Free lessons · Grades 3–5 · 8 lessons · Washington science standards
Rockets: elementary track
Eight 45-minute lessons with paper rockets. Built on the Washington State K–12 Science Learning Standards (the NGSS). Goes with Rocket Builder by Quiver Design Works (rocket.quiverdesignworks.net), used on a projector or tablets.
Students build and fly balloon, straw and stomp rockets, test fins and parachutes like engineers, and finish with a launch day. Rocket Builder is a class tool: the teacher (or a student "driver") designs rockets on the projector, shows the balance point and push point, and plays the simulated launch. A 3D-printed rocket can appear as an optional instructor demo. No motors for students: model rocket motors and kits are rated 12+.
The learning pathway
- Pushes and pulls
- Design like an engineer
- Fly and land
★ In the 5-lesson short unit.
Lessons at a glance
| Lesson | Big idea | Hands-on | Rocket Builder | Worksheet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Every push has a push back | Balloon rockets on a string | Optional: ▶ Watch it launch | E1 |
| 2 | Forces on a rocket; gravity pulls down | Build and fly straw rockets | Call out the parts of the flight | E2 |
| 3 | Patterns help us predict | Launch-angle test with a squeeze launcher | E3 | |
| 4 | Fins and balance | Swing test: no fins, fins, clay in the nose | Find the blue and red dots | E4 |
| 5 | Criteria and constraints | Design and build a stomp rocket | Compare two designs | E5 |
| 6 | Test, find the failure, improve | Stomp-rocket fair tests | Optional: change one thing, build | E6 |
| 7 | Parachutes and gravity | Parachute drop test | Which parachute? card | E7 |
| 8 | Launch day | Stomp launches, 45° tracking, parachute rocket | Compare with the app's predicted height | E8, 45° card, certificate |
Short on time? Lessons 1, 2, 4, 7 and 8 make a 5-lesson unit. Lessons 5 and 6 can be one longer block (about 90 minutes).
Standards map
Codes are the Washington State K–12 Science Learning Standards adopted in 2013 (the NGSS performance expectations); see Standards for the full text, the sources, and the matching codes in the new WA Science 2026 draft.
| Lesson | Performance expectations | Science and engineering practice | Crosscutting concept | Math / ELA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Balloon rockets | 3-PS2-1 | Planning and carrying out investigations | Cause and effect | 3.MD.B.3 |
| 2 Straw rockets | 3-PS2-1, 5-PS2-1 | Engaging in argument from evidence | Cause and effect | |
| 3 Launch angles | 3-PS2-2 | Planning and carrying out investigations | Patterns | 4.MD.C.6, 3.MD.B.3 |
| 4 Fins and balance | 3-5-ETS1-3, 3-PS2-1 | Planning and carrying out investigations | Structure and function | |
| 5 Design a stomp rocket | 3-5-ETS1-1, 3-5-ETS1-2 | Asking questions and defining problems; designing solutions | Influence of engineering on people | |
| 6 Test and improve | 3-5-ETS1-3, 3-5-ETS1-2 | Planning and carrying out investigations | Cause and effect | |
| 7 Parachutes | 5-PS2-1, 3-PS2-1, 3-5-ETS1-3 | Planning and carrying out investigations | Cause and effect | 3.MD.B.3 |
| 8 Launch day | 3-PS2-2, 4-PS3-1, 3-5-ETS1-3 | Carrying out investigations; constructing explanations | Patterns; energy and matter | 4.MD.C.6, SL.3.4–SL.5.4 |
Disciplinary core ideas: PS2.A Forces and motion (Lessons 1–4, 7), PS2.B Types of interactions: gravity (2, 7), PS3.A Definitions of energy (8), ETS1.A–C Engineering design (4–8).
WA Science 2026 key experiences: student-led investigations (Lessons 1, 3, 7), student-led engineering design (5, 6) and science outdoors (3, 6, 8).
Materials
Most of it is classroom or household stuff. Rough 2026 US prices for a class of about 25:
| Item | Lessons | About |
|---|---|---|
| Safety glasses, one per student (kids' sizes) | 2, 3, 6, 8 | $40–75 for a class set |
| Long balloons (latex-free if needed), string or fishing line, straws | 1, 2, 3 | $10 |
| Paper, cardstock, index cards, tape, scissors, paper-towel tubes, modeling clay | 2–6 | on hand |
| Empty 500 ml bottles for squeeze launchers | 3 | free |
| Protractors | 3, 8 | $1–3 each |
| Stomp-rocket launcher (kit) or DIY: 2-litre bottle, 1 m of ¾-inch (about 2 cm) PVC pipe, duct tape | 5, 6, 8 | $15–25 kit, $5–8 DIY |
| Plastic bags, thread, washers or binder clips, stopwatches | 7 | on hand |
| A projector or tablets with Rocket Builder | 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8 | free app, no account needed |
Using Rocket Builder with grades 3–5
- Open rocket.quiverdesignworks.net in Beginner mode on the projector. No account, download or install.
- Build my rocket, then point at the blue dot (balance point) and the red dot (push point), and the stability score (green is good).
- ▶ Watch it launch plays the flight: liftoff, push, coast, top, parachute, landing.
- On tablets, groups can try their own designs. Keep it on screen: no downloads, prints or orders in this track.
Optional: the 3D-printed rocket as an instructor demo
- Lesson 4, show-and-tell: a printed Rocket Builder rocket with no motor. Students hold it, find its balance point and compare it with the app.
- Lesson 8, flight demo: only if an adult experienced with model rockets runs it under the NAR Model Rocket Safety Code, on a big enough field, with students behind a spectator line. Or visit a local NAR club launch. See the safety page.
Worksheets
The elementary worksheets (US Letter, big type, lots of pictures, little writing): E1–E8 (one per lesson), a parts-of-a-rocket page, the paper-rocket safety pledge, 45° sighting cards, a Rocket Scientist certificate and the answer key. Print at 100%.
Further resources
- Apogee Components, Teach with Model Rockets: their free Rocketry Reservoir handout pack (parts of a rocket, flight phases, colouring pages, certificates) and lessons for grades 5–8, including The Optimum Descent Challenge (a parachute lesson). They are written for kit rockets with motors, so use the ideas, not the motor flights.
- National Association of Rocketry: nar.org for the safety code and local club launches.