STEM Challenge - Project: Skydive - Design a Parachute For Your New Business

Engage your students with this week-long STEM challenge.

The Challenge:

You have always been fascinated by extreme sports which has led to the opening of

your new Skydiving business on the edge of town. As the owner of the business want

to ensure you purchase the safest and most accurate parachutes on the market. There

are so many choices to make when considering which parachutes to purchase. Should

you buy round ones, rectangular ones, large ones, small ones, plastic ones, fabric

ones? The choices are endless. You decide to create a little challenge to help make

your decision easier. The goal of this challenge is to create a parachute that slows the

parachute down the most, but is also the most accurate. You will need to run many

trials to ensure your data is solid before making a final choice. As an entrepreneur, you

have invested a lot of your own money into this business and don't want to make the

wrong decision. That said, you also need to remain under budget during your testing.

One tragic accident could be the end of your business forever. The safety of others is

dependent on you. Good luck.

What's Included

• The 21st-century problem includes a video challenge which outlines the activity in a fun and easy to understand way.

• The slideshow presentation (PPT and Keynote) allows the teacher to facilitate the pacing throughout the project.

• The teacher lesson plans include TEKS and NGSS standards alignment, and step-by-step directions on what the teacher and students should be doing along the way.

• The student notebook will guide the student through the activity. The questions will challenge students to learn new information, reflect on learned information, and provide the students a framework for the entire project.

• Each lesson is written using the Launch process. Students are going to be brainstorming with their peers and reflecting on failures and opportunities. At the end of each project, we’ve asked the students to share their ideas with the world. This holds students accountable. They will put forth the best effort knowing other students could critique the project.

What Supplies Do I Need?

Each product contains a list of suggested supplies for the project. We were very cautious about choosing inexpensive items. This project has a suggested supply list that includes: String, Tape, Scissors, Plastic garbage bags (two different thicknesses), Fabric (two different thicknesses), Paper, Hole punch

The supply list is dynamic and can be adjusted to your situation.

NGSS and TEKS Standards

Aside from the engineering components of this project, students will be learning about precision and accuracy, maintaining a budget, describing the change in position and speed when acted on by an unbalanced force.

NGSS: MS-ETS1-1, MS-ETS1-2, MS-ETS1-3, MS-ETS1-4, MS-PS2-2, 3-PS2-1, MS-PS2-2

TEKS: 6.8B

Other STEM Challenges

Project: Rocket Launch - Create Rocket That is Ready for Launch

Project: Birdman - Design a Bird Beak for a Feeding Frenzy

Project: Electric - Design a System to Harness Wave Energy

Project: Hurricane Defender - Build a Hurricane Proof House

Project: Inhabit Mars - Build a Landing Device for Mars

Project: Lunar Base - Design a Lunar Colony

Project: Move - Design a Pulley System To Move a Heavy Load

Project: Save the Oceans - Design a Device to Clean the Oceans

Project: Skydive - Design a Parachute For Your New Business

Project: Thrills - Design A Fast and Furious Roller Coaster

Project: Wind and Sky - Create a 21st Century Turbine

Project: Explore Mars - Create a Space Probe for a MARS Mission

Save $$$

STEM Challenge Bundle 20% off

Connect with Kesler Science

Be sure to follow my TpT store by clicking on the red ‘Follow Me’ next to my Seller picture to receive notifications of new products and upcoming sales.

Blog - Kesler Science Lessons Blog for more great activities and freebies.

Follow me on Twitter @iamkesler

Great info and freebies on Facebook /keslerscience

Terms of Use

Copyright © Kesler Science, LLC. All rights reserved by the author. This product is to be used by the original downloader only. Copying for more than one teacher, classroom, department, school, or school system is prohibited. Permission is never granted to enter Kesler Science materials into any form of AI for any purpose. This product may not be distributed or displayed digitally for public view. Failure to comply is copyright infringement and a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Clipart and elements found in this PDF are copyrighted and cannot be extracted and used outside of this file without permission or license. Intended for classroom and personal use ONLY. Multiple licenses are available for purchase by departments, schools, or school districts. Contact chris@keslerscience.com for more information.