Hoop Glider STEM Challenge
The hoop glider STEM activity includes building a glider made from straw, tape, and index cards or paper to travel the farthest distance. Different activity versions are provided to accommodate student ability and time constraints.
Grades: 1st - 10th
Teaching Duration: 4 hours
The hoop glider STEM activity includes building a glider made from straw, tape, and index cards or paper to travel the farthest distance. Different activity versions are provided to accommodate student ability and time constraints.
Grades: 1st - 10th
Teaching Duration: 4 hours
The hoop glider STEM activity includes building a glider made from straw, tape, and index cards or paper to travel the farthest distance. Different activity versions are provided to accommodate student ability and time constraints.
Grades: 1st - 10th
Teaching Duration: 4 hours
“My STEM Team is already salivating with anticipation at being able to put this resource into action! Perfect way to teach variables and collect data at various stages.”
Hoop Glider STEM Activity with Digital Journal!
The hoop glider STEM activity includes building a glider made from straw, tape, and index cards or paper to travel the farthest distance. Different activity versions are provided to accommodate student ability and time constraints.
Topics Covered:
Scientific Method through Variable Testing
STEM Career: Aerospace Engineering
Engineering Design Process
Forces of Flight
Ratios
This hands-on activity shows students how to optimize an engineering design through systematically testing variables. Students will learn how to build a standard hoop glider out of straws and paper, conduct testing, and then change different variables to determine the effect on flying distance.
Lower Elementary: Younger students use the engineering design process student handouts to design a hoop glider to travel the farthest distance. This activity is teacher-led and uses trial and error in testing.
Upper Elementary: Students use the engineering design process to build and test a hoop glider. Teachers can extend the learning by testing one or two variables as a class or in partners.
Middle School: Students use the full activity guide to test 5 variables in building a hoop glider compared to the standard glider. Students will try different numbers of hoops, lengths of straws, the distance between hoops, and hoop diameters (including ratios between hoops).
Included in this product:
Teachers guide with links to resources
Science behind hoop gliders
Student design sheets including "compact version" with engineering design handouts or "expanded version" for testing 5 different hoop glider variables
Engineering design posters
STEM Career Connection: Aerospace Engineering
Reflection questions
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Looking for more STEM lessons? Find the Vivify resource guide here: bit.ly/VivifyResourceGuide
