Standards Correlations

R.1, R.2, R.3, R.4, R.6, R.7, R.9, W.2, SL.1, L.4, L.6

Learning Objective

Students will synthesize information from two texts about roller coasters.

Key Skills

synthesizing, text features, vocabulary, author’s craft, inference, cause and effect, key details, informational writing

Complexity Factors

Purpose: “Scream Machines” explores the history, design, and appeal of roller coasters. The interview reveals what it takes to design  roller coasters.

 

Structure: The texts are informational. The first text is written partly from the second-person point of view.

 

Language: The language is conversational.

 

Knowledge Demands: The texts refer to places that may be unfamiliar to some readers, such as Coney Island.

Levels

Lexile: 600L-700L 

Guided Reading Level: T 

DRA Level: 50

Lesson Plan: Scream Machines/The Thrill Engineer

Essential Questions

  • What makes an activity fun? Why do we seek thrills in life?
  • What types of work can an education in math, science, and technology lead to?

Literature Connection

  • Nonfiction: Calling All Minds by Temple Grandin
  • Nonfiction: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba

1. Preparing to Read 

Build Background Knowledge (5 minutes)

Activate prior knowledge and spark students’ interest with our fun video “Record Roller Coasters.” After viewing the video, ask students to name any thrill rides they’ve ridden or heard of. List the rides on the board.

Preview Text Features (15 minutes)

Guide students to locate the articles. Then preview the text features by asking the following questions:

  • Read the title and subtitle (the text below the title) of the first article. Why do you think the article is titled “Scream Machines”? “Scream Machines” refers to roller coasters: machines that can make riders scream with excitement or fear. 
  • Look at the images of roller coasters titled “Then” and “Now.” How have thrill rides changed since the very first one opened? Thrill rides have gotten faster. The very first one went 50 miles per hour; the fastest one today can go 128 miles per hour. 

Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)

  • Point out the vocabulary box. Read the terms (careening, grisly, engineers, automatic, harrowing, expressions) aloud and discuss their definitions.
  • Play the Vocabulary Slideshow.

Make a Plan for Reading

Before students start to read, walk them through a reading plan: 

  • Set a purpose for reading by telling students that the articles discuss the history of roller coasters and how roller coasters are designed. 
  • Tell students that after they read, they’ll synthesize information from the articles to better understand innovation in roller coasters—in the past and today.

2. Reading and Unpacking the Text

Guide students to read the articles. Once they understand them well, discuss the following close-reading and critical-thinking questions.

Close-Reading Questions (20 minutes)

  • In the first section, how does the author help you imagine the experience of riding on a roller coaster? (author’s craft) She describes the ride from start to finish, stating what the rider might be feeling at each moment. She uses “you” to make you feel like you’re the one on the ride.
  • Reread the section “Terror and Joy.” Why did the Mauch Chunk Switchback Railway become so popular? (inference) It became popular because it sped at 50 miles per hour at a time when people were used to traveling at 15 miles per hour. The ride offered a rare chance to experience speed.
  • Based on the article, how do materials used for building roller coasters affect what it’s like to ride them? (cause and effect) Newer materials, like steel tubing, can be molded into tight curves and loops. These can twist around trees and buildings, making riders feel like they’re going to crash.
  • What does Brendan Walker think about when designing a roller coaster ride? (key details) When designing a roller coaster ride, Walker thinks about how the rider will move—side to side, front to back, around in a circle, etc. Then he thinks about sound, lights, and other effects.

Critical-Thinking Question (5 minutes)

  • Based on what you read in these articles, what qualities do you think a roller-coaster designer needs to have? (synthesizing) Answers will vary. Students will likely say that designers need to be smart, creative, and highly trained in math, science, and technology.

3. Skill Building and Writing

  • Have students work in pairs or small groups to complete our Synthesizing Skill Builder.  (Click here to view all of your Skill Builders.)
  • Writing Prompt: How is being scared on a roller coaster different from being scared in other situations, like a violent storm? Think of some other activities that can be both scary and fun (such as watching a horror movie). Why do you think we enjoy these activities? Write a paragraph to answer this question.

Learn Anywhere Activity

An enrichment activity to extend the learning journey at home or in the classroom

Design a Thrill Ride

Reinforce ideas in the articles by putting them to use!

In “Scream Machines” and “The Thrill Engineer,” you read about how thrill rides are designed. Now it’s your turn! Imagine that you’re a ride designer. Follow the steps below to design your ride.

  • Choose a theme: Is your ride based on a superhero? A movie or video game? A character or place you’ve invented? 
  • Based on the theme, give your ride a name. Make it something that will sound appealing to both kids and adults.
  • What kind of motion will the ride include? Steep drops? Twists and turns? Will it go upside down?
  • Will the ride include sound? If so, what kind?
  • What will riders see as they go by?  
  • Draw a picture of your ride, labeling the different parts. Don’t be afraid to make it as colorful and creative as you want! 

Language-Acquisition Springboard

Teach similes to help students understand and use figurative language.

Let students know that a simile is a comparison of two things using the word like or as. Writers use similes to help readers imagine what something is like. For instance, instead of simply saying, ”It was hot outside,” a writer might say, “Walking out the door was like walking into an oven.”

Point out the two similes in the first article’s first section: Kingda Ka begins “like a rocket launch,” and it has a tower “as tall as a skyscraper.” Discuss what these similes add to the text: The first helps you imagine the ride’s incredible speed, and the second helps you picture the height of the tower by giving you a well-known item for reference. 

Now give students a chance to create some similes of their own. Ask them to try completing these sentences:

  • My little sister sings all day long like . . . (a bird).
  • The wind outside our house howled like . . . (a pack of wolves).
  • When Lucas is happy, his eyes sparkle like . . . (stars).
  • When I jumped into the pool, the water felt as cold as . . . (ice).
  • The snow on the lawn looked as smooth as . . . (a freshly ironed bed sheet).

Looking for more ELL support? Download our full lesson plan and scroll to p. 5 to find questions that will help your ELLs respond to the text at the level that’s right for them.

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Text-to-Speech