DESIGN AND MAKE A PAPER ROCKET Suggested Class Level Middle and Senior
Introduction Discussion and background information with whole class Real rockets get their energy from burning fuels emitting gases from the back of them, which send them forwards. Moving air can move many things. A light breeze can move leaves on trees, while a hurricane can cause great damage to buildings and even blow ships onto rocks. Electricity is made on wind farms from moving air. Sailing ships rely on moving air to drive them.
Trigger questions What is the hardest part about going into space?). Why is this? How does something huge and heavy like a spacecraft manage to break away from Earth’s gravity? What is a rocket? How does it work? Where do these gases come from? For something to burn what do you need. But there is no air in Space! So how do the fuels burn?
Watch a launch rocket video clip on YouTube
Making the rocket:
Materials: A4 sheet of paper, straw (wide diameter if possible), scissors, pencil (of approximately the same diameter: as the straw), Sellotape and measuring tape. Activity Children should be encouraged to Design and Make their own rocket, given the above materials.
Cross-curricular links: maths: The children should predict how far their rocket will go. What instrument will they choose to measure the actual distance? How will they decide what to measure in order to make it a fair test? They should launch their rockets a number of times, firstly estimating the distances travelled, and then measuring them and taking the average distance. Does the angle make a difference to the distance travelled? Geography: Planet Earth in Space Art: Rocket Design.
Conclusion Can you think of any other ways of making a paper rocket which might go further? Follow-up activity: Try out different lengths of rocket. Does a longer or shorter rocket make a difference to the distance it travels?