Roller Coaster Engineering
A class of multi-aged students within the magnet program used sketchnotes plan our their ideas in order to engineer
a roller coaster, using limited supplies, that maximizes the amount of time the provided marble requires to finish a
single run. The students studied tempo in music, angles in geometry, architect’s design and problem solving
strategies in order to implement various elements into their project.
Their sketchnotes demonstrated visual plans for ways for the marble can gain enough speed to start through their
roller coaster and incorporated funnels, coarse material, ripples, swirls and flat levels to make the ball last the
longest through the roller coaster course. By using sketch notebooks, the students are able to create their blueprint
to plan their models to build and make adjustments as needed during their trials.
Bioengineering with 3rd Grade
Third grade students used sketchnotes as they worked on
creating a new animal to exist in a current world biome.
Through the use of sketchnotes in their sketch notebooks,
students were able to seamlessly record their research notes and
draw sketches of their thoughts as they worked through the
creation of their new animal.
STEAMed Magazine
31
October 2016 Edition