1. Rollercoaster Engineering Challenge Are you ready?
“Welcome to your Exploring Engineering Challenge. You will work as a team of 4 to complete the challenge, this is going to be fun! Help each other, so everyone succeeds!”

2. Structures Which Move Quickly:
“Before we finish this activity, I want to get you to think about the shape of your buggy here. It’s a bit square! How are these structures designed to make them able to go more quickly?” Summarise their observations by pointing out that they designers are using aerodynamics (studies about the way air moves) to create shapes that allow air to flow more smoothly.

3. Context
You are members of a team of engineers working for Rochester Bridge Trust. You have been asked to design and model part of a roller coaster cart which includes selecting the best track incline and surface for a buggy to roll down. Your roller coaster model needs to be the right size to hold, protect and transport a tomato (instead of a human!).
“Designers and engineers need to know the context or situation they are working in, where their new design will be needed and used. Here is your situation. On your table you have a copy of this situation so you can refer back to it!” Read out the context on this slide.

4. Brief
Your challenge is to design, model and test a roller coaster buggy to hold and protect a tomato (like the humans inside a rollercoaster!).
You must also select the most suitable incline and track surface for your buggy to roll down. Your goal is to make the buggy go as far as possible while keeping the tomato safe.
“A brief is a SHORT description of what you have got to do. The word ‘brief’, means ‘short’. Again you have a copy of this on your challenge sheet” Read out the Brief on this slide.

5. Specification
The buggy must keep the tomato secure so it does not fall out of the rollercoaster during the test.
The rollercoaster needs to travel at least 0.5m, but ideally, go as far as possible once it reaches the bottom of the ramp.
Your selection of incline and surface needs to enable the tomato to travel safely in the buggy (ie it must roll not slide)
Your buggy needs to be decorated in a colourful way to make it eye catching and attractive within a busy theme park.
The buggy needs to include a Rochester Bridge Trust logo in a place it can be easily seen.
“Can you see at the start of the word specification, a shorter word? A specification is being ‘specific’ about what you have got to do. Here are your criteria explaining specifically what you need to do. You will be tested based on this description. You have a copy of this on your challenge sheet too” Read out the Specification on this slide.
“You will get points for meeting these criteria, so ensure you know what you have to achieve.”
“You need to apply the knowledge that you have acquired about joining methods to think about the best ways to join your buggy parts together. You might want to do other tests if you are joining together other parts of your buggy that are made from different materials.”

6. Test Rig
This is the same ramp test rig that you used in the experiment in the last session. You must use the results from your other investigations to choose the best incline and ramp surface to make your buggy travel the furthest. Each group has the same ramp to make the competition fair.
Show the students the test space(s) they will use, reminding them that it is the same test rig they used for the pre-task challenges.

7. Materials You have a pack of materials for making your buggy
Do not use any other materials.
You do not need to use all the materials supplied.
You can “buy” extra materials but it will cost you points
“You have a pack with materials you are allowed to use. You can use these and no other materials. Please be careful with these materials, this is all you have, there are no spares. Just like real engineers you have to work with the materials you can afford and no more. If a complete disaster happens do come and talk to us, but remember more materials means more cost and engineers must stick to budget or their company loses money!”

8. Tools You are only allowed to use the tools provided.
All cutting must be done safely.
Use the results from your joining experiment, to decide on the best method to stick your buggy together.
“You have a pack with tools you are allowed to use” Hold one up and show them what is in the pack.
“You can use these and no other tools except for the pens, pencils, rulers and class scissors you usually have. Please be careful with these tools, this is all you have, there are no spares. Also be careful not to be silly and cut or hurt anyone with them. Just like real engineers you have to work safely and look after the health of each other.”

9. Materials and Tools MATERIALS
1 copy of ‘The tournament instructions.doc’
1x tech Card buggy template
4x wheels (various sizes)
2x dowel rods (axles)
4x sheet coloured tissue paper
2x sheet coloured card
1x A4 sheet brown stiff card (recycling)
1 RBT logo
TOOLS
Pencils
Rulers
Small scissors
Felt tip pens, various colours
Glue stick
PVA glue
Masking tape
Double sided Sellotape
Ramp and stand
Tomato
Optional extension which helps teams who do need more materials in a crisis:
“As teams you can buy extra resources. However, 1 point will be deducted from your score at the end. 4x extra tissue paper = 1 point. 1x extra coloured card = 1 point. Lost logo = 1 point. Recycling = free. ”

10. Timings for this session
15 mins Introduction to the task and testing criteria
15 mins Planning and drawing/labelling a design for your team
40 mins Modelling
10 mins Testing model/evaluating model
10 mins Final changes to model buggy
20 mins Testing and scoring
15 mins Tidying up!
“These are rough timings for the afternoon” Which can be amended to suit your timings for the tournament.
“I will remind you throughout the afternoon how much time you have left.”

11. Enjoy the challenge, enjoy the team work!
The Challenge is Designed to be Fun!
Enjoy the challenge, enjoy the team work!
“The challenge is designed to be fun! Enjoy the challenge…Enjoy the team work  and start!”
The groups are likely to need a reminder every mins what they should be doing to keep them on task.
This can include reminding them about:
comparing ideas and combining the best parts into a final design
having everyone involved, if you don’t have a job to do you can be designing the decoration as that has points in the testing
Remind them how much time they have left to make
Give them a 5 minutes left reminder
Then tools down and pack away tools into packs, scrap in the bin and sit down ready for testing.

12. 5 MINUTES LEFT!
Give a 5 minute warning before the end of modelling.

13. TOOLS DOWN! Time to pack away
All scrap and rubbish in the bin.
Clear away rubbish on the floor too.
Spare materials and tools into your packs in the middle of your table.
Sit down ready for testing.
Ask students to stop, put tools down and listen so that you can explain about packing away.
Important: pack away before testing to reduce distractions and fiddling with things during the testing period.

14. Testing (0,1 or 2 points for each point)
The buggy keeps the tomato secure, it does not fall out of the rollercoaster during the test.
The rollercoaster buggy travels at least 0.5m across the floor.
The selected incline and surface is suitable and ensures the tomato is safe.
The buggy is decorated in a colourful way. It is eye catching and attractive.
The buggy includes a Rochester Bridge Trust logo on a place it can be easily seen.
“Here is the testing criteria. You will recognise that it matches the specification criteria you have on your tables. Engineers work like this too. They have to test their designs match the criteria they are given. So I will invite you up one team at a time to test your buggies.”

15. Rollercoaster Engineering Challenge THE RESULTS! Are you ready?
Have the children sit down and list in reverse order the results. Try to encourage each group with something you spotted that they did well. Give out prizes /certificates for the winning team(s).

16. Today you were engineers
Today you were engineers! Keep asking questions like why, how, what if and you can be engineers everyday!
Allow time to encourage them at the end.