Mahone Students Model Science Through Roller Coasters

Eighth grade science students in Justice House at Mahone Middle School designed and built marble roller coasters to explore how energy moved through a system. As marbles traveled through the tracks, students observed how potential energy changed into kinetic energy and how energy was transferred, stored, and sometimes lost. The activity challenged students to test designs, revise their structures, and explain why certain models worked better than others. Students used evidence from their trials to connect hands-on building with core science concepts. Projects like this helped students see energy as something they could model, measure, and reason about—not just memorize.