🎢 Roller Coaster Carnival Mini-Unit

Grade Level: High Ability 1st–2nd
Duration: 8 Lessons (20–30 min each) + Culminating Carnival Expo
GT Focus: Creativity, critical thinking, problem solving, affective development

📘 Teacher Guide

Unit Goals

• Strengthen persuasive and descriptive writing

• Build creativity and critical thinking

• Develop STEM problem-solving skills

• Encourage teamwork, presentation, and affective reflection

Standards Addressed Common Core

• Writing: W.3.1, W.4.1, W.5.1

• Speaking & Listening: SL.3.3, SL.4.3, CCRA.SL.2

• Language: L.3.1, L.3.6, L.4.1, L.4.6, L.5.1, L.5.6

• Math: 3.NF.A.1, 3.OA.A.1, 3.OA.A.3, 4.NF.B.3b, 4.NBT.B.5, 5.NF.A.2, MP1, MP2

• Research: RI.3.1, RI.4.1, RI.5.1

Lesson Flow

Lesson Activity GT Focus Duration

 1 Buy a Coaster Journal Creativity, Persuasive Writing 20–25 min

 2 STEM Coaster Challenge Critical Thinking, Teamwork 25–30 min

 3 Ability Coasters Affective Development 20–25 min

 4 Mind Bender Madness Math Reasoning, Competitiveness 20–30 min

 5 Razzle Dazzle Words Vocabulary, Creativity 20 min

 6 Mirrors of Me Self-Reflection, Affective Development 20 min

 7 Take Research for a Ride! Research, Presentation Skills 25–30 min

 8 Galactic Number Order Math Reasoning, STEM 20 min

Culminating Carnival Expo Day Presentation, Collaboration 1 class period

Rubrics (Simplified for Student Self-Check)

1. Writing & Persuasive Letter

Criteria 3 – Excellent 2 – Good 1 – Needs Improvement

Clear Reasons 3+ reasons with details 2 reasons 1 reason or unclear

Creativity Fun, imaginative, persuasive Some creativity Little creativity

Spelling & Grammar Very few errors Some errors Many errors

2. STEM Coaster Challenge

Criteria 3 2 1

Functionality Marble completes ride successfully Marble completes part of ride Marble fails ride

Creativity Unique and imaginative design Some unique elements Very basic design

Teamwork Collaborates well Collaborates with minor issues Little collaboration

3. Research Project

Criteria 3 2 1

Facts Accurate and complete Mostly accurate Inaccurate or incomplete

Presentation Clear and engaging Somewhat clear Difficult to follow

Creativity Uses visual aids or props Minimal creativity Little or no creativity

📝 Student Packet

Lesson 1: Buy a Coaster Journal

Prompt: Write a letter to your principal convincing them to buy a roller coaster for the playground.

• Explain why this would be good for students.

• Give at least 3 reasons.

• Use descriptive words to make your idea exciting.

Letter Template
Dear _______________________,

I think our school needs a roller coaster because ____________________________.
Another reason is __________________________________________.
It would help students by ____________________________________.
Finally, it would be amazing because __________________________.

Please consider this idea.

Sincerely,

Lesson 2: STEM Coaster Challenge

Directions: Work with your group to build a marble roller coaster using simple parts (paper, tape, straws, cardboard, etc.).

Planning Sheet:

• Our group’s coaster name: ____________________

• Our design sketch: [drawing box]

• Materials list: _______________________________

• Predicted problem: ___________________________

• Solution we tried: ___________________________

• Did the marble work? ☐ Yes ☐ No

• What we would change: ______________________

Lesson 3: Ability Coasters

Directions: Create a roller coaster drawing with 3 loops:

• Loop 1 = Something you’re really good at

• Loop 2 = Something you’re improving on

• Loop 3 = Something you want to try

Extension: When finished, cut and paste your coaster to make one BIG classroom display!

Lesson 4: Mind Bender Madness

Directions: Solve carnival-themed math brain teasers with your team. Earn tickets for correct answers. The team with the most tickets wins a prize.

Sample Problem:
🎡 If a roller coaster car holds 8 kids and there are 6 cars, how many kids can ride at once?
🎟 A cotton candy costs $3. How much would 5 cotton candies cost?
🎠 A Ferris wheel has 12 seats. If 2 kids sit in each seat, how many kids are riding?

