Rube Goldberg Machines
Rube Goldberg was an engineer and a cartoonist. He became famous for his cartoons that illustrated wacky cause and effect inventions.
Here is a link to the official Rube Goldberg website where you can see some of his cartoons.
Prior year's Rube Goldberg Challenges: pop a balloon, make time fly. This year's task will be to blow a bubble with bubble stuff. Every week, you will be given new materials and/or a new task to add to your machine.
A note on behavior: We are here to have some fun, and experiment with engineering, but appropriate respectful school behavior is expected.
_______________________________________________________________________________
1st
Activator: View Honda Commercial
Mini Lesson: What is a Rube Goldberg Machine?
Student Engagement: Students work in small groups to get a ball to drop into a container.
Wrap-up: Students share machines.
Materials: paper bag, cups, containers, super ball, marble, straws, rubber bands, pipe cleaners, wire cooling rack, etc)
Homework:
1st: Watch OK Go Video
2nd: List three engineering ideas that you may be able to use in your own Rube Goldberg Machine
_________________________________________________________________________
2nd
1st: Before you watch the video, discuss with kids at your tables how you could make simple machines with the LEGO robotics kits to use in your Rube Goldberg Machines. Write down your ideas. As you watch the video, pay attention for more ideas.
2nd: Watch Bill Nye the Science Guy episodes 10 Simple Machines at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOnVFR1msPk
3rd: Discuss any new ideas at your tables. Try to brainstorm more LEGO robotics/Rube Goldberg ideas.
_________________________________________________________________________
3rd
Activator: Purdue University Rube Goldberg Contest
2014 Contest
Mini Lesson: Discuss Purdue Contest and Introduce Activity
Student Engagement: Build a free standing tower on the floor with the given materials in 20 minutes. (spaghetti, string, tape and a piece of foam.)
Wrap-up: discuss activity
_______________________________________________________________________________________
4th
Activator: What are some tasks that a Rube Goldberg machine might do?
Mini Lesson:
Talk about the competition, work space and materials. What will the machines do?
Goal (Halfway through the class on Friday): set off a mouse trap and make something roll (next week, we will add other steps.) Final Goal of your machine: Blow a bubble
Student Engagement: Students work in teams to create a Rube Goldberg machine that uses a mouse trap and makes something roll. Time goal bonus: 30 second run.
Wrap-up: Students share machines/ Tell us team names.
________________________________________________________________________________
5th
Activator: Tell us what you accomplished at our last meeting
Mini Lesson:
Talk about dollar store gift cards. Discuss ways to add height to machine (no chairs.) Discuss time bonus and rubric.
Goal (Halfway through the class on Friday): set off a mouse trap and make something roll (next week, we will add other steps.) Final Goal of your machine: Blow a bubble
Student Engagement: Students work in teams to create a Rube Goldberg machine that uses a mouse trap and makes something roll. Time goal bonus: 30 second run.
Wrap-up: Students share machines/ Unofficial scoring using rubric.
________________________________________________________________________________
6th
Activator: Check-in on groups
Mini Lesson: New supplies. Reiterate Safety Goggle Rule.
Student Engagement: Build more complexity into your machines.
Wrap-up: Share
New supplies: dual video case, 4 tongue depressors, 5 cloths pins, 6 mini dominoes, 1 pencil, 1 large and 1 small rubber band, 1 small black spring clip, 1 black bucket, 1 3-panel display board
_______________________________________________________________________________
7th
Activator: Quick check-in with teams
Mini Lesson: Discuss New challenge: blow a bubble without no one blowing air with their mouth and no one holding the "bubble wand"
Student Engagement: Build machines to meet the challenge. Teams that accomplish the challenge will be awarded an item of their choice from the junk trunk.
Wrap-up: Show machines, cleanup
___________________________________________________________________________________
8th
Activator: Discuss Rube:
- Final Rube Goldberg scoring will be on May 8th.
- Awards will be given out.
- Tape and hot glue distributed on Monday (april 13th)
- 5 more full Rube Meetings before the competition (some of our upcoming classes are with story teller, Mary Jo Maicheck.
Mini Lesson: An introduction to Scratch
Student Engagement: Create accounts and experiment with Scratch.
Wrap-up: Clean up
___________________________________________________________________________________
9th (today)
Activator: Tell us what you accomplished last Friday.
Mini Lesson:
Schedule of Events:
By Friday: Practice run and judging of machines.
By Next Wednesday: Final list of steps is due.
