When It Stops, Nobody Knows

Challenge
It’s that time of year again to shop for toys. The toy store, Spinz, is searching of toy developers to create the best spinning top toy to be able to sell this year. They would like the toy developer to design a top that spins for a long period of time and looks visually pleasing to kids. They have sent an invitation out to the public looking for help. Spinz would like you to build a prototype using brass fasteners, pipe cleaners, paperclips, index cards, toothpicks, popsicle sticks, masking tape, and glue. Use any coloring or decorating media needed to make your top visually pleasing. Once you've built your best top toy, tested it for its ability to spin a long time, and decorated it, Spinz will want to hear all about it and see it in action.

Materials

• 5 brass fasteners
• 10 pipe cleaners
• 10 paperclips
• 10 index cards
• 20 toothpicks
• 10 popsicle sticks
• 2 feet masking tape
• 1 bottle glue
• 1 stopwatch
• coloring/decorating media

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Hints and Tips for Success

1. Discuss the protocols for when the timer should start and end the stopwatch, how many trials will be done, data collection, and improvements if they will be made.
2. Allow students planning and discussion time before building and warn students that the materials given are all they can have. Materials listed are for one group of students.
3. For differentiation, adjust the amount of materials or substitute others. Adjustments could be made to make it more challenging or simpler. 
4. Show different pictures of toy tops to the group to build background knowledge in case they might not have ever seen or played with one.
5. Connect to mathematics by having students graph their toy top trials, practice reading and writing decimal numbers, adding/subtracting decimals, and ordering decimals.
6. Connect to ELA by using the informational text, Timing Races: Measuring Time by Dianne Irving, to introduce text features, text structure, non-fiction text, and background information on stopwatches. Also, students can write a letter to the company about their design persuading the company why it is the best. Additionally, students could make a commercial about their toy top using digital media.