Penny Spinners STEAM Activity with Spinner Template

Students build a spinning-penny top from a printed template, time and record eight spins, then graph the results and calculate mean, median, and mode from their own data.

Grades: Grades 2–4, Elementary
File type: PDF
Preparation: Print ready

Updated Aug 05, 2022

Subject: Graphing, Science, Math
Topic: Science, Penny Spinners
Resource types: Activities
Preparation: Print ready

From the author

About this resource

Students build a spinning top by printing, colouring, and cutting out a paper spinner template, gluing it onto cardboard for strength, and inserting a penny through a centre slit so it balances evenly on both sides. After practicing spinning the top on a hard surface, students time eight spins in seconds, recording each result on a provided data sheet, then transfer that data onto both a bar-style graph and a colour-coded pie graph with six time-range bands. A final page has students order their eight spin times from smallest to largest and calculate the mean, median, and mode of their own data set, with step-by-step instructions for each calculation. The activity combines a hands-on craft-and-engineering build with applied data analysis, crediting creator Heather Nathan.

In the classroom

Teaching tips & learning objectives

Learning objectives

Construct a simple spinning top using a paper template, cardboard backing, and a penny as a weighted axle
Measure and record elapsed time in seconds across multiple trials
Represent a personal data set using both a bar graph and a colour-coded pie graph
Calculate the mean, median, and mode of a set of collected spin-time data

Teaching tips

Have an adult cut the centre slit for younger students, as the directions specifically flag this step as best done by an adult
Print several spinner template variations so students can compare how different designs affect spin time
Use the completed pie graph as a natural lead-in to discussing colour-coded data ranges before the mean/median/mode lesson
Have students double check their median calculation by confirming they crossed off an equal number of values from each end, per the sheet's method

Skills covered

Engineering design and build — students assemble a working penny-spinner top from a flat template using specified construction steps.
Time measurement — students count seconds while their spinner is in motion across eight trials.
Data graphing — students represent their own spin-time data on both a bar graph and a colour-coded pie graph.
Mean, median, and mode calculation — students compute all three statistics from their own ordered data set of eight spin times.

Good to know

Questions teachers ask about this resource

Why does the activity ask students to colour-code their pie graph using time ranges rather than exact seconds?

The pie graph key groups spin times into six-second bands (0-5, 6-10, 11-15, and so on up to 25+), so each slice represents a range rather than one exact value, making the graph easier to build from a small set of trial results.

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Resource details

Concepts & topics

Core concepts

STEAM/engineering design
Data collection
Graphing
Mean median mode

Topics

Science Penny Spinners STEAM Cross-Curricular Template Craft

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Categories this resource belongs to

Graphing Science Math Activities Grade 4 Grade 3

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