Contents:

Quick Reference Sheets:• Intro: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page2• Experiment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page3• EquipmentList:Straw Towers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page4• Story,Part1:Jack and Jill and the Fire Ant Nectar . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page5• Story,Ending . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page6

Video Transcript:• Intro: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page7• Story,Part1:Jack and Jill and the Fire Ant Nectar . . . . . . . . . . . . .page9• Experiment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page12• StoryEnding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page14

Teacher’s Guide for:

Straw TowersNote: All activities in this document should be performed with adult supervision. Likewise, common sense and care are essential to the conduct of any and all activities, whether described in this document or otherwise. Parents or guardians should supervise children. Rock-it Science assumes no responsibility for any injuries or damages arising from any activities.

Note: All activities in this document should be performed with adult supervision. Likewise, common sense and care are essential to the conduct of any and all activities, whether described in this document or otherwise. Parents or guardians should supervise children. Rock-it Science assumes no responsibility for any injuries or damages arising from any activities.

StrawTowersARock-itScienceLessonFilmedOctober,2009

Title Page of Video

NOTE: This is the transcript of a lesson that was videotaped during an actual Rock-it Science class with real students, not actors. The students’ brainstorming comments are included on the video but are not transcribed here because they’re not part of the lesson presentation.

Rock-it Science2110 Walsh Ave, Unit FSanta Clara, CA 95050www.rockitscience.org

(c) 2012 Rock-it Science Educationally Useful Programs. All Rights Reserved

Rock-it Science Teacher’s Guide Straw Towers -- Page 2

Intro Quick Recap:• Powerlineshavehugepoles,andthelinesarefivehundredthou-sandvolts .

• Theygoacrosscountryandhavetowithstandtornadoesandhur-ricanes .

• Theirshapescontainalot“X”s,becausetrianglesarestrong .• They’remadeoutofthinmetal,butifyouputenoughofthemtogether,yougetastrongtower .

• Youcouldmakeitintheshapeofacylinderanditwouldbestrong,butitwouldhavetobeverywide .

• Theydon’tusuallymakethemoutofsquares,becausesquaresactkindofodd .

• Instructorusesmagnetconstructiontoystodemonstratethesta-bilityofvariousshapes:• 1 .FlatSquare--Thisshapecaneasilydistort .• 2 .Cube--Thisismorestable,butitcanalsodistorteasily .• 3 .Square-basedPyramid--Morestablethanacube,butthebasecanstilldistort .

• 4 .Triangle-basedPyramid--Verystable,nomatterwhatposi-tionyouputitin .

• Theexperimentwillconsistofbuildingatower3feettallthatwillsupporta3-poundweight,us-ingpaper,straws,plastictrays,tape,rubberbands,andstring .

• Studentswillworkingroupsofthreeandhavethirtyminutestocompletetheproject .

Electrical tower with power lines.

Pyramids made from magnetic construction toys.

Rock-it Science Teacher’s Guide Straw Towers -- Page 3

Experiment Quick Recap: “Straw Towers”• Whenthisexperimentisdoneincollege,theyonlyusestraws,buttheyhavetwohourstocom-pleteit .Weonlyhavethirtyminutes,sowe’lluseadditionalmaterials .

• Theobjectiveistoholda3-poundweight3feetintheair .• Studentsworkingroupsofatleastthree .Noonegetstoworkalone .It’simportantforstudentstodiscusstheirideasandcomeupwithsolutionsasateam .

• Instructorgiveseachteamaweight,whichisasteelballwrappedinfoamandcompletelycov-eredinducttape .

• Allconstructionmaterialsareonacart,andstudentsmaytakewhatevermaterialstheywanttouse,butcannotuseanythingthat’snotonthecart .

• Thematerialsinclude:• Plasticcafeteriatrays• Fatstraws• Spoonstrawsthatfitinsidethefatstraws• Rubberbands• Maskingtape• Bondpaper,81/2x11

• Whenagroupfinishestheirtower,theInstructorcheckstheheightwithayardstickandconfirmsthatitholdstheweight .

• Thegroupthenweighsallthematerialsusedfortheirtower(notincludingthe3-poundweight),andtheInstructorwritestheweightofeachtoweronthewhiteboardtoseewhichoneislightest .

• Studentscantaketheirtowershome,butnottheplastictrays .

Placing the weight on top of a tower.

