SKYRIDE: SOARING TO NEW HEIGHTS

Pre-Trip Information

Soaring to New Heights is the perfect place to introduce your students to forces, motion, and simple machines

with a fun circus theme! There will be a live, 30 minute interactive presentation followed by an on your own

ride to the top of Stone Mountain on the Summit Skyride.

The Summit Skyride is a two-minute cable car ride up 825 feet to the top of Stone Mountain, the largest

piece of exposed granite in the world.

This program runs approximately 60-90 minutes.

How to prepare your students for the program and trip:

Students should be learning about forces and motion, the basic effects of gravity, quantitative estimation,

and basic information about simple machines. Older students should also be somewhat familiar with energy.

Day of your Field Trip:

Schools should arrive to the Skyride Ticket Plaza at least 20 minutes prior to the program’s start time. You

will unload your students in front of the Skyride where the educational staff will greet you.

**Restrooms are located on the way to the program location inside Crossroads.

Georgia Performance Standards aligned with this program:

S2CS2 (d), S2CS4 (a, b, c, d), S2CS5 (a), S4CS2 (c), S4CS4 (a), S4P3 (a, b, c, d), S8CS4 (b), 8CS5 (a),

S8P2 (b), S8P3 (c), S8P5 (a), SCSh4, SEVP1 (c), SPS8 (b, c, d,) SP1 (a, d, e,), SP3 (a, b, e), SP5 (a).

Grade 2:

S2CS2. Students will have the computation and estimation skills necessary for analyzing data and following scientific

explanations.

d. Make quantitative estimates of familiar lengths, weights, and time intervals, and check them by measuring.

S2CS4. Students will use the ideas of system, model, change, and scale in exploring scientific and technological matters. a. Identify the parts of things, such as toys or tools, and identify what things can do when put together that they could not do

otherwise.

b. Use a model—such as a toy or a picture—to describe a feature of the primary thing.

c. Describe changes in the size, weight, color, or movement of things, and note which of their other qualities remain the

same during a specific change.

d. Compare very different sizes, weights, ages (baby/adult), and speeds (fast/slow) of both human made and natural things.

S2CS5. Students will communicate scientific ideas and activities clearly.

a. Describe and compare things in terms of number, shape, texture, size, weight, color, and motion.

Grade 4:

S4CS2. Students will have the computation and estimation skills necessary for analyzing data and following scientific

explanations.

c. Judge whether measurements and computations of quantities, such as length, area, volume, weight, or time, are

reasonable answers to scientific problems by comparing them to typical values.

S4CS4. Students will use ideas of system, model, change, and scale in exploring scientific and technological matters.

a. Observe and describe how parts influence one another in things with many parts.

S4P3. Students will demonstrate the relationship between the application of a force and the resulting change in position and

motion on an object.

a. Identify simple machines and explain their uses (lever, pulley, wedge, inclined plane, screw, wheel and axle).

b. Using different size objects, observe how force affects speed and motion.

c. Explain what happens to the speed or direction of an object when a greater force than the initial one is applied.

d. Demonstrate the effect of gravitational force on the motion of an object.

Middle School:

S8CS4. Students will use tools and instruments for observing, measuring, and manipulating equipment and materials in

scientific activities utilizing safe laboratory procedures.

b. Use appropriate tools and units for measuring objects and/or substances.

8CS5. Students will use the ideas of system, model, change, and scale in exploring scientific and technological matters.

a. Observe and explain how parts can be related to other parts in a system such as the role of simple machines in complex

machines.

S8P2. Students will be familiar with the forms and transformations of energy.

b. Explain the relationship between potential and kinetic energy.

S8P3. Students will investigate relationship between force, mass, and the motion of objects.

c. Demonstrate the effect of simple machines (lever, inclined plane, pulley, wedge, screw, and wheel and axle) on work.

S8P5. Students will recognize characteristics of gravity, electricity, and magnetism as major kinds of forces acting in

nature.

a. Recognize that every object exerts gravitational force on every other object and that the force exerted depends on how

much mass the objects have and how far apart they are.

High School:

SCSh4. Students use tools and instruments for observing, measuring, and manipulating scientific equipment and materials.

SEVP1. Students will investigate current energy resources, the conversion of energy in ecological processes, the utilization

of energy, and the environmental consequences of energy use.

c. Explain the relationship between matter and energy.

SPS8. Students will determine relationships among force, mass, and motion.

b. Apply Newton’s three laws to everyday situations by explaining the following: Inertia Relationship between force, mass

and acceleration Equal and opposite forces

c. Relate falling objects to gravitational force

d. Explain the difference in mass and weight.

SP1. Students will analyze the relationships between force, mass, gravity, and the motion of objects.

a. Calculate average velocity, instantaneous velocity, and acceleration in a given frame of reference.

d. Measure and calculate the magnitude of frictional forces and Newton’s three Laws of Motion.

e. Measure and calculate the magnitude of gravitational forces.

