Transcript ROLLERCOASTER RIDE - Technology Systems

ROLLERCOASTER RIDES:
Exploring the Effects of Faster, Scarier
Amusement Park Rides
Objectives:
Students will be able to:
Develop an understanding of why people are attracted to
amusement park rides.
Examine what health risks are involved in thrill rides as
they become faster and more dangerous.
Research and create posters illustrating the different risks
of popular amusement park rides.
Write thoughtful essays utilizing the material researched in
class to speculate on the human need for high-risk thrills.
OVERVIEW
• Students explore why people go on roller
coasters and what can happen to passengers
on these and other "thrill" rides, exploring the
science behind them.
WARM-UP QUESTIONS
In journals, students will respond to the
following questions:
1. Why do people go on roller coasters?
2. What makes them fun?
3. How dangerous to participants can this
kind of entertainment be?
4. Who should determine whether or not an
amusement park ride is safe?
VOCABULARY
Using internet sources, define the following terms:
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Coax
Inversion
Ominous
Daze
Traumatic
Vertigo
Ocular
Malfunction
Hurtle
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Constitute
Hematoma
Rupture
Aneurysm
Benign
Potential Energy
Kinetic Energy
Friction
Gravity
ADVOCACY FOR SAFER
AMUSEMENT PARK RIDES
Write letter to a local amusement park that
recommends other features that could
be added to the seats in some of the
thrill rides to make them safer.
(1 page)
RESEARCH PAPER
Research a popular type of amusement park
ride, such as:
– inverted roller coasters
– scramblers
– bumper cars
– free falls
– runaway trains
– pendulum swings
(2 pages)
RESEARCH PAPER
Research answers to the following questions about your
amusement park ride:
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What is the name of the ride you are researching?
What category of ride is it?
How does the ride work?
What physical forces are involved in the ride?
What are the common and not-so-common health risks for this
ride?
– How does an amusement park ride cause this type of injury?
– Under what conditions can this injury occur?
– What pre-existing health conditions could this ride exacerbate?
(2 pages)
NEWS ARTICLE
Read the article, “When Brain Trauma Is at the Other End of the
Thrill Ride”, and answer each question in a complete
sentence.
 Why do people go on roller coasters?
 What makes them fun?
 How dangerous to participants can this kind of entertainment
be?
 Who should determine whether or not an amusement park
ride is safe?
 What happened to Deborah Lee Benagh on the Mind Eraser?
 Why, according to the article, might amusement park injuries
be on the rise?
 What is G-force?
NEWS ARTICLE
 What other forces are felt on a roller coaster?
 What are doctors and amusement parks doing to study the
health risks of thrill rides?
 What happens to the body under tremendous force such as
the G-force?
 What are some of the reasons why no one can currently say
whether brain injuries suffered by people on thrill rides were
caused by the rides themselves?
 What other factors might affect a rider's physical reaction?
 What does the amusement park industry subcommittee
recommend that amusement parks do to make these rides
safer? Do you think this is enough? Why or why not?
BRIEF CONSTRUCTED
RESPONSE
Students must view the videos:
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCiWrZzYEDo
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWHdyRFX348
Write a brief constructed response about the
types of rollercoaster that are displayed.
Compare and contrast the rollercoaster
viewed in the videos to rides that you have
rode before.
EXTENDED CONSTRUCTED
RESPONSE
• Using research gathered in class, students will
individually write a reflective essay
speculating on why human beings subject
themselves to this and other high-risk forms
of entertainment.
(1 page)
PRESENTATION/DEMONSTRATION
• Students’ model rollercoaster must complete
at least one complete cycle from start to finish
(without assistance).
• Students must demonstrate how potential
and kinetic energy is used and transferred
during your rollercoaster’s ride.
EXTENSION ASSIGNMENT
Data Research
Create a chart assessing the physical and
health risks of "kiddie'" rides for younger
children.
Research statistics on deaths and injuries, as
well as the forces mentioned in the article.
EXTENSION QUESTIONS
1. What should a person do if he or she experiences
problems during a thrill ride?
2. How do thrill rides compare with rides taken in
space ships and fighter planes?
3. What can people do to lower the risks of injuries at
amusement parks?
4. Why are people attracted to thrill rides and other
high-risk forms of entertainment?
5. Do you think it is the state's responsibility to get
involved in private entertainment venues? Why or
why not?
EVALUATION
Students will be evaluated based on:
Thoughtful completion of written work
Class and group discussions
Participation in group project
Tardiness and attendance
Completion of reflective essays
ROLLERCOASTER
PICTURES
ROLLERCOASTER MODELS
LET’S START
BUILDING