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How can marbles save the world?
Energizing Everything Unit | Lesson 3 of 5
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How can marbles save the world?

Energizing Everything Unit | Lesson 3 of 5
Lesson narration:
English Spanish
Scroll for prep
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DISCUSS:

Why do you think marbles have been so popular for thousands of years?

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DISCUSS:
Where does the red marble get the ENERGY to MOVE?
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DISCUSS:
Do you think the results of these two collisions will be the SAME or DIFFERENT?
Why?
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Slide Image
DISCUSS:
What do you think would happen if instead of staying FLAT, the end of the race
track went UPHILL?
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Step
01/27
You’ll work with a partner.
Decide who will be Crash and who will be Pow.
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Step
02/27
Get your supplies.
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Step
03/27
Crash: Roll a piece of paper longways into a tube.
Pow: Tape the tube with small stickers.
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Step
04/27
Pow: Fold your track on the thick black line.
Crash: Press down with your finger to make a good crease.
Then fold the page on the thin line and crease it.
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Step
05/27
Crash: Fold one side over the gray area.
Pow: Use your finger to make a crease. Lift the fold up
to make a wall. Repeat for the other side.
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Step
06/27
Crash: Hold the track so that it just meets the end of the tube.
Pow: Attach the track to the tube with a long sticker.
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Step
07/27
Crash: Hold down the track and lift up the tube.
Pow: Tape the tube to an upside-down large cup.
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Step
08/27
Crash: Cut a small cup in half.
Pow: Cut off the bottom of one of the halves.
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Step
09/27
Pow: Attach the half cup without the bottom to your track
with a long sticker.
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Step
10/27
Crash: Prop up the jump slightly with the other half of the
cup. Pow: Tape the other half of the cup to the ramp with a
tape roll.
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Step
11/27
Pow: Tape pencils onto the lines on your Landing Zones sheet
with long stickers. Crash: Line up your Bumper Jumper. Tape
your Landing Zones sheet down with small stickers.
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If you need a natural stopping point!

Teachers: If you are short on time, this is a good stopping point.

You can come back and use your Bumper Jumper to explore next time.

If you’re continuing right now, advance to the next slide.

Step
12/27
Get these supplies
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Step
13/27
Test your ramp.
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Step
14/27
Round 1: Discuss where you think the jumper marble will
land. Write your prediction on your sheet.
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Step
15/27
Crash: Put a marble on the star symbol. Pow: Drop the
bumper marble down the ramp. Circle where the jumper
marble lands on your worksheet. Repeat two more times.
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Step
16/27
Score round 1. Put a point in the score box for EACH trial that
matched your team’s prediction.
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Step
17/27
Round 2: Discuss where you think the jumper marble will
land. Write your prediction on your sheet.
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Step
18/27
Play round 2. Circle on your sheet where the jumper marble
lands in each trial. Add a point to the score box for each trial
that matched your prediction.
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Step
19/27
Round 3: Discuss where you think the jumper marble will
land. Write your prediction on your sheet.
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Step
20/27
Play round 3. Circle on your sheet where the jumper marble
lands in each trial. Add a point to the score box for each trial
that matched your prediction.
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Step
21/27
Discuss:
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Step
22/27
Here’s what we said.
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If you need a natural stopping point!

Teachers: If you are short on time, this is a good stopping point.

You can come back and continue using your Bumper Jumper to explore what happens when you change the material of the marbles next time.

If you’re continuing right now, advance to the next slide.

Step
23/27
Get the rest of your supplies.
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Step
24/27
Round 1: Discuss your prediction for which zone the foil ball
will land in. Write your prediction on your sheet. Play round 1.
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Step
25/27
Round 2: Discuss and write your prediction. Play round 2.
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Step
26/27
Round 3: Discuss and write your prediction. Play round 3.
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Step
27/27
Discuss:
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DISCUSS:
When do you hear SOUND in these games?
Why does sound happen at those moments?
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DISCUSS:

What did you predict would happen in the collisions with the foil ball?

