Rocket Builder by Quiver Design Works

Rockets & Model Rocketry · Grades 3–5

Elementary · grades 3–5 · 8 lessons

Rockets & Model Rocketry

Worksheets for paper rockets: balloon, straw and stomp rockets and parachutes. Goes with Rocket Builder by Quiver Design Works (rocket.quiverdesignworks.net), used on the class projector. Lesson plans: rocket.quiverdesignworks.net/learn/elementary.

	Page	Use in
M	My rocket journey (unit map)	Lesson 1
E1	Balloon rocket	Lesson 1
E2	Straw rocket forces	Lesson 2
E3	Launch angles	Lesson 3
E4	Swing test	Lesson 4
E5	Design plan	Lesson 5
E6	Test and improve	Lesson 6
E7	Parachute drop	Lesson 7
E8	Launch log	Lesson 8
P	Parts of a rocket	Any lesson
S	Safety pledge	Lesson 1
45	45° sighting cards	Lesson 8
★	Rocket Scientist certificate	Lesson 8
K	Answer key	Teachers

Printing: US Letter, portrait, 100%. One page per student per lesson. Print the answer key for the teacher only.

Standards: Washington State K–12 Science Learning Standards (NGSS): 3-PS2-1, 3-PS2-2, 4-PS3-1, 5-PS2-1, 3-5-ETS1-1 to 3. Each lesson plan lists its standards.

Safety: paper and air rockets only. Model rocket motors are rated 12+ and only adults handle them. Glasses on for straw and stomp rockets.

Rocket Builder by Quiver Design Works

Rockets & Model Rocketry · Grades 3–5

Name Date

MMy rocket journey

Colour in each box when you finish a lesson.

The big parts

Pushes and pulls: Lessons 1–3
Design like an engineer: Lessons 4–6
Fly and land: Lessons 7–8

Short on time?

Lessons 1, 2, 4, 7 and 8 make a 5-lesson unit. Lessons 5 and 6 can be one longer block.

Engineers go round this loop again and again: you will too.

Rocket Builder by Quiver Design Works

Rockets & Model Rocketry · Grades 3–5

Name Date

E1Balloon rocket

Lesson 1 · Every push has a push back

force: a push or a pull · thrust: the push that moves a rocket

My guess: which balloon will go farther? small balloonbig balloon

Balloon	Try 1	Try 2	Try 3	Farthest
Small
Big

Colour a bar for the farthest try.

The air pushes forwardbackward. The balloon goes forwardbackward.

Holding it still, the pushes are balancedunbalanced.

Rocket Builder by Quiver Design Works

Rockets & Model Rocketry · Grades 3–5

Name Date

E2Straw rocket forces

Lesson 2 · Up and down

gravity: Earth's pull, always down · drag: air pushing back · apogee: the highest point

Draw an arrow for each push or pull. Orange = thrust (push up). Blue = gravity (pull down).

Gravity pulls updown.

My evidence: every time, my rocket came back downkept going up.

The highest point is called the apogeelaunch.

Rocket Builder: number the parts in order as you watch: ___ coast ___ liftoff ___ parachute ___ top

Rocket Builder by Quiver Design Works

Rockets & Model Rocketry · Grades 3–5

Name Date

E3Launch angles

Lesson 3 · Find the pattern

angle: how much it tilts, in degrees (°) · pattern: something that happens the same way again and again

Angle	Try 1	Try 2
30°
45°
60°
75°

Predict before you test 75°: it will go farther than 60°shorter than 60°

Was I right? yesno

The pattern: steeper is always fartherthe best angle is in the middle

Rocket Builder by Quiver Design Works

Rockets & Model Rocketry · Grades 3–5

Name Date

E4Swing test

Lesson 4 · Fins and balance

fins: the rocket's feathers · balance point: where it balances (blue dot) · push point: where the air pushes (red dot)

Swing each rocket. Tick what it did.

A no fins

straight wobbly tumbles

B fins

straight wobbly tumbles

C fins + clay in nose

straight wobbly tumbles

D fins + clay in tail

straight wobbly tumbles

Colour the dots. The balance point is blue. The push point is red.

The blue dot must be in front (nearer the nose)behind.

Rocket Builder: our score was ______. Green? yesno

Fins work like the feathers on an arrowwheels on a car.

Rocket Builder by Quiver Design Works

Rockets & Model Rocketry · Grades 3–5

Name Date

E5Design plan

Lesson 5 · Be an engineer

Problem: design a paper rocket that flies straight off the stomp launcher and lands in the target zone.

Criteria (it must…)

fly nose-first
land in the zone
still work after 3 launches

Constraints (my limits)

1 sheet of paper
1 index card
50 cm of tape
15 minutes

Idea 1: draw it

Idea 2: draw it

	Flies straight?	Lands in the zone?	Strong?
Idea 1
Idea 2

I picked idea 12 because

Rocket Builder by Quiver Design Works

Rockets & Model Rocketry · Grades 3–5

Name Date

E6Test and improve

Lesson 6 · Fair tests and failure points

Launch	Straight or wobbly?	In the zone?	Still works?
1	straight wobbly	yes no	yes no
2	straight wobbly	yes no	yes no

Circle the failure point on the rocket: the part that didn't work.

