drop, stop, don’t pop! launching into engineering design · unwavering administrative support to...

Drop,Stop,Don’tPop!

Launchinginto

EngineeringDesign

AMiddleSchoolLauncher

fromEngagingYouththroughEngineering(EYE)

2013(ComplimentaryVersion)

©2008-2013bytheMobileAreaEducationFoundation.Allrightsreserved.PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica.

ThisworkmaynotbereproducedbymechanicalorelectronicmeanswithouttheexpresswrittenpermissionoftheMobileAreaEducationFoundation.Forpermissiontocopyportionsofthismaterialforotherpurposes,pleasewriteto:

MobileAreaEducationFoundation

605BelAirBoulevardSuite333Mobile,Alabama36606

Foracompletelistofsupportsandpartners,pleasevisit:

http://www.maef.net/OurWork/EngagingYouththroughEngineeringEYE/AboutEYE/FriendsofEYE/tabid/950/Default.aspx

TolearnmoreaboutMobileAreaEducationFoundationandtheEngagingYouththroughEngineeringprogramcontactus:

Web:http://www.maef.net/OurWork/EngagingYouththroughEngineeringEYE/AboutEYE/tabid/947/Default.aspx

ThismaterialwaspartiallysupportedbyNSFawardDRL-0918769.Anyopinions,findings,andconclusionsorrecommendationexpressedinthismaterialarethoseoftheauthorsanddonotnecessarilyreflecttheviewsoftheNationalScienceFoundation.

iDrop,Stop,Don’tPop! LaunchingintoEngineeringDesign

©MobileAreaEducationFoundation2013 LauncherIntroduction

AcknowledgementsEngagingYouththroughEngineering(EYE),aprogramoftheMobileAreaEducationFoundation,gratefullyacknowledgesthecontributionstothislaunchermadebythefollowingpeopleandorganizations.

• Kerrie-LeeWalker,Grade6teacherattheBeatriceH.WoodElementarySchoolinPlainville,MA,whoallowedBlueHeronstafftopilottheactivitieswithherstudents.

• TheMobileAreaEducationFoundationandCarolynAkers,Director,forhervisionary

leadershipandherstaff’ssupport,inparticularEvaHollowayandJohnParkerwhoprovideunwaveringadministrativesupporttothedevelopmentofEYEmaterials.

EYEWritingandDevelopmentTeamMelissaDean,B.S.

CarolynDeCristofano,M.ED

DebDempsey,M.Ed.

JudyDuke,M.Ed.

AnneJolly,M.S.

SuzanneMcGill,Ph.D.

SuzanE.Morris,M.S.

SusanPruet,Ph.D.

GraphicdesignofthisdocumentisbasedonanoriginaldesignbyMelissaHiggins(2010)andwasadaptedforEngagingYouththroughEngineering(EYE)bySusanOssoffforBlueHeronEducationalConsultingServices.LessondevelopmentisbyBlueHeronEducationalConsultingServices.

iiDrop,Stop,Don’tPop! LaunchingintoEngineeringDesign


LauncherMaterialsList

Materialstobeusedby1Mathand1Scienceteacherovermultipleclassperiodsbyteacher

MaterialDescription Math Science Total

Bags,plasticorpaper(Teacherprovided) 8 8 16

Binderclips,small 18 16 18

Electricalconduit(PVC),5-footlength†,approx.¾”–1¼”diameter 8 8 8

Marker,permanent(Teacherprovided) 1 0 1

Pingpongballs 16 16 16

Poster,EngineeringDesignProcess 1 1 2

Scissors(Teacherprovided) 16 16 16

Tape,maskingorcellophane 8 8 8

Materialsneededforeachclassperiod

Cups,Styrofoam,6-8ozcapacity 24 24 48

Filefolders 24 24 48

Indexcards,3”x5” 32 0 32

Paper,8.5”x11”* 16 16 32

Straws,drinking(anystyle) 80 80 160

*Papermaybescrapsheetsornewspaper.Usea2-pagespreadofnewspaperforevery2sheetsof8.5”x11”paper.

† PVCelectricalconduitcanbepurchasedin5’lengthsathomeimprovementstoresforabout$1each.Ten-footlengthsaremorecommonlyavailable.AhacksawcaneasilycutthePVC.Theexactdiameterdoesnotmatterwithinthesuggestedrange,butallconduitsshouldhavethesamediameter.

iiiDrop,Stop,Don’tPop! LaunchingintoEngineeringDesign


EYELauncher:IntroducingEngineeringDesignThislauncherisatwo-partlessonthatframestheyear’sEYEengineeringexperienceandheightensstudentawarenessofeffectiveteamwork.Italsohelpsstudentsappreciatethetiesbetweenengineeringandmathandscience.ItisintendedprimarilyforstudentswithsomefamiliaritywiththeEngineeringDesignProcesspresentedinthelessons.Notethattheapproachofteachingonedayofthislessoninmathclassandtheotherinscienceclasscanhelpmathandscienceteachersgetcomfortablewiththeideaofworkingonacommoninterdisciplinaryproject.