Rock-it Science Teacher’s Guide Straw Towers -- Page 4

Equipment List: “Straw Towers”Items needed for Instructor:

• Magneticconstructiontoypieces(commerciallyavailable)

• Scale,toweighstudents’towermaterials

Items needed for Students:

Consumables (per student):

• Paper,20-lbbond,81/2”x11”(about100sheets)

• Straws,spoon-style,81/4”(about1,000)• Straws,fat,8”(about1,000)• Tape,masking,3/4”(onerollpergroup)• Rubberbands(about100)• String(onespool)Other:

• Trays,plasticcafeteria-style(about15-20)• Scissors• Weight,3-pound(6ea .)

Prep Work:

• Make3-poundweights,usingasteelballsurroundedwithfoamandsecurelywrappedinducttape .

• Assembleallstudentconstructionsuppliesonacart .

Magnetic construction toys.

3-pound weight.

Story Recap: “Jack and Jill and the Fire Ant Nectar”

Rock-it Science Teacher’s Guide Straw Towers -- Page 5

Part 1:

• Therewasaplacewherestrangecreatureslived .Someweretallandskinny;somewerethin,likepaper;andsomewerelikespaghetti .

• Thecreatureswereimmortalbecausetheydrankthenectarfromgiantpurplepetunias .Iftheydon’tgetthenectar,theyquicklyfadeawayanddie .

• Theflowersarecoveredwithfireants .Ifafireanttouchesyou,youburstintoflame .• Togettothenectarinsidetheflower,thecreaturesusetheirbodiestobuildatowerthat’shigherthantheflowersotheycanreachintoitwithouttouchingthefireants .

• Thecreaturesareendangeredspecies,soJackandJillarelookingoutforthemtomakesurenoonestealsthenectar .

• EvilMisterFredwantsthenectarsohecanliveforever .Hesendshisminionstoclimbtheflow-ersandbringbackthenectar .

• Theminionstouchthefireantsandburstintoflame .EvilMisterFredtellsthemtojumpinthelaketoputoutthefires .

• Thenhegivesthembubblegum .Theminionsstartblowingbubbles,whichburstalloverthem-selves .Thentheystartclimbingontopofeachotherandmakeatoweroftheirbodies,stucktogetherwithbubblegum .

• Theminionsgobacktotheflowers,butthebaseoftheirtoweristoowide,soittouchesthefireantsbeforethetopofthetowercangetcloseenoughtotheblossom .

• Oneminionhasareallylongmustache,anditstandsatthetopofthetowerandtriestolassotheflowerandbringitcloser .Butwhenthemustachetouchestheflower,itburstsintoflames .

Story Recap (cont.): “Jack and Jill and the Fire Ant Nectar”

Rock-it Science Teacher’s Guide Straw Towers -- Page 6

• EvilMisterFreduseshisvacuumcleanertohoverovertheflowerandstealthenectarhimself .Butassoonashegrabsit,heburstsintoflameandhastodoacrashdiveintothelake .

• HecallstheAcmeStoreofEverythingandordersafireproofsuit,fireproofgloves,andahelmet .• JackandJilltrytopersuadethecreaturestomoveawayfromtheresothey’llbesafe,buttheywon’tleave .

Ending:

• JackandJillcalledtheAcmeStoreofEverythingandorderedaduplicatorboxandmadethou-sandsofcopiesofthestraw,paper,andstringpeople .

• Theybuiltaverytalltowerwithahugefakepurplepetuniaontop .• Insteadofnectar,thispetuniawasfilledwiththefirejuicefromthefireants .• EvilMisterFredflewoverinhisfireproofoutfit,thinkinghewasinvincible .• Hesuckedupallthefirejuiceinhisvacuumcleaner .• Hecouldn’twaittodrinkthenectarofimmortality,sohepokedaholeinthevacuumbag,stuckinastraw,anddrankabiggulpofthefirejuice .

• Therewasahugeballoffireinthesky .

Rock-it Science Teacher’s Guide Straw Towers -- Page 7

Transcript: Intro Okay,you’veprobablyheardaboutpowerlines,thehugepolesandthelinesthatarefivehundredthousandvolts .Theygoacrossthecountry,andtheyhavetowithstandtornadoesandhurricanes .Theyhaveafunnyshape .There’salotof“X”sinthetowers,andtheX’saretherebecausetri-anglesarestrong .Trianglesareyourfriend .

