Students work together to create rovers made from pasta
Fourth grade students closed out their solar system unit with an out-of-this-world group project that had them using science, mathematics, teamwork and creativity to pull off their planetary rovers!
This hands-on, real-world scenario challenged students to work in groups to plan, create and execute a moving rover that would simulate how NASA engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory develop their projects–only students were building their rovers with pasta instead of high-tech materials.
Using only pasta and glue, students had to design a rover that would travel down a 1-meter ramp and then travel an additional meter on a flat surface–the same design process that engineers use to improve their designs.
They were given a budget of $50 million for supplies and the freedom to be as creative as they wanted to accomplish their goal successfully.