Overview

TheLauncherlessonsintroducetheneworintermediatemiddleschoolstudenttoanengineeringclassroom.Overthecourseoftwoclasssessions(oneinmathandoneinscience)studentsengageinabrief,yetappealing,designchallenge.Thisdesignchallengeservesanumberofpurposes–first,tolaunchtheengineeringprogramfortheschoolyear;secondly,toorientstudentstothemindsetofanengineerandthewayengineerstackleandsolveproblems.Theyrefertoan8-stepdescriptionoftheengineeringdesignprocess(EDP)tobetterunderstandproblem-solving.Italsohelpsstudentsseeconnectionsbetweenengineeringandscience,andengineeringandmath.Inaddition,studentsbecomeawareofanddiscusstheimportanceofsettingandcommittingtonormsastheyembarkoncreativethinkingandlearningwithinateam.

Thedesignchallengeistoalterthebasicideaforanamusementparkride,theDareDevil,sothattheriderswillbesafebutwillstillexperienceathrilling,fastride.Theride,modeledintheclassroom,consistsofalong,verticalpoleandpassengerbaskets(cups)thatconnecttoacentral,hollowtube(acupwithaholecutoutofthebottom.)Pingpongballsserveasmodelriders.Theridersintheirbasketsaredroppedfromaheightonthepole.Whentheylandtheypopoutofthebaskets.Studentteamsmustdesignalterationssothattherideisasfastaspossible,butthepingpongballsdonotpopoutofthebasket.(“Drop,Stop,Don’tPop!”)However,theridersmustnotberestrainedinanyway.Thus—althoughthisisnotmadeexplicittothestudents--thespeedoftherideand/ortheimpactmustbemanipulated.

LauncherLearningObjectivesAsaresultofthislauncher,studentswillbeableto:• recognizean8-stepEngineeringDesignProcess(EDP)asawayofsolvingengineeringproblems.• relatethe8-stepEDPtotheirowndesignprocess.• usequestionstohelpdefineadesignproblem’sparameters.• recognizetheimportanceandvalueofredesign.• Identifyatleastonewayinwhichmathand/orscienceconnectstothisdesignchallenge.• identifytheirownbehaviorswithinagroup.• articulatechallengestheyencounteranddevelopwaystopositivelyaddressthesechallenges.• setnormsaspartofateamandmonitorandevaluateindividualandteamperformancein

honoringthesenorms.

ivDrop,Stop,Don’tPop! LaunchingintoEngineeringDesign


Notes:

1Drop,Stop,Don’tPop! LaunchingintoEngineeringDesign

©MobileAreaEducationFoundation2013 MathLesson1(M-1)

LessonOverview

ThefirstdayofthisLauncherlessonwillbeconductedinmathclass.Studentsbeginthislessonwithadiscussionoftheirunderstandingofengineers,whatengineersdo,andtheirownengineeringexperiences,bothinandoutsidetheclassroom.Studentsthenviewashortvideoclipofyoungengineerscharacterizingengineeringfromtheirperspectives.Next,studentsengageinabrief,highinterestdesignchallengetolaunchthemintothemindsetofanengineerandanengineeringclassroom.Studentteamsarechallengedtodesignathrilling,yetsafe,amusementparkride.Aftertestingtheirteams’rides,studentsreflectonthedesigns—aswellastheirteamworkprocesstogettothedesigns.

NOTE:Attheendofclass,eachstudentpreparesanindexcardwithnotesaboutteamwork.Besurethatstudentshavetimetocompletetheworkthatleadstothesenotes,andthattheytakethesecardstoscienceclasstocontinuethislauncher.

LessonVocabulary

CriteriaEngineeringdesignprocess

DAY1:MATHLESSON

LAUNCHENGINEERINGDESIGN&TEAMWORK



Day1:MathLessonataGlance

Outcomes Details

Introducetheengineeringclassroom.(7min.)

1. Engagestudentsinthinkingaboutengineering.

2. Placethisday’slessoninthecontextofupcomingworkthroughouttheacademicyear.

Presenttheengineeringdesignchallenge.(10min.)

3. Establishthedesignchallengeinvitationandcontext.

4. Explainthedesignchallenge:StudentteamswilldesignaridethatDROPSasfastaspossible,yetkeepstheriderssafe.

5. Promptstudentstogeneratequestionsaboutthedesignchallenge(definetheproblem).

Leadteamstodesignandtesttheirsolutions.(15min.)

6. Instructtheteamstobegindiscussingtheirideasaboutthedesignchallenge.

Debrieftestresults.(5min.)

7. Engagetheclassinadiscussionofthetestresults.

8. Brieflyextendthedebriefingdiscussionbyraisingthequestionofhowmathandscienceconnecttoengineering.

Preparestudentsforteamworkinthenextlaunchersession.(8min.)

9. Askstudentstothinkabouttheirteamprocess.

10. Instructstudentstobringtheirteamprocessnotes/indexcardstoscienceclass.



MaterialsforThisLesson

TEACHERRESOURCES

! PowerPointpresentation:Day1MathSlides! WhatDoesEngineeringMeantoYou?Teacher

Tubevideo(seeSlide#3)

AVANDCOMPUTEREQUIPMENT

! Computerandprojector! Accesstoonlinevideo(TeacherTube.com)! EngineeringDesignProcess(EDP)poster

Foroneteacheracrossmultipleclasses! 2binderclips,small! 3cups,Styrofoam(6-8oz.)! 1permanentmarkerthatcanwriteonplastic(Teacherprovided)

Foreachteamof4students:

! 1plasticbagorbasket(Teacherprovided)! 2binderclips,small! 3cups,Styrofoam(6-8oz)! 1sectionofelectricalconduitPVC,5feetlong! 3filefolders! 2sheetsof8.5”x11”paperornewspaper(2-pagespread)! 2pingpongballs! 2pairsofscissors(Teacherprovided)! 10straws! 1rolloftape

FOREACHSTUDENT! 1indexcard,3”x5”

HardcopiesofteacherresourcesareintheTeacherResourcessectionofthismodule.DigitalteacherresourcesmaybeobtainedbycallingtheMobileAreaEducationFoundationat251-476-0002.



