Students will hear a story of Sir Charlie who is trying to survive living on a deserted island. His biggest challenge has been the wind at night. Students will follow the criteria and constraints to build a hut that will withstand a wind storm.
- Use the Engineering Design Process
- Work collaborating with peers
- Design a prototype
- Plan and sketch a design
Age Levels: 5-7
Lesson Plan Presentation
Materials & Preparation
Build Materials (For each team)
Required Materials
- 4 Index cards
- 2 Pieces of construction paper 8×10
- 4 Pieces of newspaper
- 10 Craft sticks
- Graph paper (36 sq inches)
- Ruler
- 10 Pieces of masking tape (3 inches long)
- 4 Straws
Testing Materials
- Hair Dryer or Small Fan
Testing Materials & Process
Materials
- Hair Dryer or Small Fan
- Stopwatch or timer
Process
Demonstrate the speed for the students. Place the hut design on a table or stool. The hair dryer or small fan should be held 12 inches away from the hut design. Point the hair dryer or small fan on full speed toward the hut design for 10 seconds. If the hut does not blow off the table or stool and stays in place for 10 seconds, they have succeeded.
Engineering Design Challenge
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Design Challenge
You are a team of engineers all working together to design and build a hut that can withstand a wind storm. The hut must be no bigger than 36 square inches and at least 5 inches high. It must have a working door.
Criteria
- The hut cannot be bigger than 36 square inches
- The hut must be at least 5 inches high
- The hut has to have a working door
- The hut must withstand a windstorm for 10 seconds
- Use the tape sparingly
Constraints
- The hut cannot be taped to the table or stool during construction or testing
- Use only the materials provided
Activity Instructions & Procedures
Procedure
- Break class into teams of 4.
- Hand out the Desert Island Survival worksheet, as well as some sheets of paper for sketching designs.
- To set the stage for the design challenge, read the passage from the lesson plan.
- Present the rubric (see Student Resources worksheet) to the group. Discuss the rubric with the students – so they know exactly what is required. Discuss what factors are needed for success. Some students will realize that the weight of the hut is an important factor.
- Review the Engineering Design Process, Design Challenge, Criteria, Constraints and Materials.
- Instruct students to start brainstorming and sketching their designs.
- Provide each team with their materials.
- Explain to the students that they have to create a hut that is not bigger than 36 square inches – that is at least 5 inches high – and has a working door. The hut must withstand a windstorm for 10 seconds. The windstorm will be created by using a hair dryer or small fan on full speed.
- Announce the amount of time they have to design and build (20-25 minutes recommended).
- Use a timer or an on-line stopwatch (count down feature) to ensure you keep on time. (www.online-stopwatch.com/full-screen-stopwatch). Give students regular “time checks” so they stay on task. If they are struggling, ask questions that will lead them to a solution quicker.
- Students meet and develop a plan for their hut. They agree on materials they will need, write/draw their plan, and present their plan to the class.
- Teams build their designs.
- Test the hut designs using the hair dryer or small fan.
- Teams should document the results using the rubric.
- As a class, discuss the student reflection questions.
Student Reflection (engineering notebook)
- What would you change if you could change your design?
- What did you learn from the other team’s designs?
- How did you work together as a group?
Time Modification
The lesson can be done in as little as 1 class period for older students. However, to help students from feeling rushed and to ensure student success (especially for younger students), split the lesson into two periods giving students more time to brainstorm, test ideas and finalize their design. Conduct the testing and debrief in the next class period.
Time Modification
The lesson can be done in as little as 1 class period for older students. However, to help students from feeling rushed and to ensure student success (especially for younger students), split the lesson into two periods giving students more time to brainstorm, test ideas and finalize their design. Conduct the testing and debrief in the next class period.
Engineering Design Process
Background Concepts
The Engineering Design Process
- Define
What is the problem you want to solve? What is your challenge?
- Develop Solutions
Think about all the possible options you can identify to solve the challenge. Brainstorm as many solutions as possible. - Optimize
Compare your solutions, test them, and consider which one will do the best job of solving the problem.
And, throughout….Communicate
At each step in the process talk with your team members so everyone can contribute ideas and be a part of the process. Good communication is very important to the engineering design process.
Your Challenge
- Define
Your challenge is to develop a hut out of provided materials that will withstand a windstorm. - Develop Solutions
As a team, look at the materials you have to work with, and consider lots of solutions to the challenge. Be sure to talk about options and consider the materials. - Optimize
Agree on which design solutions are most likely to work, sketch them, and then build your design. You may make changes as necessary… and be sure to test how wind impacts the design
- Define
Vocabulary
Vocabulary
- Criteria: Conditions that the design must satisfy like its overall size, etc.
- Engineers: Inventors and problem-solvers of the world. Twenty-five major specialties are recognized in engineering (see infographic).
- Engineering Design Process: Process engineers use to solve problems.
- Engineering Habits of Mind (EHM): Six unique ways that engineers think.
- Iteration: Test & redesign is one iteration. Repeat (multiple iterations).
- Prototype: A working model of the solution to be tested.
- Rubric: A scoring guide used to evaluate performance, a product, or a project.
Curriculum Alignment
Alignment to Curriculum Frameworks
Note: Lesson plans in this series are aligned to one or more of the following sets of standards:
- U.S. Next Generation Science Standards (www.nextgenscience.org)
- U.S. Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (www.corestandards.org/Math)
- International Technology Education Association’s Standards for Technological Literacy (http://www.iteea.org/TAA/PDFs/xstnd.pdf)
- Computer Science Teachers Association K-12 Computer Science Standards (http://csta.acm.org/Curriculum/sub/K12Standards.html)
Next Generation Science Standards – Grades K-2 (Ages 5-8)
K-2-ETS1-1 Engineering Design
- Ask questions, make observations, and gather information about a situation people want to change to define a simple problem that can be solved through the development of a new or improved object or tool.
K-2-ETS1-2 Engineering Design
- Develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model to illustrate how the shape of an object helps it function as needed to solve a given problem.
Standards for Technological Literacy – All Ages
Design
- Standard 8: Students will develop an understanding of the attributes of design.
- Standard 9: Students will develop an understanding of engineering design.
- Standard 10: Students will develop an understanding of the role of troubleshooting, research and development, invention and innovation, and experimentation in problem solving.
Related Engineering Fields and Degrees
Download the Engineering Fields Infographic How will YOU change the world?Student Worksheet
1. Define
What is the problem you want to solve? What is your challenge?2. Develop Solutions
Think about all the possible options you can identify to solve the challenge. Brainstorm as many solutions as possible.3. Optimize
Compare your solutions, test them, and consider which one will do the best job of solving the problem.And, throughout….Communicate
At each step in the process talk with your team members so everyone can contribute ideas and be a part of the process. Good communication is very important to the engineering design process.Your Challenge
1. Define
Your challenge is to develop a hut out of provided materials that will withstand a windstorm.2. Develop Solutions
As a team, look at the materials you have to work with, and consider lots of solutions to the challenge. Be sure to talk about options and consider the materials.3. Optimize
Agree on which design solutions are most likely to work, sketch them, and then build your design. You may make changes as necessary… and be sure to test how wind impacts the design.Building Graph
Rubric for Deserted Island Challenge
Team Members:_____________________
3 = We exceeded the expectations 2 = We met the expectations 1 = We did not meet expectations
3 2 1 – Our hut was 36 square inches or smaller
3 2 1 – Our hut is 5 inches or higher
3 2 1 – Our hut has a working door
3 2 1 – Our hut withstand the wind for 10 seconds or more
3 2 1 – We worked well together
Total Score: __________