Next Friday: Final judging of your machines (There may guest judges.)
Reminder: Have fun, but be productive and use your time wisely.
Student Engagement: Work on your machines.
Wrap-up: Make a written list of all the steps in your machine and hand it in. Clean-up.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Activator: Make a list of your machines steps.
Mini Lesson:
Any questions about the Rube Rubric?
Schedule of Events:
May 22nd: List of steps (preliminary) by the end of today's meeting. Estimate of inches moved per minute
May 29th: Final list of steps is due.
June 5th: THE BIG DAY!!!!
Let's talk about THE BIG DAY!!!!
Reminder: Have fun, but be productive and use your time wisely.
Student Engagement: Plan, Build, etc.
Wrap-up: Clean-up.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Day 10
Activator: High School Rube Goldberg Machines.
Mini Lesson:
A few more Rubric Changes
Make a list of the steps in your machine and hand it in!!!!
Schedule of Events:
May 29th: Final list of steps is due.
June 5th: THE BIG DAY is next weel!!!!
Let's talk about THE BIG DAY!!!!
Reminder: Have fun, but be productive and use your time wisely.
Student Engagement: Plan, Build, etc.
Wrap-up: Clean-up.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Day 11
2:00 - 2:20 Check step list for accuracy, clean up your machine area, get ready for presentation.
2:20 Rube Goldberg Video (Sample Judging)
2:30 1st team Presents
2:40 2nd team Presents
2:50 3rd team Presents
3:00 4th team Presents
Tomorrow: Winners are announced
Next Thursday: Awards and Trebuchet Demonstration
___________________________________________________________________________________
Day 12
1. Watch Anna & Kayleigh's Rube Goldberg video
2. Watch Sam's Trebuchet Demonstration
3. Clean up Rube Goldberg Machines
4. Giving of the Awards
______________________________________________________________________________________
Awards:
Teamwork & Sportsmanship: Woven cord
Creativity Pizzazz: Lace
Presentation: Tie
Craftsmanship: Black Belt
Notes for next year:
ask for help to video the final competition
+
/personalize tool as prizes
container for packing and rolling tables for work areas
gift certificate for after school dollar store shopping trip.
four tasks from the beginning but not the materials.
Types of Challenges:
Bragging Rights Challenges
Materials Challenges
Final Challenge
Here is a link to the official Rube Goldberg website where you can see some of his cartoons.
Prior year's Rube Goldberg Challenges: pop a balloon, make time fly. This year's task will be to blow a bubble with bubble stuff. Every week, you will be given new materials and/or a new task to add to your machine.
A note on behavior: We are here to have some fun, and experiment with engineering, but appropriate respectful school behavior is expected.
_______________________________________________________________________________
1st
Activator: View Honda Commercial
Mini Lesson: What is a Rube Goldberg Machine?
Student Engagement: Students work in small groups to get a ball to drop into a container.
Wrap-up: Students share machines.
Materials: paper bag, cups, containers, super ball, marble, straws, rubber bands, pipe cleaners, wire cooling rack, etc)
Homework:
1st: Watch OK Go Video
2nd: List three engineering ideas that you may be able to use in your own Rube Goldberg Machine
_________________________________________________________________________
2nd
1st: Before you watch the video, discuss with kids at your tables how you could make simple machines with the LEGO robotics kits to use in your Rube Goldberg Machines. Write down your ideas. As you watch the video, pay attention for more ideas.
2nd: Watch Bill Nye the Science Guy episodes 10 Simple Machines at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOnVFR1msPk
3rd: Discuss any new ideas at your tables. Try to brainstorm more LEGO robotics/Rube Goldberg ideas.
_________________________________________________________________________
3rd
Activator: Purdue University Rube Goldberg Contest
2014 Contest
Mini Lesson: Discuss Purdue Contest and Introduce Activity
Student Engagement: Build a free standing tower on the floor with the given materials in 20 minutes. (spaghetti, string, tape and a piece of foam.)
Wrap-up: discuss activity
_______________________________________________________________________________________
4th
Activator: What are some tasks that a Rube Goldberg machine might do?
Mini Lesson:
Talk about the competition, work space and materials. What will the machines do?
Goal (Halfway through the class on Friday): set off a mouse trap and make something roll (next week, we will add other steps.) Final Goal of your machine: Blow a bubble
Student Engagement: Students work in teams to create a Rube Goldberg machine that uses a mouse trap and makes something roll. Time goal bonus: 30 second run.