Notes:



Preparation(25min.)Prepareforleadinglearning.(5min.)

1. ReviewtheMathSlidespresentationforthisDay1MathLesson.2. BecomefamiliarwiththeDay2ScienceLessonandunderstandwherethis

lessonshouldlead.

Preparematerials.(15min.)

3. Makeamarkoneach5-footsectionofelectricalconduitPVCtoindicatethedropheightfortheDareleveloftheride(1.5feetfromtop).Markthetopoftheconduitwiththeword,“Top.”

4. Preparethe“rider’sbaskets”—oneperteam,plusonefordemonstration--byattachingthreecupsinaline.Usebinderclipstoconnecttherimsofthecups.(Arrowsindiagrambelowindicatecliplocations.)Itisokayifthecupsarenotexactlyvertical,buttheyshouldbeclose.

Foryourdemonstrationmodelonly,cutoutthebottomofthemiddlecup,sothatthebasketscandropunimpeded.

5. AssembletherestofthematerialsforeachgroupandplaceeverythingbutthePVCpoleintoaplasticbagforeasydistribution.

6. Plantodistributeanindexcardtoeverystudenttowardstheendofthislesson.(SeeProcedures,Step9.)

PrepareAVmaterial.(3min.)

7. PreparetoshowtheDay1MathSlides,checkingthattheAVsystemworks.PreparethevideoWhatDoesEngineeringMeantoYou?forplaying;openinanewwindow,advanceitbeyondtheadvertisementandpresspause.

8. DisplaytheEngineeringDesignProcesspostersoallstudentscanseeit.



Preparetheclassroom.(5min.)

9. Plantohavestudentsworkinteamsoffourattables.Ifyoudonothavetables,arrangedeskssothattheyareasclosetoatablearrangementaspossible,withtwostudentsoneachsideofthe“table.”



Procedures(45min.)Introducetheengineeringclassroom.(7min.)

1. Engagestudentsinthinkingaboutengineering.Show Slide # 2 to lead students to tap into their prior knowledge ofengineering, based on earlier classroomexperienceswith engineeringdesignchallengesand/orotherlifeexperiences.Ask:

Howwouldyouexplainwhatengineeringistoafifth-grader?Whataresomethingsengineersdo?

Allow students a few moments to discuss their recollections in theirteam.Inviteacoupleofgroupstosharehighlightsoftheirdiscussion.Provideaccesstoyoungengineers’perspectivesonengineering.ShowSlide # 3, which provides a link to a short video clip (What DoesEngineering Mean to You?) in which college engineering studentsdescribetheirunderstandingsofengineering.Attheconclusionofthevideo,askstudentstocomparetheirideaswiththosefromthevideo.

2. Place this day’s lesson in the context of upcomingwork throughout

theacademic year.Explain to students that throughout the courseofthisschoolyeartheywillworkonengineeringdesignchallenges(justastheymay have done in prior grades if their schools are implementingEYE). Studentswill beengineers anddowhatengineersdo:usemathand science, and work together in teams to design and improvesolutions to problems. They will learn to think creatively and workcollaboratively.

Tellstudentsthat, likeengineers,theywill findthere ismorethanonecorrect way to solve a problem. They will enjoy learning to considermany different ideas. Stress that good communication and effectiveteamworkareextremelyimportantforthesuccessofanydesign.

ShowSlide #4 (the Engineering Design Process graphic). Go over theEngineeringDesignProcess(EDP)brieflywiththeclass.Atthistimeitisnot necessary to define all of the steps. Focus on reminding students

ThislauncherassumesthatstudentshavehadsomepriorexperiencewithEYEorotherengineeringdesignchallengecurricula.Ifthisisnotthecase,youmayneedtoadapttheintroductionslightly.Forexample,thereareafewinstanceswhenstudentsare“reminded”oftheirexperiences.Youmayneedtoapproachthesepartsofthediscussiondifferently.



that engineers typically use these steps as they design solutions toproblems,althoughtheymaynotalwaysusetheminthisorder.

Presenttheengineeringdesignchallenge.(10min.)

3. Establishthedesignchallengeinvitationandcontext.TellstudentsthatAmusements, Inc., a local amusement park, needs their help. ProjectSlide#5.ExplaintotheclassthatAmusements,Inc.hasagreatideaforanamusement ride.Unfortunately theyhaven’tbeenable toget it toworkyet. Thecompany ishopingtheclasscanhelp!Theride iscalledtheDareDevil’sDrop,Stop,Don’tPopride.

4. Explain the design challenge: Student teams will design a ride thatDROPSasfastaspossible,yetkeepstheriderssafe.ShowSlide#6asyougivethisexplanation:Theriderscannothaveseatbelts,anytypeofcover,oranyothertypeofrestraint.Theridersmuststaysafely inthecarriagewhen it STOPS at the bottomand not POPout. (Stopping atthe“bottom”meansthatthebottomofthebasketsmustbenomorethan1inchabovetheground.)