SP3. Students will evaluate the forms and transformations of energy.

a. • identifying different types of potential energy • calculating kinetic energy given mass and velocity. • relating

transformations between potential and kinetic energy.

b. Explain the relationship between matter and energy.

e. Demonstrate the factors required to produce a change in momentum.

SP5. Students will evaluate relationships between electrical and magnetic forces.

a. Describe the transformation of mechanical energy into electrical energy and the transmission of electrical energy.

Soaring to New Heights Field Trip at Stone Mountain Park

Introduction, Activity and Discussion Guide

Forces, motion, and simple machines are things people interact with every day! Nowhere is that more true

than at Stone Mountain Park. Our Summit Skyride will take students soaring high to the top of Stone

Mountain with the help of some familiar simple machines!

But before we can get there, we have to use the magic of motion. Everyone is in motion, all the time even

when standing still because the earth is always moving! We can harness these forces to do the work we want,

like send acrobats flying through the air, push a toy car down a ramp, or carry a class of students to the top of

Stone Mountain.

Older children get to discuss Newton’s First Law of motion while seeing it in action and describe the

difference between potential and kinetic energy in a real life situation.

Finally, students will get hands on with simple machine models before taking their trip up to the top. At the

summit, students will have the opportunity to walk around and explore on their own!

PRE-TRIP ACTIVITY: As an assignment, have your students learn the vocabulary words for Forces and

Motion.

POST DISCUSSION: Talk to your students about the Skyride. How many simple machines did they see

working together for the ride? Could they feel the ride acting on their own inertia as they reached the top? For

older students- did they have more potential energy at the top of the ride or the bottom of the ride? Why or

why not?

PRE-TRIP ACTIVITY:

Objective: Students will have an opportunity to learn about motion with simple ramps made in the

classroom.

Method:

Using just a few basic materials, students build tracks and conduct race car experiments to test the

effects of increasing the tracks' angle of incline and changing the tracks' surface texture on the speed of

the cars.

Materials:

3 identical toy cars, three equal length cardboard ‘tracks’ made from boxes, scissors, tape, ruler, and

stacks of identical text books. Different materials for evaluating the effect of texture/friction for older

groups such as tin foil, corrugated cardboard, sandpaper, etc. Evaluation:

Students will make hypotheses about the outcomes of the races, then test them. Working in groups,

students will release all three cars at the same time and see which comes in first, second, and third. If

stopwatches are available, students can calculate the average speed of each track after several runs.

After the test, discuss or have students write about the outcome of the races. Were their hypotheses

correct? Did the slope of the tracks affect the speed of the cars? Extension:

For older groups, use the same tracks for the incline experiment at identical heights and add different

textures. Have students hypothesize on the effect of friction on the cars.

Forces and Motion Vocabulary

Motion – a change in position of an object over time.

Force – a push or a pull acted upon an object.

Gravity – the force that keeps us on the earth.

Intertia – a property of matter that causes objects in motion to stay in motion and objects at rest to stay at

rest.

Simple Machine – an object that changes the size and direction of an applied force to make work easier.

Inclined Plane – a ramp that makes it easier to move a load.

Wedge – two inclined planes stuck together used to push objects apart.

Screw – an inclined plane wrapped in a spiral.

Pulley – uses wheels and a rope to raise, lower, or move a load.

Wheel and Axle – used to carry loads around easily for long distances with little effort.

Lever – a rod balanced on a fixed point, or fulcrum.

Friction – any force that resists intended motion.

Kinetic Energy – energy that a body possesses by virtue of being in motion.

Potential Energy – the energy possessed by a body by virtue of its position relative to others.

Mass – the measure of an object's resistance to a change in its state of motion when a force is applied.

Weight – the force exerted on a body by gravity.

Hypothesis – a supposition or proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting

point for further investigation.

Estimation – a rough calculation of the value, number, quantity, or extent of something.

Post Activity Worksheet –

Forces and Motion Field Trip

Directions: Underline the correct answers below:

1. If you’re standing still, you’re not in motion. True or False

2. Forces are pushes or pulls on objects. True or False

3. A gear is a simple machine. True or False

4. Gravity is the same everywhere. True or False

5. Objects in motion tend to stay in motion unless acted upon by an outside force. True or False

6. Simple machines make work harder to do. True or False

7. There are six kinds of simple machines! True or False

8. Inclined planes make it easier to move something. True or False

9. Screws and wedges are made from inclined planes. True or False

10. A wheel and axle is a complex machine. True or False

ANSWER KEY

Post Activity Worksheet –

Forces and Motion Field Trip

11. If you’re standing still, you’re not in motion. True or False

12. Forces are pushes or pulls on objects. True or False

13. A gear is a simple machine. True or False

14. Gravity is the same everywhere. True or False

15. Objects in motion tend to stay in motion unless acted upon by an outside force. True or False

16. Simple machines make work harder to do. True or False

17. There are six kinds of simple machines! True or False

18. Inclined planes make it easier to move something. True or False

19. Screws and wedges are made from inclined planes. True or False

20. A wheel and axle is a complex machine. True or False

Forces and Motion Word Search

Forces and Motion Word Search

Forces and Motion Word Search

ANSWER KEY