Now,thishasbeenproventowork,madeoutofthinmetal,butifyouputenoughofthemtogether,itmakesareallygoodtower .Iftheywantedto,theycouldmakeatowerofacylinder .Thatwouldbeprettystrongaswell .Butitwouldhavetobekindofwideinordertoworkwell .Theydon’tusuallymaketowersoutofsquares,becausesquaresusuallyactkindofodd .Andwecanshowyouhowthisworkswithsometoys .

Wehavethesemagnetictoys .Eachoneofthesehasamagnetintheend .Youcanstickaballonthere,andyoucanletthemcometogetheranywayyouwant .We’llstartoffwithasquare .Squaresarekindofsquishy,andifyoubuildupsomesidesonit,we’regoingtomakeacubeoutofthethingandseehowthatacts .Wecanbuildourselvesasquareshape--there .Nowwecanseethatasquarecangotogetherprettywelltomakeacube,butitisreallyweak .

Sowe’lltakeitapartandturnitintoapyramidshape .Andnowit’salotstrongerthanbefore,butstillthebaseisnotveryrigid .Ifyouturnthatintoatrianglepyra-mid,thenallofthewaysthatwesetit,ithasthesameamountofstrength .

Towers made from triangles, a cylinder, and squares.

A square twists out of shape easily.

Triangle pyramid (at left) is stronger than a square-base pyramid.

A cube also distorts easily.

Rock-it Science Teacher’s Guide Straw Towers -- Page 8

Sotodayyouguysaregoingtobebuildingatoweroutofsomething .Ifyouwantto,youcanmakeitinaframework,hopefullywithlotsoftri-angles,andbuilditupasaframework .Or,youcanbuilditoutofsheetsofpaper .Andthepaperyoucanformanywayyoulike,butwe’veseenthatcirclescanbequitestrongforpaper .Andyoucanuseforafounda-tiononeofthesetrays .Whateveryoubuild,youcantapeitontothatwithsomeducttape .

Andyouwanttobuildsomethingthat’sthreefeethigh .Andontopofitwe’regoingtoputaweight .Theweightconsistsofathree-poundbundle .There’sasteelballinthere,andit’saniceheavybundle .Allyouhavetodoissupportitthreefeetintheairwithallthestuffthat’sonourcart .Andyou’llneedtoworkingroups,nolessthantwopeopleinagroup,preferablythree,becausetherearesixballs,andthreepeopleworksperfectly .Hopefully,you’llfindthingstoargueaboutandsettleyourargumentssoyoucanmakeatowerinthirtyminutes .

Paper cylinders can be strong.

Rock-it Science Teacher’s Guide Straw Towers -- Page 9

Story: “Jack and Jill and the Fire Ant Nectar”Onceuponatime,therewasaplacewheresomestrangecreatureslived .Someofthemweretallandskinny,witheyeslikethat .Andsomeofthecreatureswerethin,likethat .Andsomeofthecreatureswerelikespaghetti .There .Andallthesecreatureswereimmortal .Theyneverdie .Theyliveonforever .

Theyliveonforeverbecauseintheplacewheretheylive,therehappentobesomeflowers--purplepetunias .Andtheflowershavenectarinthem .Andthecreaturesdrinkthenectarfromtheflowers .Aslongastheydrinkthenectar,theystayalive .Butiftheydon’tgetthenectar,theyfadeawayveryquicklyanddie .

Theyhavetogettothenectaritself .Unfortunately,theflowersarecoveredwithfireants,andifafireanttouchesyou,youburstintoflame .Sothey’reallcoveredwithfireants .

Andsothesecreatures,whattheydowhenevertheyneedsomenectaroutofthepurplepetunias,theycreateastructureoutofthemselves .Now,thesepaperguyscanrolluptomakeacylin-der,andthetubeguyscancreatestruc-turesoutofthemselves,andthestringscantieeverythingtogether .Andtheycreatesomesortofastructure,sothattheycanhaveatowernexttothepurplepetunias .Andthenoneofthemhastoreachinandgetthenectarout .Well,ifanyfireantstouchhim--poof--heburstsintoflame .That’snotgood .Buttheyhavefiguredoutawaytodoit .

Now,thewholeareaisbeingwatchedoverbyJackandJill .They’resupposedtoprotectthesecreaturesbecausethey’reendangeredspecies .Andtheydon’tknowexactlyhowthecreaturesgetthenectaroutoftheflowers,butthey’rejusttry-ingtomakesurethatsomeonedoesn’tcomealongandstealthenectar .