Show Slide # 7. Advise students that teams can choose to design aDaring rideor a Super-Dare ride.Both rideshave the samecriteria, orrequirementsforwhatthisdesignmustdo.Gooverthesecriteriawiththestudents:

• Whenthebasketstops, thebottomof thebasketscanbenomorethan1inchabovetheground.

• The riders (ping pong balls) must stay safely inside the basket(Styrofoam cup) from the time the ride begins until it comes to astopatthebottom.

Conduct a demonstration using the materials you prepared to helpstudentsunderstandthesetupoftheride.ExplainthatthePVCpoleisamodelof theamusementpark ridepole.Every footofPVCrepresentstenfeet intherealride.Thepole is5feet long,sotherealSuper-Dareride begins 50 feet above ground – about the height of a 5-storybuilding.

Place a rider (one ping pong ball) in each cup. Point out the markindicatingthetopendofthepole.HoldthecupsattheDaringposition



sothatthebottomofthecupsisevenwiththeline.(FortheSuper-Darelevel,thebottomofthecupsshouldalignwiththetopofthepole.)

Droptheride.Studentswillreadilynoticethattheriderspoportumbleout of the baskets. Tell students they can decide to design a ride foreithertheDaringrideortheSuper-Dareride.

5. Prompt students to generate questions about the design challenge(definetheproblem).ShowSlide#8.Recordallstudentquestionsonchart paper or the whiteboard. Tell students you will answer thequestionsaftereveryonehasanopportunitytoaskhisorherquestion.Typicalquestionsinclude:

Whatmaterialscanweuse?

• 1rollofcellophanetape

• 3filefolders

• 10straws

• 2piecesof8½”x11”paperornewspaper)

Howmuchtimedowehave?(10minutesplustimetotest)

Can we tape the Ping-Pong balls into the cups? (No. The riders –Ping-Pongballs–cannotberestrainedorcoveredinanyway.)

Leadteamstodesignandtesttheirsolutions.(15min.)

6. Instruct the teams to begin discussing their ideas about the designchallenge. Make sure students realize that the 10 minutes for designincludes their discussion time and their construction time, and isbeginningnow.Distributethematerialswhilestudentsarediscussingintheir teams.Circulate among the teams, resistinganyurge to suggesthow teams should solve the problem, but instead offeringencouragementandaskingquestionsiftheyappeartrulystumped.

Remindstudentstheyhave10minutesforthischallenge.Givestudentsatimereminderatthe5-minutemark.

At theendof 10minutes, announce to the class that it is time to testtheirdesigns.Arrangethedesigns ina lineorcirclesoallstudentscanobserve each test. Begin with teams that designed the Daring ride.

TestingTip:Dependingonthesizeofyourclassandthenumberofteamsthatattemptthedifferentlevelsofchallenge(DaringorSuper-Daring),itmaybehelpfultoseparatethegroupsintosmallersubsets,andtestinrounds.However,thiswilltakemoretime,soyouwillneedtoplanaccordingly.Onewaytokeepthepacemovingistodiscusseachchallengelevelbeforerunningthetestsinmultiplesub-groups.



Briefly lead this teamtoexplain theirdesigns. Discuss similaritiesanddifferences among these designs and ask the other teams to predictwhich designs they thinkwill be successful (fast ride/safe passenger).Ask:

Whatisitaboutthesedesignsthatyouthinkwillbesuccessful?

RemindstudentstolinethebottomsofthecupstotheDarereferenceline.Commenceacountdownfrom3tozero.Atzeroall teamsshouldrelease their rides. Students should observe which rides land quickly,whilekeepingtheirriderssafe.

Repeatthetestpreparationprocedurewiththoseteamsthatdesigneda Super-Dare ride. Ask – but keep the number of responses lowaccordingtothetime:

What similarities and differences do you notice among thesedesigns?

Whichdesignsdoyoupredictwillmeetthecriteria?

Whydoyouthinkthat?

Debrieftestresults.(5min.)

7. Engagetheclassinadiscussionofthetestresults.Ask:

What did you find most interesting or surprising about theseresults?

After watching all the tests, do you think there are any rules ofthumbyouwanttokeepinmind?

8. Brieflyextendthedebriefingdiscussionbyraisingthequestionofhow

mathandscienceconnecttoengineering.Ask:

Engineers use math and science when they try to understand aproblem, solve it, and test their solutions. What connections doyouseebetweenwhatyouhavedoneandmathandscience?

NoteKeepthisdiscussionshortbecausethequestionwillberevisitedinscience.Insteadofspendingalongtimeonthispartofthelesson,besuretoleavethefulltimeallottedfortheteamworkdiscussion.TheteamworkdiscussionpreparesstudentsforthebeginningofDay2ofthislauncherinscienceclass.



Students may not immediately see connections between math andengineering or science and engineering in this challenge. If this is thecase,thereisnoneedtopressthemforresponses;asnotedabove,thisquestion will be revisited in science. Instead, let students know thattheywillhaveachancetocontinueusingtheirmathandscience ideasand skills to in science class to redesign the rides. Encourage them tocontinuethinkingabouttheseconnectionsastheycontinuetowork.

