Before you begin the project, choose a selection of concepts to cover in your daily lessons to give students background information that can be used to complete the assignment. For a mathematical approach, use the coasters to introduce students to basic geometric and algebraic principles that would be useful to a roller coaster engineer. For a lesson in science, introduce students to the physics of roller coasters. You could even incorporate the roller coaster theme into your history and geography lessons by pinpointing the locations of famous rides or historic coaster milestones.
Ask the students to choose a specific aspect of roller coasters to report on in a written essay. For instance, the students could report on the origins of roller coasters, or could give a biography on a famous roller coaster engineer. Have the students incorporate some of the concepts you covered in your lessons into their reports. For a multimedia report, ask the students to present their projects using software like PowerPoint. This way, they'll be able to incorporate images, video, sound and other special effects into their reports.
Give students a bit of creative flexibility in their projects. Ask them to design their own roller coasters or amusement parks using the concepts you've covered in class. You could assign a specific medium for students to complete the assignment, or you could allow them to choose their own method of construction. For instance, you could simply ask the students to draw a mock-up of their proposed design with a paragraph included for explanation, or you could ask the students to construct 3D models with materials like clay, toothpicks, cardboard tubes or popsicle sticks. Or, for the tech-savvy student, offer the option to create the model using software.
Divide the students into groups to create a short commercial advertising a specific roller coaster. If your school has access to video cameras, ask the students to film the projects; otherwise, ask the students to perform their commercials as skits in front of the class. In the commercial, the students should include specific facts about how the concepts you've covered relate to their roller coaster. For instance, have them talk about the speed and design of the roller coaster, the materials used in its construction, and other specifications that affect things like kinetic energy.