5TH GRADE I Engineering Design Practices I Literacy
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Lab Happenings
Essential Questions
What do engineers do? How can I learn how to think like an engineer? How can I learn how to work like an engineer?
Project Time!
The Process (Read from Bottom Up "Launch" for Actual Sequence of Events)
Setting the Scene (Read from Bottom Up "Launch" for Actual Sequence of Events)
- Our exhibition truly showcased problem scoping and great engineering, Deeper Learning, creativity, choice, independence, and joy! Live Long and Prosper!
- Exhibition ahead! Final touches and colony set up are happening. Rehearsals have begun.
- Can I speak to my research as well as my design? What are the most important things to know about my topic? What is the process I want to share? How did I grow as a learner?
- This week final revisions and edits are happening. Artifacts are being reiterated and built and we have officially colonized the Book Room! The pod is being designed, the aquaponics agricultural system is starting to sprout, the 3d printer is working, and terraforming has begun! We can't wait to show you that on Mars we truly will be able to engineer a comfortable life in order to "live long and prosper!"
- How do engineers share what they know? One way is with published writing. This week we turned our pages and pages of research notes into a 3-5 paragraph research paper. After our first draft was ready we implemented some revision protocols. We also designed our first artifact idea and got some critique.
- What does becoming an expert mean? How do we become truly knowledgable about a topic on our own? This week we are independently researching our topics of choice. We are reading articles at our "just right level," asking questions, watching videos, and taking notes in our own words! As we go, we are looking for artifact ideas. An artifact is the engineering piece we want to design and make for our exhibition.
- Based on the Play Dough Protocol discussions, a list of engineering topics was generated. Today, we picked our own engineering Mars topic to pursue deeply. We are thinking about transportation, medical needs, recreation and entertainment, habitation, energy, terraforming, and more!
- Here is the link to our resource page! https://www.smore.com/45nmp-imagine-mars (If you find great sites that should be added, please send them my way! [email protected])
- (Launch) The Play Dough Discussion Protocol got students thinking together about life on Mars, what we will actually need to survive, and the things we want to get right politically and socially. Upon completing one task, they received one ingredient to make play dough. Tons of Deeper Learning happening!
Setting the Scene (Read from Bottom Up "Launch" for Actual Sequence of Events)
- "Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions."-Albert Einstein.... In order to best capture Einstein's idea and the fact that, as a nation, we have been curious about space for a long time, we watched the Sci-fi Twilight Zone classic "To Serve Man." We also started our new " Engineering Our Way to Mars" Exploratory for a little voice and choice. We are designing paper rockets, making sic-fi stop motion videos, tackling building challenges with an extendable arm, etc.
- The Touchdown Challenge! After watching the Curiosity rover land, we designed and built devices for a soft (and slow) Mars landing. Engineers got to choose their level of challenge which defined their constraints!
- Mars Bound! Today we started thinking about the reality of moving to Mars with this Ted Talk! https://www.ted.com/talks/stephen_petranek_your_kids_might_live_on_mars_here_s_how_they_ll_survive
- Our exploration was about rockets. We tried out some stomp rockets and we tackled the "Heavy Lifting" Challenge which asked our engineers to make balloon rockets, set up a trajectory, and then deliver a heavy payload (as many paperclips as possible) to Mars (the ceiling).
- (Launch) Inspired by Ray Bradbury's "All Summer in A Day" and the important branch of aerospace engineering focused on shielding technologies, students tackled the "Fix the Leak" (Team Building) Challenge. The colony on Venus is having a radiation leak. Using only the constraints provided, design and build a device that can safely carry a ceramic radiation patch (a golfball) from the storage area (one bag) to the leak (another bag).
Challenges
- Welcoming in the brand new year with the "Light the Way" Challenge! Design a lantern out of tissue paper and dowels. Inspired by a short story in Moonbeams, Dumplings, and Dragon Boats.
- The Great Snowflake Challenge! Can you make a snowflake that falls the slowest? The fastest? Why? What do you notice? Can you design a snowflake that has a letter of the alphabet in it?