Preparestudentsforteamworkinthenextlaunchersession.(8min.)

9. Ask students to think about their teamprocess.Remind themof theengineering discussion from the start of class, recalling that effectiveteamworkispartofengineering.Ask:

Whatwasgoingoninyourteamasyouworkedonthischallenge?Didyourteamworksmoothly?Didyouencounteranyproblems?

Suggestthatwhenpeopleworkinteams,problemsorchallengesoftenarise.Tellthemtothinkabouttheirteamtoday.Ask:

Wasthereaproblemorconcernthatsurfacedforyou?

Directstudentstonoteonanindexcardoneproblemthatcameupforthem.Emphasize that this is for theirprivate thinkingandtheyshouldnotputtheirnamesonthecard.Instructstudentstoexplainwhatwashappening when the problem arose. You may want to offer somesuggestionssuchas“Onepersonhoggedallthematerials,”or,“Noonewaslisteningtomyideas.”

Direct students to think about a strategy that could help prevent thisproblem. If students truly believe their teams worked well with fewdifficulties, ask them towrite downwhat they think helped the teamworksowell.Distributetheindexcardsandallowstudents2-3minutestodocumenttheirthoughts.

10. Instruct students to bring their team process notes/index cards toscience class. Emphasize that this will be their ticket for a secondopportunitytodesign.Tellstudentsthattheywillhaveanopportunitytodiscuss their teamdifficulties and their suggested strategieswith anew team in science class. When they redesign, their strategies canworktogetherinmoreeffectiveteams.

ThefollowingquotesarefromstudentswhoparticipatedinthisLauncher.

“Ithinkthingswentwell,butsomepeopletookover.Tomakeitbetter,thosepeoplecouldasktheotherpeople’sopinions.”

“Noteverybody’sideaswereputintoit.Askeveryonewhattheywanted.”

“Wedidgreat!Weallsharedideasandcooperated.”

Althoughthediscussionofteamworkcomeslastinthelesson,itisoneofthemostimportantaspectsofDay1math.Besuretoleaveplentyoftime(8minutes)forstudentstoengageinthereflectiondescribedinSteps9and10.



Notes:


©MobileAreaEducationFoundation2013 ScienceLesson1(S-1)

Overview

TheseconddayofthisLauncherlessonwillbeconductedinscience.Studentsexpanduponthedesignworkandteamworkbeguninmathclass,furtherpreparingthemforsuccessfulengineeringdesignexperiencesthroughouttherestofthisacademicyear.Inaddition,thelessoncontinuestoaddressengineeringconnectionswithscienceandmath.Studentsbeginwithadiscussionwithintheirnewscienceteams,sharingproblemsthattheirprevious(math)teamsfacedandsuggestingstrategiestopreventorresolvethoseproblems.Asaresultofthisdiscussion,eachteamdevelopsnorms–agreed-uponexpectationsforbehaviorsthateveryteammemberwilluseduringworkonthedesignchallenge.StudentteamsthencreateandtestnewdesignsfortheSuper-DareRide.Finally,studentsreflectontheefficacyoftheirteamnormsandtheirpersonalcommitmentstothosenorms.

LessonVocabulary

norm

Science LESSONS-1:INTRODUCECHALLENGE,CREATETEAMS,ANDBEGINDESIGNDAY2:SCIENCELESSONREFOCUSON

TEAMWORKANDREDESIGN



Lesson2ScienceataGlance

Outcomes Details

Helpteamsworkfrompriorexperiencetoestablishteamnorms.(15min.)

1. BellRinger:Instructstudentstoreviewtheirteamworknotesfrommathclass.

2. Directstudentstosharetheirwrittencommentswiththeirnewteammembers.

3. InstructteamstousetheconversationfromStep2asabasis

forsettingtheirownteamnorms.

Setthestageforasecondroundofdesign.(5min.)

4. Introducethelessoninthecontextoftheengineeringdesignprocess(EDP)andtheredesignstep,inparticular.

5. Remindstudentstomaintainateamworkfocusastheyredesignaride.

Supportteamsastheydesignandtesttheirsolutions.(15min.)

6. Provide10minutesfordevelopingandconstructingaridetotest.

7. Directtheclasstotestteamredesigns.

Debrieftestresults,tiestomathandscience,andteamwork.(10min.)

8. Afterallteamshavetestedtheiramusementrides,engagetheclassinanoverallevaluationoftheirseconddesign.

9. Helpteamsconnecttheirengineeringexperiencewithmathandscience.

10. Leadtheclassinadiscussionregardingteamprocessandteam

norms.



MaterialsforThisLesson

TeacherResources

! PowerPointPresentation:Day2ScienceSlides

AVandComputerEquipment

! Computerwithprojectionsystem! EngineeringDesignProcessposter

C

Foreachteamof4-6students! 2binderclips,small;maybere-usedfrommathclass! 3cups,Styrofoam,6-8oz.capacity! 1sectionofelectricalconduitPVC,5-footlength;maybere-usedfrommathclass! 3filefolders! paper,28.5”x11”sheetsornewspaper(2-pagespread)! 2pingpongballs;maybere-usedfrommathclass! 2pairsofscissors(Teacherprovided)! 10straws! 1rolloftape;mostlikelymaybeusedfrommathclass

HardcopiesofteacherresourcesareintheTeacherResourcessectionofthismodule.DigitalteacherresourcesmaybeobtainedbycallingtheMobileAreaEducationFoundationat251-476-0002.