Brain Teasers

1. Roller Coaster Ride
   🎡 A roller coaster car holds 8 kids. There are 6 cars. How many kids can ride at once?
   Answer: _________

2. Carnival Treats
   🎟 A cotton candy costs $3. How much would 5 cotton candies cost?
   Answer: _________

3. Ferris Wheel Fun
   🎠 A Ferris wheel has 12 seats. If 2 kids sit in each seat, how many kids are riding?
   Answer: _________

4. Ticket Pattern
   🎟 Tickets are sold in sets of 5, 10, 15, … What is the 7th number in the pattern?
   Answer: _________

5. Loop-the-Loop
   🎡 A coaster has 3 loops. Each loop has 4 cars with 2 kids in each car. How many kids ride the loops total?
   Answer: _________

6. Ball Toss Challenge
   🎯 A game costs 2 tickets per throw. You have 12 tickets. How many times can you play?
   Answer: _________

7. Fraction Fun
   🍭 A bag of candy is divided into 4 equal parts. You eat 1 part. What fraction of the bag did you eat?
   Answer: _________

8. Prize Counting
   🎁 A prize stand has 5 rows of 6 prizes each. How many prizes are on the stand?
   Answer: _________

9. Money Exchange
   💰 You have $10. A game costs $2.50 to play. How many times can you play the game?
   Answer: _________

10. Pattern Ride Heights
    🎡 The roller coasters are 4 ft, 8 ft, 12 ft, 16 ft… What is the height of the 6th roller coaster?
    Answer: _________

11. Multi-Step Candy Problem
    🍬 You buy 3 packs of gum. Each pack has 5 pieces. You eat 2 pieces from each pack. How many pieces do you have left?
    Answer: _________

12. Combination Challenge
    🎠 You have 3 types of carnival rides: Ferris wheel, coaster, bumper cars. You ride each type twice. How many rides do you take in total?
    Answer: _________

13. Shared Tickets
    🎟 Your team earns 18 tickets. You want to divide them evenly among 3 team members. How many tickets does each person get?
    Answer: _________

14. Odd & Even Ride Numbers
    🎡 There are 12 rides. Odd-numbered rides give 2 tickets each. Even-numbered rides give 3 tickets each. How many tickets can you earn if you ride all rides once?
    Answer: _________

15. Fraction of Riders
    🎠 There are 16 kids on a ride. 1/4 of them get scared and get off. How many kids stay?
    Answer: _________

Optional Teacher Extensions:

• Include higher-order questions: “If 2 rides break, how does this change your total tickets?”

• Encourage team reasoning explanations: Have students write or explain how they solved each problem.

• Mix fractional, multi-step, and pattern problems to differentiate for fast finishers.

Lesson 5: Razzle Dazzle Words (Carnival Edition)

Directions: Choose 8–10 carnival/roller coaster words (loop, thrill, track, carnival, dizzy, etc.). Fill in the chart.

Word Definition Picture Sentence Part of Speech

Challenge: Write a “roller coaster ride” story using at least 5 of your words.

Lesson 6: Mirrors of Me

Directions: Draw 3 “funhouse mirrors” of yourself:

• How you think classmates see you

• How you think teachers see you

• How you see yourself

Writing Reflection:

• I think classmates see me as __________________________.

• I think teachers see me as ____________________________.

• I see myself as ______________________________________.

Lesson 7: Take Research for a Ride!

Choice Board – Pick 1–3 projects to research:

1. The history of roller coasters

2. The fastest coaster in the world

3. How a Ferris wheel works

4. Carnival food inventions

5. Famous amusement parks

6. Roller coaster safety

7. The science of loops + drops

8. Carnival performers (acrobats, jugglers, etc.)

9. The first carousel ever made

10. The tallest coaster in the world

Planning Sheet:

• My topic: ____________________________

• 3 facts I found:

  3. 
     
  4. 
     
  5. 
     

• How I will share: ☐ Poster ☐ Slide Show ☐ Skit ☐ Model

Mini-Rubric
✔ Facts are accurate
✔ Creative presentation
✔ Clear to the audience

🎡 Culminating Project – Carnival Expo Day

Students set up a “mini carnival” to showcase:

• Their persuasive letters

• Roller coaster STEM builds

• Ability coaster display

• Razzle Dazzle dictionaries

• Funhouse mirrors

• Research projects

Visitors can “walk the carnival” and vote with tickets for:

• Most Creative Coaster

• Best Persuasive Argument

• Funniest Funhouse Mirror

• Best Research Project