The Attraction is Obvious: Designing Maglev Systems In Stock Now

[GRADES 3-5] In this unit, student understanding will rise to new heights as they explore transportation engineering, magnetism, and the technological innovation of the Magnetic Levitation train. Following the lead of the storybook characters--who need to attract customers to a family-owned toy store before the business fails--students engineer a way to design a levitating vehicle system that will carry packages without them touching the ground. In the classroom, students explore the science behind the magic-seeming effect of MagLev. Students send magnets sailing, help magnets hover, and poke around magnetic poles. Creativity and excitement abound as children use their new insights and the Engineering Design Process to design, test, and improve their own tabletop MagLev transportation systems. Includes: Lesson Plans; Paperback copy of the storybook Hikaru's Toy Troubles; Teacher Background Information; Assessment Tools; English Language Learner suggestions.