Andofcourse,thatsomeoneisEvilMisterFred,whohassetupcampnearby .Andhewantstoliveforever,sohefigures,well,iftheyliveforeverbyeatingthenectarfromthepurplepetunias,hecandoit,too .Allhehastodoisgetitfromthem .

Strangely shaped creatures.

Tower to reach nectar.Petunia covered in fire ants.

Jack and Jill watch over the creatures.

Rock-it Science Teacher’s Guide Straw Towers -- Page 10

Sohe’stoldhisminionstorunoverthereandclimbuptheflowersandstealthenectar .Sotheminionssaid,“Allright!Wecandothis!”Andtheyrunoverthereandnextthingyouknow--poof--you’vegotflamingminions .Andthey’reallrunningaroundscreaming .AndEvilMisterFred,youknow,hedoesn’tsay,“Aw,that’stoobad,youburnedup .”Hesays,“Youidiots!What’swrongwithyou?Stopburning!”Andtheygojumpintoalakeorsomethingtoputthemselvesout .

Andsohesays,“Okay,minions,here’ssomebubblegum .Goforit .”Theminionsatethebubblegum .Ofcourse,minionscan’tjustchewthebubblegum .Theyblowbubbles .Andwhenthey’reblowingthebubbles,thebubblespop .Andnowyouhaveaminioncovered

withbubblegum .Andwhenyougetminionscoveredwithbubblegum,andotherminionsrunintohim,yougetapileofminionsallstucktogether .

Prettysoontheyhadthispileofgummed-upminions .Andthey’reget-tingtaller,likethat,becausethey’reclimbingontopofeachotherbecausetheyliketodothat .AndEvilMisterFredsaid,“Okay,nowyou’vegotit!Goovertotheflowersandgetsomeofthatnectar .”

Sohere’sthiswholepileofgummyminions,goingoverthere .Andtheyac-

tuallymakeanicebigtallpile .Butthebottomofthepilewouldtouchtheflowerbeforethetopofthepilegetstowhereitis .Sohesays,“Useyourmustache!Useyourmustache!”Andtherewasoneminionwithareallylongmustache .Andhewassupposedtolassotheflowerandpullitovertogetthenectarout .Ofcourse--poof--hismustachetoucheditandburstintoflames .AndEvilMisterFredwastryingtofigureouthowtodothis .Andthenhesaid,“Oh!Stupidme!I’vegottheanswerrighthere!”There,rightbehindhim,washisvacuumcleaner .Hesays,“AllI’vegottodoisflyoverthere,stealthenectar,andawayI’llgo .”

SoEvilMisterFredfliesrightoverthere,andhe’shoveringrightoverthetopoftheflower .Hecanseethefireants,buthecanseethere’saniceclearspot .He

Evil Mister Fred and his minions.

Pile of minions tries to get close to the flower.

Minion’s bubble.

Pile of gummy minions.

Evil Mister Fred on his vacuum.

Rock-it Science Teacher’s Guide Straw Towers -- Page 11

reachesin,grabsthenectar,nextthingyouknow--foom!--EvilMisterFredisonfire .Andhehastodoacrashdiveintothelaketoputhimselfout .

SoEvilMisterFredcalledtheAcmeStoreofEverythingandheorderedafireproofsuit,andfireproofglovesandhelmet,andallkindsofcoolstuff .AndJackandJillsaid,“Oh,boy .Soonerorlater,he’sgo-ingtofindawaytogetthatnectar .We’vegottothinkofsomething .”

AndJackandJillaretryingtopersuadethecreaturestheretomovesomewhereelse,toprotectthem-selvesfromEvilMisterFred .Theysay,“Aw,no,we’renotleaving .We’llbeokay .”Now,ifyou’reJackandJill,andyouwanttogetthenectaroutofthere,andmoveallthecreatures,whatwouldyoudo?

Imagination and Brainstorming Time[Students make suggestions](THEREARENOWRONGANSWERS!Whatevertheysay,youshouldreply:“That’sagoodidea,”“Theymightdothat,”etc .Afterbrainstorming,proceedwiththeexperi-ments,thenfinishthestory .)

We’llleavethis“TobeContinued . . .”

