Your student builds a working trebuchet from craft sticks, a dowel rod, and a counterweight, then systematically tests launch angles from 20 to 60 degrees, recording horizontal distance across three trials for each angle. The data table on this building a trebuchet lab sheet captures Trial 1, Trial 2, Trial 3, and an average column so students practice calculating means alongside gathering physical evidence. Designed for grades 5 to 8, it bridges introductory physics vocabulary like trajectory and projectile with a build-and-test format that suits hands-on learners.

Four analysis questions push past data collection into reasoning: students identify which angle produced the greatest range, explain how changing the angle affected distance, predict what a heavier counterweight would do, and name other variables that might matter. That sequence works well as the capstone of a simple machines unit study or as a standalone investigation inside a forces and motion block. Completing the sheet demonstrates both controlled-variable experimental design and the ability to draw evidence-based conclusions.