Littlefoot’s Lil’ Coaster Ride Hands-on exercise featuring the Engineering Design Process for learning Physical Science. In this engineering design lesson, you will address the problems associated with creating carts for a kiddie roller coaster. To save time, you will be given a pre-completed classroom data set for the lesson. You will use this data and the Engineering Design Process to design the coaster ride.

Littlefoot’s Ride Sharing Identify the science involved. What factors made your cart go the fastest? What different designs did you see and which ones were the most effective? Why? What happened when more mass was added? Did the length of the cart and/or length of the axels make a difference?

Small Group Discussion Identify the characteristics of the Engineering Design Process. How does the Engineering Design Process differ from Science Inquiry? What are benefits to using the Engineering Design Process? What other activities have you done in class that you can modify to use the Engineering Design Process? What problems do you anticipate with your students and how can you resolve these issues? What is your biggest roadblock to using the Engineering Design Process?