Notes:



Preparation(23min.)

Prepareforleadinglearning.(5min.)

1. BecomefamiliarwiththeDay1launcherlessonfrommathsoyoucanunderstandstudents’priorexperienceswiththechallengeandteamworkdiscussions.

Preparematerials.(15min.)

2. Thislauncherwaswrittenwiththeassumptionthatscienceteacherswouldhaveaccesstothenon-consumablematerialsusedinmathclass.IfyouarenotusingthePVCsfrommath,getenough5-footsectionsofelectricalconduitPVCsothatyouhaveonesectionforeachteamandoneforyourself.PutamarkoneachPVCtoindicatethedropheightfortheDareleveloftheride(1.5feetfromtop).Markthetopoftheconduitwiththeword,“Top.”

3. Preparethe“rider’sbaskets”,oneperteam,byattachingthreecupsin

aline.Usebinderclipstoconnecttherimsofthecups.(Arrowsindiagrambelowindicatecliplocations.)Itisokayifthecupsarenotexactlyvertical,buttheyshouldbeclose.

4. AssembletherestofthematerialsforeachgroupandplaceeverythingbutthePVCpoleintoaplasticbagorbasketforeasydistribution.

5. PreviewtheDay2scienceslidestoensurethatyourAVsystemworksproperly.

6. PosttheEngineeringDesignProcess(EDP)posterinaprominentplacewhereallstudentswillbeabletoseeit.

PrepareAVmaterial.(3min.)

7. PlantoprojecttheBellRingerslidesothatstudentswillseeitastheywalkintotheroom.



Preparetheclassroom.(5min.)

8. Plantohavestudentsworkinteamsoffour.Seateachteamitatable.Ifyoudonothavetables,arrangedeskssothattheyareasclosetoatablearrangementaspossible,withtwostudentsoneachsideofthe“table.”



Procedures(45min.)Helpteamsworkfrompriorexperiencetoestablishteamnorms.(15min.)

1. BellRinger:Instructstudentstoreviewtheirteamworknotesfrommath class. As students enter the classroom, display the Bell Ringer,Slide#2,andaskthemtothinkaboutthequestions:

• Whatproblem(s)didyourteamhave?• Whatwashappeningwhentheproblem(s)started?• Whatideasdoyouhaveforpreventingthiskindofproblem?

As soon as the bell rings, ask students to now jot down things thatwentwellintheirteamduringmath.

2. Directstudentstoshareideasforimprovingteamworkwiththeirnewteammembers.Advisestudentsthateachmemberoftheteamshouldtake1minutetodescribeaproblemencounteredduringthefirstdesignsessionand to recommendsolutions to thatproblem. Suggest to theclassthatthisgroupconversationshouldprovidetheteamwithplentyofideasforavoidingproblemsintoday’steamwork.

3. Instruct teams to use the conversation from Step 2 as a basis forsetting their own team norms. After all teammembers have had anopportunity to share, the team should spend a couple of minutesestablishing a set of appropriate team expectations for behaviors(called norms) that will help the team function well. Team membersshoulddevelopthesenormsforthemselves.(Thesewill likelyrelatetotheir discussion and experiences.)Normsmight include ideas such as:Giveeveryonea chance to talk.Share theworkand thematerials.Don’ttakeover.)

Impress upon the teams that each team member needs to takeresponsibility for making sure their agreed-upon norms are beingpracticed as theywork together today. Advise students that youwillcheck in with teams during and after the design work to see howeffectively team members are using their norms. (Be sure to followthroughasthelessonprogresses.)

Itisimportantthateveryteammemberhaveachancetosharetheinformationandideasaboutteamworkpreparedattheendofmathclassandinthislesson’sStep1.Dependingonyourparticularclass’experiencewithteamdiscussions,youmayneedtokeeptime(1minute)andsignalwhenitisanotherteammember’sturntoshare.



Setthestageforasecondroundofdesign.(5min.)

4. Introducethelessoninthecontextoftheengineeringdesignprocess(EDP)andtheredesignstep,inparticular.RefertotheEDPposterandremind students that they have already participated in one round ofdesign. Take this opportunity to remind students that engineeringdesigninvolvesmathandsciencethroughoutthecycle,andencouragethem to try to find how they are using math and science as theycontinuetheirdesignexperiencetoday.Chooseoneortwostepsandaskacoupleofvolunteerstoprovideanexample of how their teams in math used those steps. (“We askedquestions about the challenge”; “At the end, tested our ideas by weletting the baskets drop and watching what happened.”) Remindstudents that one important feature of engineering is redesign.Engineers often seek to improve their first design, or improve otherengineers’designs.

Promptstudentteamstoreviewthekeydetailsofthedesignchallengeamongthemselves.Directstudentstoconsiderquestionssuchas:Whatmust the Daredevil amusement ride be able to do (what are the designcriteria)?Whatlimitsorconstraintsarethereinthisdesignchallenge?Lettheclassknowthatyouwillbeaskingeachteamtocontributetothisclassreviewofthechallenge.Giveteams1minutetodiscuss.

Carsprovideagreatexampleofengineersimprovinguponandchangingotherengineers’designs.Overmorethan100years,thedesignoftheautomobilehaschangedtremendously,onecar“generation”atatime.

