Powered Paddle Boats
A toy inventor's rubber-band paddle boat barely moves when it's wound up and released — and your students are recruited as the engineers who fix it. They investigate how elastic potential energy converts into kinetic energy and motion, and how Newton's Third Law explains why a paddle pushing back on water drives a boat forward. Through controlled tinkering sessions, students test different paddle shapes and materials, then design rubber-band-powered boats that paddle for at least 10 seconds in a bin of water.
What Students Learn
How elastic potential energy converts to kinetic energy
How Newton's Third Law of Motion explains paddle propulsion
How paddle shape, rubber band thickness, and hull material each affect speed and distance
How scientists and engineers ask questions, gather evidence, and defend their thinking through all 8 Science and Engineering Practices
What's Included
10 slide-based lessons with embedded graphics and media
Step-by-step teacher guide with facilitation notes
Student worksheet packet with pre/post assessment
All hands-on building materials
Maker skill video tutorials
Standards Alignment
Grades 4-5 NGSS Performance Expectations
Energy: 4-PS3-3 · 4-PS3-4
Engineering Design: 3-5-ETS1-1 · 3-5-ETS1-2 · 3-5-ETS1-3
Grades 6-8 NGSS Performance Expectations
Forces and Motion: MS-PS2-1 · MS-PS2-2
Engineering Design: MS-ETS1-1 · MS-ETS1-2 · MS-ETS1-3 · MS-ETS1-4