Turn a simple parachute build into a rigorous, print-and-go STEM investigation. Students test how canopy diameter affects descent time, practicing the full scientific method: defining variables and controls, following a consistent drop procedure, recording 10 trials per size, calculating averages, and graphing results to identify the optimal canopy.

A clear teacher guide explains the science of drag, surface area, and terminal velocity, so you can teach with confidence. Minimal, low-cost materials make this easy to run in one or two periods.

What’s Included

• Teacher Guide: setup, safety, pacing, and background science (drag, area, terminal velocity)
• Student Packet: driving question, hypothesis prompts, variables/controls table
• Procedures & Data Sheets: five canopy sizes (10, 15, 20, 25, 30 cm) with 20 drops per size
• Summary & Graphing Pages: average-by-diameter table and graph template (Avg Time vs Diameter)
• Printable Canopy Templates: full circles (10, 15, 20 cm) and quarter-circle wedges (25, 30 cm)
• Analysis & Model Answers: four prompts with sample data and exemplar responses
• Rubric (simplified)

Why Teachers Love It

• Engaging hands-on build with tight structure and clear accountability
• Real lab skills: fair tests, clean data, meaningful graphs
• Easy materials (trash bags/filters, string, washer/clay, stopwatch)
• Flexible pacing for a single period or a two-day investigation
  

Best For
Grades 6-10 general science or STEM; scientific method & variables; data analysis and graphing; performance tasks, stations, or sub-friendly plans.

Materials Needed
Trash bags or coffee filters (same material for all teams), string (equal shroud lengths), washer or clay payload, scissors and tape, hole punch, stopwatch, meter stick/tape, printed canopy templates, clipboards, pencils.

➡️ You can get this STEM as well as all my other ones in this series inside my STEM Investigations Growing Bundle. As more labs are added, the price will increase. CLICK HERE to have a look

I also have the following STEM Labs in My Store:

• Blow Cup Challenge STEM Lab
• Paper Table STEM Lab
• Pendulum STEM Lab
• Parachute STEM Lab
• Catapult STEM Lab
• Paper Airplane - Angle of Attack STEM Lab
• Bottle Flip STEM Lab
• Paper Helicopter STEM Lab
• Yeast Balloon STEM Lab
• Balloon Lift Design STEM Lab
• Candy Combustion Calorimetry STEM
• Marble Ramp: Height vs Average Speed STEM Lab
• Clean Water Filtration STEM Lab
• Beetle Genetics STEM Lab
• Adaptations by Design - Extreme Environments STEM Lab

NGSS Alignment

• MS-ETS1-1 Define criteria and constraints of a design problem
• MS-ETS1-2 Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process
• MS-ETS1-3 Analyze test data to compare and improve solutions
• MS-PS2-2 Plan and conduct an investigation showing how forces and mass affect motion
• Science & Engineering Practices: Planning & Carrying Out Investigations; Analyzing & Interpreting Data; Constructing Explanations; Engaging in Argument from Evidence