Introduction
We are going to design a Rube Goldberg Machine that represents the Water Cycle!
Rube Goldberg URL:
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rjLPX-LcB8
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyofNnTcWd0
Task
This is an open ended project and you really can’t have a wrong answer. You just need to think like engineer and create a Rube Goldberg machine that would transform water through all of its stages experienced in the Water Cycle. You must also make sure to include a description or analysis of your groups machine explaining what certain components or transitions represent in relation to the Water Cycle (e.g. precipitation, condensation, etc.).
I do want everyone to start their models in the same spot though. I want your first part of your machine to be the Bunsen burner being the input of heat, representing the sun, and turning the water in the beaker, representing a body of water, into water vapor like the demonstration for the Water Phases at the beginning of class. You must than have any number of steps you find necessary to have your machine turn that initial water into an ice cube.
Water Cycle Vocabulary:
(You should have all of these terms already defined because these were on a worksheet we did in class.)
- Condensation
- Precipitation
- Transpiration
- Surface Runoff
- Subsurface Runoff
- Evaporation
- Accumulation
- Agriculture
- People
- Wastewater
- Lakes
- Rivers
- Atmosphere
- Clouds
- Glaciers/Icecaps
- Vegetation
Process
Please determine roles for each group member according to your assigned team color.
Blue Team:
- Task Director:
- Coordinator/Group Leader
- Informs group about the components of the water cycle
- Outlines the blueprint or sketch of the machine idea
- Research Coordinator:
- Researches ideas for machine parts
- Shows YouTube video ideas to teammates
- Machine Engineer:
- Draws the design of the final machine
- Records what each machine part represents
- Maintenance Manager:
- Checks for plausibility of the design using online resources
- Helps Engineer fix parts of the machine as necessary
*Requirements - Use 8 of the 16 Water Cycle Vocabulary Words
Red Team:
- Task Director:
- Coordinator/Group Leader
- Informs group about the components of the water cycle
- Outlines the blueprint or sketch of the machine idea
- Research Coordinator:
- Researches ideas for machine parts
- Shows YouTube video ideas to teammates
- Machine Engineer:
- Draws the design of the final machine
- Records what each machine part represents
- Maintenance Manager:
- Checks for plausibility of the design using online resources
- Helps Engineer fix parts of the machine as necessary
*Requirements - Use 12 of the 16 Water Cycle Vocabulary Words
White Team:
- Task Director:
- Coordinator/Group Leader
- Informs group about the components of the water cycle
- Outlines the blueprint or sketch of the machine idea
- Research Coordinator:
- Researches ideas for machine parts
- Shows YouTube video ideas to teammates
- Machine Engineer:
- Draws the design of the final machine
- Records what each machine part represents
- Maintenance Manager:
- Checks for plausibility of the design using online resources
- Helps Engineer fix parts of the machine as necessary
*Requirements - Use 12 of the 16 Water Cycle Vocabulary Words and integrate a vehicle and an animal into their machine.
Evaluation
|
Exemplary |
Developing |
Satisfactory |
Points |
|
Our Rube Goldberg Machine is possible. |
We could probably build our Machine. |
Our machine is not possible. |
/2 |
|
We include all of the phases of the Water Cycle. |
We included over half of the phases of the Water Cycle. |
We included less than half of the phases of the cycle. |
/6 |
|
We analyzed why each component of my machine represents a phase of the water cycle. |
We analyzed over half of the water cycle phases in our machine. |
We analyzed less than half of the water cycle phases in our machine. |
/6 |
|
We started with a Bunsen burner and beaker of water. |
N/A |
We did not start with a Bunsen burner and beaker of water. |
/2 |
|
We turned by water into an ice cube. |
N/A |
An ice cube was not our final stage of the machine. |
/2 |
|
The correct numbers of parts are present in our group’s machine. |
We included almost the correct number of parts our machine required according to the Webquest. |
We were way off on the number of parts our machine required. |
/6 |
|
Our group produced a 2 to 3 minute screencast of our Rube Goldberg Machine. |
Our group produced a less than 2 minute screencast. |
Our group produced a screencast that was a minute or less |
/6 |
|
All group members participated and describe parts of the machine in the screencast. |
Most of the group members participated. |
One person dominated the group. |
/6 |
|
Total Points Earned: |
/36 |