Rockin' Roller Coasters!

Next stop for these engineers: MOSI to compete at the Hillsborough County Science Olympics! 

5th Grade Marble Rollercoaster Competition

With the purpose to construct a marble rollercoaster that meets specific criteria, 5th graders gathered their materials and anxiously waited for the time clock to start. Using planned blueprint specifications, the students had to construct a roller coaster that would allow a marble to roll down, through four obstacles, and move an unaltered cup. The cup that traveled the farthest was declared the winner.

5th Grade Marble Rollercoaster Competition

CDS 5th-grade students have been working on this project since week two of school in the Maker Lab. With the guidance of Maker Lab & Science Specialist, Jennifer Gochoco, they learned all about potential and kinetic energy (which goes along with their unit of inquiry). Students had to design, build, test, make improvements, and retest their coasters. Each class had a competition and those winners competed against each other in the final.

5th Grade Marble Rollercoaster Competition

The Hillsborough County Science Olympics will be held at MOSI on November 6 and CDS 5th graders, Ryan M. and Gabriel K. will be representing CDS. They moved their cup 42 cm! Well done Patriots.


Thank you to all of the 5th-grade teachers for working hard with the students on their unit of inquiry having to do with energy and to Maker Lab and Science Specialist, Jennifer Gochoco, for facilitating this competition. Good luck to our Patriots heading to MOSI next week.