FYI

Someteamsmayfindthattheirscienceteamswilltrytoachieveadifferentperformancelevel(DareorSuperDare)thantheydidinmath.Otherteamsmayfindtheyareworkingonatotallydifferentdesignapproach.Becauseofthesechanges,someteamsmaywonderiftheyareengagedinredesigningtheoriginalrideorindesigningsomethingnew.

Inthiscase,theideaof"Redesign"isbroadlyinterpretedtoincludetheideaofdrawingfrompastexperiencewiththesamebasicchallenge-tomakeathrillingbutsaferidebasedondroppingtheriders'basketsdownapole-tocreateanewsolution.Inthissense,studentsmaynotbeworkingdirectlyontheirownpriorideas,buttheireffortsinvolvere-thinkingtheiroriginalideasandincorporatingthemintoanewversionofthetechnology.Thisqualifiestheireffortsasaredesign.



After team discussion, ask teams to share the information theyreviewed.Importantpointsthatshouldemergeinclude:

• TheDaredevilridemustbefast,yetkeepitsriderssafe.• The Ping-Pong balls (riders) must stay in their baskets

(Styrofoamcups).• When the ride stops, the bottoms of the baskets can be no

fartherfromthefloorthan1inch.• Theriderscannotbecoveredorrestrainedinanyway.• Thecentralcupmaybealtered.• Teamsmustcompletethischallengein10minutes.• Thematerialsare:paper,filefolders,tape,straws,andscissors.

5. Remindstudentstomaintainateamworkfocusastheyredesignaride.

Remind students that teams spent important time coming toagreementoncertain teamnorms theywillpracticeduring theirworktoday.Promptstudentstobemindfulofthosebehaviorsastheyworktogetherasateamonaredesign.Acknowledgethatevenexperiencedteams sometimes have difficulty remembering their norms once theystarttheircreativework.

Support teams as they design and test their solutions.(15min.)

6. Provide 10 minutes for developing and constructing a ride to test.Inform the class that teamswill have 10minutes to design their ride.Distribute the materials to each team. As students are working,circulate around the room, takingnoteof the level of teamwork andcooperation.About5minutesintothedesignwork,gettheattentionofallteamsandhavethemdoaquickcheckwithintheirteam.Ask:

Howisyourteamdoingcomplyingwithyournorms?Doyouneedtomakeanychangesoradjustments?(Donotdiscussasaclass.)

Atthe7minutemark,letstudentsknowtheyhave3minutesremainingtoworkontheirdesign.Attheendof10minutes,announcetotheclassthatitistimetotesttheirdesigns.

7. Direct the class to test team redesigns. Instruct half of the teams topreparetotestfirst.Arrangetheseteamsinalinesothestudentsnottesting can observe the tests. Ask students what differences they



notice from the first designs created inmath class. Invite students topredict which designs they think will be successful (fast ride/safepassenger).Ask:

Whatisitaboutthesedesignsthatyouthinkwillbesuccessful?

Tell teams thatyouwillbeginacountdown from3 tozero;at zeroalltesting teams should release their rides. Tell students who areobserving to note which rides land quickly while keeping their riderssafe.

Runthetest.

Repeatthetestingprocedurewiththeremainderoftheteams.

Debrieftestresults,tiestomathandscience,andteamwork.(10min.)

8. Afterallteamshavetestedtheiramusementrides,engagetheclassinanoverallevaluationoftheirseconddesign.Ask:

Overall, how did the redesigned rides perform compared to theridesyousawinyourmathclass?

Didanyparticulardesign’sperformancesurpriseyou?Why?

Tellstudentsthatthesetypesofquestionsareimportantconsiderationsin all engineering design projects. Refer students to the EDP poster.Ask:

Think about the engineering design process. Which parts of theprocess seemed most important in helping your team reachsuccess?

If relevant, note any broad engineering insights that cameout of thisdiscussion(seesidebar)andtellstudentsthattheywillseetheseideascomeintoplayinfuturedesignchallengesduringtheschoolyear.

9. Help students connect their engineering experience with math andscience.Ask:

Engineers use math and science throughout the engineeringdesignprocess, tounderstandproblems,solvethem,andtest the

ListenfortheseengineeringthemesandinsightsduringSteps8-9.

• Theroleofmaterialsinwhetheradesignworks.Ifamaterialistoorigid,tooflexible,tooeasilytorn,etc.,itmightnotworkthewaytheengineerswantitto.

• Manipulatingmaterials(folding,bending,etc.)canchangehowthatmaterialbehaves.Example:Foldingpapermakesitstronger.Accordion-foldingitcanmakeitelastic,soitcompressesandrebounds.

• It’simportanttounderstandtheproblemclearlyandcorrectlyinordertosolveit.

• Usingmodelscanhelptestideaswithoutriskingwasteofmaterialsorinjury..

• Thereareusuallymultiplewaystosolveaproblem.Noonewayisthe“right”way.

• Onceengineerssolveaproblem,it’seasytostartaddingnewcriteria(thingsyouwantorneedthedesigntodo)butit’snotalwaysnecessarytodoso.

• Thingsthatdon’tworkinafirstdesigncansometimesleadtoabetterdesigninthelongrun.



results.Whatconnectionstomathandsciencedoyouseeinyourdesignprocesswiththeamusementparkride?