Why did you make that prediction?

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DISCUSS:

How could predicting what will happen in a collision be useful in the real world?

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Slide Image

energy


1 of 7

the ability to do an action
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motion


2 of 7

a change in the position of an object
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energy transfer


3 of 7

when energy travels from one place to another
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collision


4 of 7

when one object hits or crashes into another object
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sound energy


5 of 7

energy that is in the form of sound that can be heard
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Slide Image

predict


6 of 7

to guess what will happen based on things you know
Slide Image

trials


7 of 7

repeated tests in an experiment
🎉 That’s it for this lesson! How did it go?
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Featured Reviews

“Marbles are cool & great way to model simple energy transfers! Kids thought it was fun & energizing.”
· Brandon · Teacher
“It was great! Students really learned about other types of energy transfer (like sound energy). They realized how they could "save the world" with marbles! ”
· Christine · Teacher
“Students were totally engaged. Explanation of energy transfer was easily understood by the students. Making the marble structure showed the students how to put it altogether with simple step by step instruction. Fantastic lesson.”
· Anne · Teacher
Lesson narration:
English Spanish

Grade 4

Energy & Energy Transfer

Collisions & Energy Transfer

4-PS3-3

Activity Prep

Print Prep
THIS LESSON WAS REVISED ON JUNE 1, 2023. Here is a link to the previous version.
In this lesson, students investigate how energy transfers when objects collide. In the activity, Bumper Jumper, students ask questions and make predictions about how far a marble will launch over a jump after colliding with other objects.
Preview activity

I have a Mystery Pack

Bumper Jumper Game worksheet 15 copies
Bumper Jumper Game with Foil worksheet 15 copies
Collision Track printout Print 15 copies
Landing Zones printout Print 15 copies
Scissors
15 pairs
Scotch Tape
15 pieces
Scrap Paper (8.5 x 11")
15 sheets
Aluminum Foil
each pair needs a 5" x 3" piece to roll into a ball
Details
15 small pieces
Cup (18 oz, Solo)
15 cups
Dixie Cups (3 oz)
30 cups
Pencils w/ Erasers
30 pencils
Sticker Labels (1" x 3")
Tape also works. We prefer stickers because they are easier to distribute in a classroom.
Details
113 stickers
Small Marbles
60 marbles
Prep Instructions

We suggest students work in pairs.

Make Sure You Have Space

We suggest doing this activity on the floor. If Bumper Jumper is played on a table the marbles may roll far away if they fall off the table.

We suggest building the Bumper Jumper apparatus where it will be used. Moving the apparatus can affect the connections and how marbles travel. If the Bumper Jumper must be moved after assembly, do so carefully.

Plan Your Time

This entire lesson with the activity will likely take more than an hour. There are two natural stopping points during the activity ⁠— the first one when students finish building their Bumper Jumper apparatus (after step 11) and a second one after they complete their first set of experiments (after step 22). If you are pressed for time or have a short class period, we recommend splitting this lesson into shorter sessions that might work better for you.

Marble Must-Haves

We strongly recommend using “regular” size marbles (14 mm).

IMPORTANT: All marbles used by a group must be the same size/weight. If two different size/weight marbles are used, the results of the Bumper Jumper game will be significantly altered.

Prep Your Materials

Count out 5 full-length label stickers for each pair of students. Then cut the rest of the label stickers in half. Each pair of students will need 5 half-length label stickers. If label stickers aren’t sticking well enough, Scotch tape can be used instead.

Take half of the Dixie cups and place 4 marbles into each one. Distribute these during Step 12 of the activity.

Cut or tear aluminum foil into a small (about 5" x 3") piece. Distribute one piece to each pair of students in Step 23 of the activity.

Exploration

15 mins

Hands-On Activity

40 mins

Wrap-Up

15 mins

Grade 4

Energy & Energy Transfer

Collisions & Energy Transfer

4-PS3-3

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Energy Lesson 3: How can marbles save the world?

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