- Engineers use their resources in creative ways and they love to have fun! Inspired by Wesley in Westlandia by Paul Fleischman, get to know the lab and design the ultimate bouncy ball game.
Student Centered Designs and Problem Scoping
- Look around the lab, your classroom, the school. Do you see a problem that needs to be solved? Can you think of something we still need around school to be more organized? Safe? How about turning water bottle tossing into a legitimate recess game? etc.
- Hacktivities: Design the ultimate engineering folder. Students added cool features and moveable pieces to their engineering folders. Their ideas ranged from pockets and pencil holders to locking mechanisms! Clever!
Deeper Learning
- Hunting for symbolism in literature, movies, and traditions (What does symbolism do? Where can we find the symbol of light? What might oranges symbolize for Chinese New Year?)
- Annotating text (flipping the question, circling vocabulary, underlining the main ideas, reacting in the margins)
- 4 Corner Debates (supporting our opinions with 3 reasons)
- Playing Games: Engineering Ants, Bubble Talk
Tinkering (We can learn how to do anything! We can design our own education!)
- Duct tape wallets and how to use an exacto knife safely
- 3D snowflake design
- Finger knitting (Here is our favorite How-To video! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsZsUBYU0qU)
Tech Time
- Stop Motion: Figure out the (free) Stop Motion app by Cat Eater.
- Scratch: Design an interactive holiday card
- Comic Creator found at http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/comic/
Engineering Everywhere!
- Civil Engineering: Design a carrying device for a golfball. Lego constructions with design challenges.
- Genetic Engineering: 4 Corner Debate on the issue of genetically modified mosquitos (You can listen to the report at http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/12/14/504732533/to-fight-malaria-scientists-try-genetic-engineering-to-wipe-out-mosquitoes)
- Aerospace Engineering: How do astronauts and rovers stay protected from radiation? (shielding technologies) The Great Snowflake Challenge! How do things fall? How do things move through gas?
- Chemical Engineering: Appreciating polymers and making bouncy snowballs and duct tape wallets.
- Electrical Engineering: Playing around with Chibi Lights and tackling Snap Circuit projects. Can you design a working circuit?
- Mechanical Engineering: Folder hacking, cards that move, and the new button machine!
Ask Your Engineer
- What was "All Summer in a Day" about? What do you think happened next? Why? Why move to another planet?
- Should we genetically modify mosquitos if it will eliminate malaria? What does "unintended consequences" mean?
- How did your duct tape wallet turn out? What was challenging? What would you do differently next time? Did you use an exacto knife?
- How do you make a paper snowflake? What is the trick to making it fall slowly? Challenge each other to a race!
- What kinds of things do chemical engineers make? What is a polymer? Where can polymers be found? Did the bouncy snowball you made bounce?
- How did you hack your engineering folder?
- What was your bouncy ball game like? How do you play? What games did your classmates make?
- (While doing your daily reading together or watching a movie...) So, what is _____'s problem? What could we do as engineers to help?
- When do you most feel like an engineer?
Ideas for Engineering At Home
- Don't miss the IMAX film Dream Big- Engineering Our World-A Heartfelt Story of Human Ingenuity at the Reuben H. Fleet
- Hidden Figures is a great movie! It really fits our essential question: How does our past influence and shape our future?
- Bring on the Science Fiction! Consider watching The Martian or some Twilight Zone episodes! TV shows Eureka and Star Trek: The Next Generation are good ones too!
- Do you have any old appliances? Let your engineer take them apart! How does it work? What could you do with the parts?
- Set up 4 corners in a room in your house with signs "Agree," "Strongly Agree," Disagree," "Strongly Disagree." Have a debate! Make sure to have 3 reasons why for your argument!
- The more cooking the better! Reading to follow directions (independently) and measurement are great life / engineering skills to master!
- Put up a seasonal light show synchronized with music!
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How can you help?
Folks often ask me, "How can I help?" If you are interested in supporting the Engineering Lab through donating your time or materials, please shoot me an email ([email protected]). As our projects get fleshed out, I'll also post a wish list. In the meantime, if you're looking to donate, we always need toilet paper rolls, sharpies, and masking tape. LOTS AND LOTS OF MASKING TAPE. Thanks!