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This teacher needs your help!

Mrs. Martel from Toccoa, GA is requesting lab equipment through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

See what Mrs. Martel is requesting

Roller Coasters + Rube Goldberg = Financial Literacy!

Help me give my students wall roller coaster kits and books about Rube Goldberg to learn about science and financial literacy.

  • $452 goal

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Hooray! This project is fully funded

My Students

Our elementary school is located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in northeast Georgia. In our building, we only have first and second grades and as you can imagine, it is full of energy!

Being the only first and second grade elementary school in our county, we have a diverse population.

Our students come from all backgrounds and economic levels. I love how our school is a mix of our entire area because students get to interact and make friends with a wide range of kids.

My Project

Can students learn about science and financial literacy during the same lesson? You bet they can!

As a culmination of our science unit on forces and Rube Goldberg inventions (The Rube Goldberg books will used during the inventions part of the unit), students will be given the task to work in groups to create a wall roller coaster using pieces from the wall roller coaster kits.

But there is a catch! To get the parts and pieces to make the roller coaster, students will be given a budget and a price sheet for the cost of each roller coaster part. Loops, steps, and tubes will cost more than straight pieces of track.

Group members will have to work together to design a roller coaster to stay within the budget. They will have to submit a building plan and a budget sheet listing the parts they want and the total cost. They will also have to show that this cost is within their budget. If groups need more pieces than their budget will allow, they will have to complete tasks to earn more money for their budget. These tasks will focus on teaching the students about wants vs. needs.

Roller coasters will be judged on criteria including if the marble follows the track and the length of time the marble rolls down the track. Points will also be given for a diagram that groups make identifying areas where forces (push and/or pull) are located. Bonus points will be given for those groups that stay within the original budget. Points will be used with a rubric to signify the group's status as a roller coaster tycoon.

Mrs. Martel
Grades PreK-2
    More than half of students from low‑income households Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more

    This project will reach 19 students.

    49 donors have given to this project.

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TEACHERS, FEELING INSPIRED?

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Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Materials Cost Quantity Total
Wall Coaster The Ultimate Set: Includes Super Starter Kit, Extreme Stunt Kit, Crazy Stairs and Super Loop Add-On Packs • Amazon Business $49.99 6 $299.94
Rube Goldberg: Inventions! • Amazon Business $14.57 1 $14.57
Just Like Rube Goldberg: The Incredible True Story of the Man Behind the Machines • Amazon Business $11.59 1 $11.59

Materials cost

$326.10

Vendor shipping charges

 FREE

Sales tax

 $22.50

3rd party payment processing fee

$4.89

Fulfillment labor & materials

$30.00

Total project cost

$383.49

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$67.67

Total project goal

$451.16

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

 $451.16

43 Donors

-$210.57

Donations toward project cost

-$199.77

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$10.80

match offer

-$216.14

Match offer toward project cost

-$183.72

Match offer to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$32.42

Excluded support for DonorsChoose

-$24.45

Still needed View calculationHide calculation

 $0.00

Our team works hard to negotiate the best pricing and selections available.

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DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Martel and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

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