Spinning Tops
A toy inventor's top wobbles and falls before anyone can count to three — and your students are recruited to fix it. They investigate what keeps a spinning top upright and what brings it down, exploring how gravity, friction, and balance each affect how long and smoothly a top spins. Students collect spin-time data across multiple tests, identify patterns in their results, and culminate in a final design challenge: engineer a top that spins for five seconds or more, with a personalized design feature.
What Students Learn
How gravity acts on spinning objects and what helps a top resist tipping
How friction at the tip slows a top down and why surface contact matters
How momentum keeps spinning objects in motion and how weight and shape affect it
How scientists and engineers ask questions, gather evidence, and defend their thinking through all 8 Science and Engineering Practices
What's Included
8 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
Optional ELA extension: persuasive poster
Standards Alignment
NGSS Performance Expectations
Forces and Motion: 3-PS2-1 · 3-PS2-2
Engineering Design: 3-5-ETS1-1 · 3-5-ETS1-2 · 3-5-ETS1-3