Chapter 19: Investigating Speed and Energy with Balloon Rockets

Students will be exploring the relationship between energy and speed by building balloon rockets. The 5E model allows students to experience the process of building the balloon rockets themselves and changing variables to investigate the relationship between energy and speed. After completing two investigations, students will develop a scientific explanation using the claim, evidence, and reasoning format. Students’ scientific explanations will illustrate their understanding of the energy and speed relationship using the balloon rocket investigation as evidence.

Energy is the ability to do work or, in relation to this lesson, it is how objects move. The balloon rockets will be using energy to move across the room. The faster an object is moving, the more energy it possesses. Speed is the time rate at which an object is moving across a path. In this investigation, students will approximate changes in speed or time it takes for the balloon rocket to move across the room.