This is a teaching and learning resource for Key Stage 3 students that combines design & technology, mathematics and science activities to investigate the big question:
Athlete or machine? Which is more important in the bob skeleton event?
Bob skeleton is an extreme winter sport in which athletes slide head first down an ice covered track on a sled that holds them just centimetres from the surface. The aim of the sport is to get to the bottom of the track in the quickest time.
It is a winter sport in which British athletes, such as, Amy Williams, Shelly Rudman and Kristan Bromley, have achieved a number of Olympic and World Championship medals.
It is also a sport that applies engineering, mathematical and scientific skills and knowledge to create the sleds and equipment needed to win these medals.
This resource has been developed with support from BAE Systems, who engineered the sled used by Olympic gold medallist Amy Williams, and is intended to be a truly inclusive STEM resource. It has been designed to be used by teachers of design & technology, mathematics and science to show students how these STEM subjects are central to the study and practice of engineering. It is also hoped that it will encourage STEM teachers to work together to create a STEM learning experience for their students.
The decision to structure the resource around the big question ‘Athlete or Machine?’ was taken to encourage STEM learning based on student led investigation and problem solving.
In order to answer the big question, students must identify the factors that influence the bob skeleton and then investigate each one of these factors through practical, mathematical and scientific activities.
Through these activities students will gradually develop an understanding of the sport of bob skeleton and the factors that are key to success in the sport. When all the activities have been completed, students should be able to provide a sophisticated and justified answer to the big question.
The following activities been written to be used by students with support from their STEM teachers depending on the students’ abilities.