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Choosing a Chute for the Rainforest Moss Station

Compare model supply chutes at a rainforest moss station. Use motion measurements and dent depths to explain how speed relates to energy.

Grade 4ScienceInteractive · Printable

Aligned to4-PS3-1

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What’s included

Single worksheet
Auto-graded online
1 NGSS standard
Printable answer key
14 questions
Classroom-ready

Details

Format: Interactive · Printable
Grade: Grade 4
Subject: Science
Question types: Fill in the blank, Multiple choice, Matching, Circle the answer, Sorting, Short answer

About this worksheet

What students practice

Students compare object speeds using distances traveled during equal time intervals.
Students use dent measurements as evidence that the same object has more energy when moving faster.
Students judge chute designs using repeated results and a stated design requirement.

How to use

Read the investigation together and review the video measurements and graph. Have students judge the designs, then explain their choices with evidence.

Curriculum

NGSS standard covered

4-PS3-1

Use evidence to explain that a faster object has more energy.

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Choosing a Chute for the Rainforest Moss Station

Compare model designs using evidence about speed and energy.

Investigate the Models

Read the investigation and examine the graph. Use the evidence to answer each question.

A Supply-Packet Chute

At a rainforest moss research station, workers keep small supply packets on a shelf. A class designed a model chute that could carry a packet from a shelf to a receiving tray. The students wanted a gentle arrival. Their model requirement was that the packet make a dent no deeper than 4 millimeters in a soft target during each test.

The class used a smooth, sloping chute on a low table. A sealed cloth packet filled with dry rice represented a supply packet. A thick pad of soft modeling dough stood against a board at the bottom of the chute. The packet slid down and struck the dough. Students measured the deepest part of the dent in millimeters. They kept hands away from the moving packet.

The students compared three release-gate designs. Gate A held the packet highest on the chute, Gate B held it in the middle, and Gate C held it lowest. Opening a gate released the packet without a push. The class used the same packet, chute angle, and target position. Before each test, students reshaped the same dough into a smooth pad with the same thickness.

A tablet recorded the packet from the side, with a ruler visible beside the chute. Students examined the final tenth of a second before each impact. This was the same short time interval for each recording. With Gate A, the packet traveled 9 centimeters during that interval. With Gate B, it traveled 6 centimeters. With Gate C, it traveled 3 centimeters. The distances were similar when the students repeated the tests.

The class tested each gate twice and recorded the dent depth after each impact. Both trials for a gate used the same release position. The graph shows these six results. The students used the motion recordings and the dents to judge their designs. They did not measure an amount of energy directly.