Wrap-up: Students share machines/ Tell us team names.
________________________________________________________________________________
5th
Activator: Tell us what you accomplished at our last meeting
Mini Lesson:
Talk about dollar store gift cards. Discuss ways to add height to machine (no chairs.) Discuss time bonus and rubric.
Goal (Halfway through the class on Friday): set off a mouse trap and make something roll (next week, we will add other steps.) Final Goal of your machine: Blow a bubble
Student Engagement: Students work in teams to create a Rube Goldberg machine that uses a mouse trap and makes something roll. Time goal bonus: 30 second run.
Wrap-up: Students share machines/ Unofficial scoring using rubric.
________________________________________________________________________________
6th
Activator: Check-in on groups
Mini Lesson: New supplies. Reiterate Safety Goggle Rule.
Student Engagement: Build more complexity into your machines.
Wrap-up: Share
New supplies: dual video case, 4 tongue depressors, 5 cloths pins, 6 mini dominoes, 1 pencil, 1 large and 1 small rubber band, 1 small black spring clip, 1 black bucket, 1 3-panel display board
_______________________________________________________________________________
7th
Activator: Quick check-in with teams
Mini Lesson: Discuss New challenge: blow a bubble without no one blowing air with their mouth and no one holding the "bubble wand"
Student Engagement: Build machines to meet the challenge. Teams that accomplish the challenge will be awarded an item of their choice from the junk trunk.
Wrap-up: Show machines, cleanup
___________________________________________________________________________________
8th
Activator: Discuss Rube:
- Final Rube Goldberg scoring will be on May 8th.
- Awards will be given out.
- Tape and hot glue distributed on Monday (april 13th)
- 5 more full Rube Meetings before the competition (some of our upcoming classes are with story teller, Mary Jo Maicheck.
Mini Lesson: An introduction to Scratch
Student Engagement: Create accounts and experiment with Scratch.
Wrap-up: Clean up
___________________________________________________________________________________
9th (today)
Activator: Tell us what you accomplished last Friday.
Mini Lesson:
Schedule of Events:
By Friday: Practice run and judging of machines.
By Next Wednesday: Final list of steps is due.
Next Friday: Final judging of your machines (There may guest judges.)
Reminder: Have fun, but be productive and use your time wisely.
Student Engagement: Work on your machines.
Wrap-up: Make a written list of all the steps in your machine and hand it in. Clean-up.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Activator: Make a list of your machines steps.
Mini Lesson:
Any questions about the Rube Rubric?
Schedule of Events:
May 22nd: List of steps (preliminary) by the end of today's meeting. Estimate of inches moved per minute
May 29th: Final list of steps is due.
June 5th: THE BIG DAY!!!!
Let's talk about THE BIG DAY!!!!
Reminder: Have fun, but be productive and use your time wisely.
Student Engagement: Plan, Build, etc.
Wrap-up: Clean-up.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Day 10
Activator: High School Rube Goldberg Machines.
Mini Lesson:
A few more Rubric Changes
Make a list of the steps in your machine and hand it in!!!!
Schedule of Events:
May 29th: Final list of steps is due.
June 5th: THE BIG DAY is next weel!!!!
Let's talk about THE BIG DAY!!!!
Reminder: Have fun, but be productive and use your time wisely.
Student Engagement: Plan, Build, etc.
Wrap-up: Clean-up.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Day 11
2:00 - 2:20 Check step list for accuracy, clean up your machine area, get ready for presentation.
2:20 Rube Goldberg Video (Sample Judging)
2:30 1st team Presents
2:40 2nd team Presents
2:50 3rd team Presents
3:00 4th team Presents
Tomorrow: Winners are announced
Next Thursday: Awards and Trebuchet Demonstration
___________________________________________________________________________________
Day 12
1. Watch Anna & Kayleigh's Rube Goldberg video
2. Watch Sam's Trebuchet Demonstration
3. Clean up Rube Goldberg Machines
4. Giving of the Awards
______________________________________________________________________________________
Awards:
Teamwork & Sportsmanship: Woven cord
Creativity Pizzazz: Lace
Presentation: Tie
Craftsmanship: Black Belt
Notes for next year:
ask for help to video the final competition
+
/personalize tool as prizes
container for packing and rolling tables for work areas
gift certificate for after school dollar store shopping trip.
four tasks from the beginning but not the materials.
Types of Challenges:
Bragging Rights Challenges
Materials Challenges
Final Challenge