I changed one thing: nose fins length weight

After my fix:

Launch	Straight or wobbly?	In the zone?	Still works?
3	straight wobbly	yes no	yes no
4	straight wobbly	yes no	yes no

Did my change help? yesnoa little

Rocket Builder by Quiver Design Works

Rockets & Model Rocketry · Grades 3–5

Name Date

E7Parachute drop

Lesson 7 · Coming down gently

parachute: catches air to slow a fall · drag: air pushing back · gravity: pulls down

	Drop 1 (seconds)	Drop 2 (seconds)
No parachute
Small (20 cm)
Big (40 cm)
Streamer

Circle the slowest one in the table.

A bigger parachute falls fasterslower.

Gravity pulls updown. Drag from the air pushes updown.

Every parachute had the same washers, so the test was fairnot fair.

Rocket Builder: the parachute for a real rocket is ______ inches.

Rocket Builder by Quiver Design Works

Rockets & Model Rocketry · Grades 3–5

Name Date

E8Launch log

Lesson 8 · Launch day

I stood ______ m from the launcher. My job: countdown stomper tracker recorder recovery

#	Stomp	My guess: above or below 45°?	What happened?
1	soft medium hard	above below	above below
2	soft medium hard	above below	above below
3	soft medium hard	above below	above below
4	soft medium hard	above below	above below
5	soft medium hard	above below	above below

A harder stomp made the rocket go faster and higherslower and lower. It had moreless energy.

The parachute rocket's parachute opened: yesno

Rocket Builder predicted ______ m for a real rocket with a motor.

My best flight (first, next, last):

Rocket Builder by Quiver Design Works

Rockets & Model Rocketry · Grades 3–5

Name Date

PParts of a rocket

Any lesson

Write the name of each part in a box. Word bank: nose cone · body tube · fins · parachute

The fins keep the rocket flying straightgoing fast.

The parachute helps it go higherland gently.

The nose cone is pointed so the air flows smoothly around itinto it.

Rocket Builder by Quiver Design Works

Rockets & Model Rocketry · Grades 3–5

Name Date

SSafety pledge

Lesson 1 · Read it together, then sign

I will keep everyone safe. I promise to:

wear safety glasses for straw and stomp rockets
never aim a rocket at a person, an animal or a window
wait for the countdown: 3, 2, 1, launch!
stand behind the line until the adult says “clear”
never chase a rocket into a road, a tree or a power line
never look at the sun
leave real rocket motors to adults (they are for ages 12+)

Signed

Model rocket motors and kits are rated 12+. In our class we fly paper and air rockets.

Rocket Builder by Quiver Design Works

Rockets & Model Rocketry · Grades 3–5

Name Date

4545° sighting cards

Lesson 8 · Cut out, fold, track

Cut out a square and fold it corner to corner. Hold the bottom edge level and look up the folded edge: that line goes up at 45°.

If you stand 10 m from the launcher and the rocket goes above your 45° line, it went higher than 10 m.

Rocket Builder by Quiver Design Works

Rockets & Model Rocketry · Grades 3–5

Rocket Builder · Rockets & Model Rocketry

Rocket Scientist

This certifies that

designed, built, tested and launched rockets like a real engineer, and knows that every push has a push back, gravity pulls down, and fins keep a rocket flying straight.

Date Teacher

Rocket Builder by Quiver Design Works

Rockets & Model Rocketry · Grades 3–5

KAnswer keyTeachers

For teachers

E1 Balloon rocket

Data varies; the big balloon usually goes farther (a longer push).
The air pushes backward; the balloon goes forward. Held still: balanced.

E2 Straw rocket forces

Launch and going up: orange thrust arrow up, blue gravity arrow down (thrust longer while pushing). Coming down: blue gravity arrow down.
Gravity pulls down; it always came back down; apogee. Order: liftoff 1, coast 2, top 3, parachute 4.

E3 Launch angles

Data varies; about 45° (often a bit less) usually goes farthest; 75° goes shorter than 60°.
Pattern: the best angle is in the middle.

E4 Swing test

Usually A tumbles, B may wobble, C flies straight, D wobbles or tumbles.
The blue (balance point) dot is in front, nearer the nose. Fins work like the feathers on an arrow.

E5 Design plan

Any two different ideas; a reason that uses the criteria.

E6 Test and improve

Common failure points: a leaky nose, crooked or loose fins, fins too far forward. One change at a time.

E7 Parachute drop

Slowest: the big parachute. No parachute is fastest; the streamer is in between.
Bigger falls slower. Gravity pulls down; drag pushes up. Same washers: fair. Rocket Builder: often 12–18 inches.

E8 Launch log

Harder stomp: faster and higher, more energy. Above the 45° line from 10 m means higher than 10 m.

Parts of a rocket

Boxes left to right: nose cone, body tube, fins, parachute. Fins keep it flying straight; the parachute helps it land gently; the nose lets air flow smoothly around it.