OVERVIEW

Makerspace is a place that provides hands-on, creative ways for students to design, experiment, and invent as they engage with a variety of tools and technology. Makerspaces are multidisciplinary in both approach and in the products created which fuels engagement and innovation. 

The activities below are great opportunities to break up the typical flow of standard instruction. 

AFFILIATE CREATED MAKER CHALLENGES

8th Grade 

Capture the Castle - Lesson Overview - 2.5 hours 

In the Middle Ages, rulers used to fortify their castles with archer towers, enormous walls, massive moats, and hard to reach locations, such as mountaintops or islands. 

So, seizing a castle became complicated. You couldn’t just send in an army to storm the castle.

You’re going to invent a way to siege a fortress by building a working model of a weapon that could take down the castle. 

1. What is your basic design going to be? A sling shot? A catapult? A trebuchet? A cannon?

2. Think of the physics and mechanics of it.

3. What will you do to increase the height? 

4. What will you do to increase speed? 

5. What will you do to reach a further distance? 

6. What will you do to guarantee accuracy? 

Lesson Plans 

Materials created by Breakthrough Houston - Last updated 2022

8th Grade 

Straw Bridges - Lesson Overview - 2.5 hours 

Working as engineering teams, students design and create model beam bridges using plastic drinking straws and tape as their construction materials. Their goal is to build the strongest bridge with a truss pattern of their own design, while meeting the design criteria and constraints. They experiment with different geometric shapes and determine how shapes affect the strength of materials. Let the competition begin! 

Lesson Plans 

Materials created by Breakthrough Houston - Last updated 2022

7th and 8th Grade 

Amusement Park - Lesson Overview - 2.5 hours 

You’re going to build the ultimate roller coaster. Okay, you’re not actually going to build a life size roller coaster that you can ride. Apparently, there’s this thing called safety that schools have  to follow. Bummer. But you are going to design and build a model of a roller coaster. It needs to  be the kind of roller coaster someone would actually enjoy.  

So, think about this ultimate roller coaster.  

1. Consider your ideal audience. Will it be a gentler ride for younger kids or will it be a  terrifying ride for adventure-seekers? How do you want people to feel? Do you want  people to feel scared? Nervous? Excited? Calm? Maybe a mix of all of those emotions? 

2. What kind of theme will it have? See, every roller coaster has a theme. It might be a  mountain theme or a space theme or pop culture theme. So, create a theme for your  roller coaster.  

3. Decide on the features of your ride. Will it have a huge drop? A loop? A corkscrew turn? 

4. Think of the physics and mechanics of your ride. How will you keep your coaster going  from start to finish without stopping? 

Lesson Plans 

Materials created by Breakthrough Houston - Last updated 2022