Handout
Curated OER

National Park Service: Reading 2: The Glen Echo Amusement Park

For Students 9th - 10th
A history of Glen Echo Amusement Park in particular and trolley parks in general. Includes comprehension questions.
eBook
Physics Classroom

The Physics Classroom: Circular and Satellite Motion: Amusement Park Physics

For Students 9th - 10th
In this interactive module, students explore the centripetal acceleration experienced by riders within the circular-shaped sections of a roller coaster track.
Lesson Plan
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: The Science of Swinging

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Students learn what a pendulum is and how it works in the context of amusement park rides. While exploring the physics of pendulums, they are also introduced to Newton's first law of motion - about continuous motion and inertia.
Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Amusement Park Ride: Ups and Downs in Design

For Teachers 7th - 8th
This unit has students design and build foam tubing roller coasters. The design process integrates energy concepts as they test and evaluate their designs that address the task as an engineer would. The goal is for students to understand...
Lesson Plan
Alabama Learning Exchange

Alex: Energy and Work Amusement Park Style

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This is a lesson presenting energy and work. It covers: types of energy, forms of energy, work, law of conservation of energy, and renewable and nonrenewable energy sources. In the activities section, one will find links to Internet...
Lesson Plan
Better Lesson

Better Lesson: What Rides Can You Go On?

For Teachers 6th - 7th
What rides can you go on? Learners connect inequalities with an amusement park's height requirements to figure out which rides they can go on.
Lesson Plan
NC State University

The Engineering Place: Roller Coasters [Pdf]

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
A lesson where learners construct a roller coaster and test it under different conditions to learn about force and motion.
Lesson Plan
Texas A&M University

Texas A&m University: Properties of the Ocean Activities

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This site is from the Texas A&M University provides a lesson plan on measurement and properties of the ocean. As part of the instructional activity students are challenged to create a model of an underwater amusement park. Web...
Activity
Other

Hstry: Roller Coaster Design Brief Template

For Students 9th - 10th
Interactive site by STEM teacher Mariana Garcia-Serrato in a lesson on physics in which students design, budget for and analyze their own roller coasters.
Lesson Plan
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Physics of Roller Coasters

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students explore the physics utilized by engineers in designing today's roller coasters, including potential and kinetic energy, friction, and gravity. First, students learn that all true roller coasters are completely driven by the...
Activity
Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments: Getting Started With the Ti Navigator: Equations of My Road

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This lesson introduces students to the use of a map of an area, a neighborhood, a favorite city, or an amusement park, to determine the slope of a specific road. Students will find the slope of a line using a coordinate plane.
Unit Plan
TED Talks

Ted: Ted Ed: How Roller Coasters Affect Your Body

For Students 9th - 10th
Brian D. Avery investigates what roller coasters are doing to your body and how they've managed to get scarier and safer at the same time.