As necessary, help students identify a few (not all possible)connections.Askoneortwoofthefollowingquestions,basedonwhatyouthinkconnectmorestronglytothestudents’experiences.

SampleQuestionstoChooseFrom:

• Howdid you know that someof the team’s rideswent faster orslower than others? (By watching, observing, comparing.)Takeaway: Making comparisons is both a scientific and amathematicalskill.

• How didmath help you understand themodel ride and the realride? (Weknowthat in themodel, 1 foot isequal to 10 feetonthe “real” amusement park ride. We were able to see howexciting the ridecould reallybeby imagining theheightof therealride.)Takeaway:Math helps us understand how the size of amodelrelatestotherealthing.

• Whydid the riders bounceoutof the ride in theoriginalmodel?(The forward motion of the ride stopped abruptly but theirbodieskeptmoving.Thehighspeed impactcausedthemtohitthegroundhard.)Takeaway: The challenge relates to the scientific principles offorceandmotion.

• Howdidyoudecidewhichmaterials touse fordifferentpartsofthe design? (We knew we needed something kind ofbouncy/stiff/flat/rough to cushion/support/catch the air/makefriction.)Takeaway: Knowing what to expect of different materials,involvesthinkingaboutthepropertiesofmaterials—ascientificidea.

• Whydidyouchoose [aparachute/tomakepadding/ tomake theholeinthemiddlecupsmall]aspartofyoursolution?(Parachutesslow things down/padding absorbs the force/ the cupmaterialcausesfrictionwiththepole.)Takeaway: Expecting the physical world to work a certaininvolvesscientificknowledge.

TrytokeepinmindthatthepointofStep9isnottogointodetailaboutthemathandsciencecontent.Instead,itistoraiseawarenessoftheinterconnectionsbetweenengineeringdesignandmathandscience.Brieflyattendingtooneortwoofthesuggestedquestionsshouldbeenoughtoraisethisawarenesss.



Congratulatestudentsontheirdesignwork.Remindthemthattheywillbeworking on additional engineering projects during the year. Thesewilltakeplaceinmathandscienceclassesandwillinvolveteamwork.

Directthemtosetasideallmaterialsbeforereturningtotheirseats.

10. Leadtheclassinadiscussionregardingteamprocessandteamnorms.Instruct teams to spend a few moments reflecting on their teamprocessanduseoftheirteamnorms.ShowSlide#3tohelpdirecttheirfocus.

Invite students to comment. In addition to accepting responses fromtheteamdiscussions,askquestionssuchas:

Howdiditgousingteamnorms?Didyouhaveenoughnorms?Toomany?

What differences did you notice about how you team workedtoday compared to how your team worked during your firstdesign?

Did you, personally, use any of the team norms? How did thatcontributetothesuccessofdesign?

What isonethingyoumightconsiderdoingdifferentlyasa teammember?

Suggest that students think about the value of creating norms tostrengthentheirteamworkastheytackleengineeringdesignchallengesthroughouttheyear.Iftimeallows,askastudentstosuggestideasforaTopTenTipsaboutTeamworklist.

Step10laysacriticalfoundationfortheschoolyear.Besuretoleavetimeforthisdiscussion.


©MobileAreaEducationFoundation2013 Glossary

GlossaryCriteria (plural; singular form: criterion): the requirements of an engineering design; how thetechnologymustperformand/orwhatitmustincorporateinordertobeconsideredsuccessful.

Engineeringdesignprocess(abbreviatedEDP):asetofproblem-solvingactionsthatengineersandothers use todevelopor improve technologies. In the EYEprograms, an8-step summaryof thisprocess is used for common reference. Thedefinitions below refer to the useof these terms asstepsinthisprocess:

• DefinetheProblem:tolayouttheconstraintsandcriteriaofadesigngoalandtheneedordesirethedesignisintendedaddress.

• Research:toinvestigateorotherwisegatherinformationaboutthecontext,relatedscienceandmathprinciples,materials,andwaysinwhichsimilardesignproblemshavebeensolvedoraddressedinpriorcircumstances.

• Develop:tobrainstormorimagineasmanysolutionstotheproblemaspossible,usuallyaspartofacollaborativeeffort;apartofthedesigninwhichevaluationofideasissetasideinfavorofgettingallideasonthetable.

• Choose:often,tonarrowdownthesetofpossiblesolutionstooneoralimitednumberthatwill be brought to fruition. Sometimes people don’t develop multiple possible ideas, inwhichcase,“choose”meansdecidingononedesignideatopursue.

• Create:tomakeadesignideaintoreality.Often,thismeansphysicallyconstructingamodelorprototype,butwhenthedesignideaisforaprocess,itmeanssettinguptheprocessandworkingthroughit.

• Test&Evaluate:tocollectinformationwhiletryingoutthedesignideaandseehowwellitmeetscriteria,andthenanalyzetheresultstodecidewhatworksanddoesn’tworkwell.

• Communicate: as a step in thedesignprocess, to share the resultsof thedesignprocesswithothers,explainingthedesignidea,theprocessofcomingupwith,creating,andtestingit,testresultstestresultsandideasfornextsteps.

• Redesign: improvingadesignbyusing informationgatheredabout it so farandusing thestepsoftheengineeringdesignprocesstoguidedecisionsaboutchanges.

Norm:anagreed-uponbehaviororexpectationwithinagrouporteam.

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