engineering.
No rubric has been generated yet.