Rock-it Science Teacher’s Guide Straw Towers -- Page 12

Experiment: “Straw Towers”Now,averysimpleexperiment .Theydoitincollege .Incollege,theyonlygiveyoustraws .Buttheyalsogivethemtwohours .Soyoudon’thavetwohours .Whattheobjectiveis,istoputthisweight--itweighsthreepounds--aboutthatheightintheair .Andmakeitstaythere .[Student: For how long?]Oh,Idon’tknow .Ahundredyears?

Soyouhavetobuildsomethingunderit .Andwe’regoingtomakeitalittleeasierforyou .Yougetadinnertraytobuildsomethingon .Youputadinnertraydownthere,andthenyoucansomehowfastenstufftoitandcreateatower .Foryourtower,wehavelotsofstraws .There’sblackstraws .There’sabunchofspoonstraws .Youevermessaroundwithspoonstraws?[Student: You mean like for slushies?] Yeah,likeforslushies .Theyhavekindofanopenendonthemthatlookslikeaspoon .Theneatthingaboutthespoonstrawsis,ifyouneeditforsomereason,thespoonstrawsfitinsideoftheblackstraws .Soyoucanmakestrawstructurethings .

There’slotsofrubberbands .There’smaskingtape .There’slotsofsheetsofpaper .Andthere’slotsofstring .[Student: Can you tape the weight to the straws?]Youcan .Theideaistomaketheweightstayupthere .Theweightisthreepounds .It’skindofheavy .

Nowitwouldbereasonablyeasyifyoudiditbyyourself,sonobodygetstoworkbythemselves .Youneedtobeinagroupofthree .Whenyouhave

agroupofthree,allthreeofyoucomeuphereandI’llgiveyouathing .[Students organize themselves into groups and come forward. Instruc-tor confirms that there are three in each group, then gives each group a weight.]

Sonowthereshouldbegroupsofpeople,andyoucancomeuphereandtakewhateveryouthinkyoumightneed .[Students take whatever sup-

plies they want and return to their seats and start building.]Youwantittoendupbeingaboutthreefeethigh .

[When a group gets their tower completed, Instructor checks the height with a yard-stick and confirms that it will support the weight. Then the group takes all of the materials that were used to build their

Plastic tray.

Spoon straw fits inside fat straw.

Three-pound weight.

Construction supplies on cart.

Rock-it Science Teacher’s Guide Straw Towers -- Page 13

tower and places them on a scale to weigh them (without the three-pound weight). The Instructor writes the weights of the various towers on the white board so they can see which one is the lightest.]

[In this class, one group of students was very close to completing their tower, so the Instructor allowed the construction time to run longer. This meant there wasn’t time to finish the story.]Okay,we’regoingtofinishthestorynextweek .Weneedtocleanoffthetable .Ifyouwanttotakeyourtowerhome,youcantakeithome,butyoudon’tgettotakethetrayshome .

Rock-it Science Teacher’s Guide Straw Towers -- Page 14

End of Story * DO NOT * present this part of the lesson until after the experiments!

Whenweleftthem,evilMisterFredhadboughtafire-proofsuitfromtheAcmeStoreofEverythingandwasplanningtogetsomeofthenectarofeternallifeoutofthepurplepetunias .

JackandJillcalledtheAcmeStoreofEverythingandorderedaduplicatorboxandmadethousandsofcopiesofthestraw,paper,andstringpeoplewhothenbuiltthemselvesintoaverytalltowerwithahugefakepurplepetuniaatthetop .Butthispurplepetuniadidn’thavethenectarofeternallifeinside…itwasfilledwiththefirejuicefromthefireants!

EvilMisterFredflewoverwearinghisfireproofsuitthinkingthathewasnowinvincible .Whenhesawthehugepetuniaonthetowerhesaid,“Ha!TheythinkIcan’tflyupthathigh…I’llshowthem!”

ThenevilMisterFredflewrightupintothePurplepetuniaandsuckedupallthefirejuicewithhisflyingvacuumcleaner .EvilMisterFredwassohappyhecouldn’twaittogetbacktohiscastle,sohepokedaholeinthevacuumcleanerbag,stuckinastraw,anddrankabiggulpofthefirejuice .Therewasahugeballoffireinthesky…andtheyalllivedhap-pilyeverafter,exceptevilMisterFred .

End of Lesson

If y0u have questions about this lesson, please ask them through the online Teacher Support Forum on our web site.

Duplicator box made thousands of copies of the creatures.

Fake petunia with fire juice inside.

Evil Mister Fred in a ball of fire.

NOTE: Story ending does not appear on the video.