Puff Mobile Design Challenge

What is Engineering? NOTE: The materials for this design challenge can vary based on what you have available on hand. It is good to have the following types of items: Things that can act as a wheel and/or axel: straws, dowels, paper cups, paper towel tubes, etc. Things that can catch the wind: plastic bags, tissue paper, index cards, copy paper, etc. Things that can be blown into: straws, 1 inch diameter tubes, etc. Things that serve as a base for a car: styrofoam trays, 6” x 6” pieces of cardboard, etc. Necessary materials: Tape Half sheets of copy paper Problem: A company that produces novelty toys has realized that since most 6-10 year old kids don’t have a cell phone and therefore, can’t text in class, there is a market for a note passer among the 6-10 year old set. They would like their engineers to design this toy to pass a note as far as possible powered by one breath. 2

The Scenario A company that produces novelty toys has realized that since most 6-10 year old kids don’t have a cell phone and therefore, can’t text in class, there is a market for a note passer among the 6-10 year old set. They would like their engineers to design this toy to pass a note as far as possible powered by one breath. A company that produces novelty toys has realized that since most 6-10 year old kids don’t have a cell phone and therefore, can’t text in class, there is a market for a note passer among the 6-10 year old set. They would like their engineers to design this toy to pass a note as far as possible powered by one breath. 3

What is the problem? You need to solve this problem. What do you want to know before you start? Ask participants: What is the problem that you are being asked to solve? Then ask: You need to solve this problem. What else would you like to know before you start? Common questions (that you want them to ask): What materials do we have? (Show them materials) How much material can we use? (10 items total) What’s the budget? ($0) How much time do we have? (18 minutes) How big is the note that needs to be passed? (Half sheet of copy paper) After participants have asked their questions, answer them so that they understand that the problem’s constraints and criteria are: To design a vehicle that will carry a note (half sheet of copy paper) as far as possible on one puff of breath using only 10 items in 18 minutes.   4

Go Puff Design Challenge GOAL To design a vehicle That will carry a note (half sheet of copy paper) As far as possible On one puff of breath Using only 10 items In 18 minutes. Put this slide on the screen while the participants are creating their designs so that they remember what the criteria and constraints are. 5

Using verbs, describe what you did during the design process. Ask: What were some of the “action words” that describe what you did during the design process? Common responses: cutting, planning, talking, stressing, taping, folding, collaborating, modifying, testing, etc. (NOTE: While you can list their responses in the text boxes above, we recommend doing this on a white board, if possible, so that you can put all responses in a single column. This will make it easier to facilitate the next piece of the activity.) Explain to participants that they should take a look at the list of “action words” they created and think about the order in which they performed these actions in the engineering of their towers. The “action words” listed will vary from workshop to workshop, but, for example, if two of the words are “folding” and “brainstorming” you might ask: Which did you do first when you were engineering—fold or brainstorm? Continue to prompt the participants with similar types of questions. As you facilitate their reflection, it is likely that they will order the “action words,” into an order similar to the EiE Engineering Design Process. As they do so, notice that most of the words that they chose will naturally be categorized into the five steps of the EDP. Participants may also mention that sometimes the order of their actions wasn’t linear; they sometimes returned to certain actions over and over again in a cyclical manner, such as building, testing, troubleshooting, and redesigning. When they have finished creating their own EDP with the list of “action words,” tell them that the EDP that they produced together is very similar to EiE’s version. (NEXT SLIDE)   6

The Engineering Design Process Brainstorming Criteria No evaluation Constraints IMAGINE Sci. info ASK THE GOAL To solve a problem by developing or improving a technology PLAN Explain that engineers always begin their deign process with a goal. (CLICK SLIDE) Ask: What was your goal in this activity? Common responses: To design a structure that was at least two feet tall and could support the statue. Tell participants that even though we have already established that the Engineering Design Process is cyclical, many engineers begin working towards their goal by asking questions (CLICK TO REVEAL ASK STEP) What were some of the questions that you asked before the challenge when I asked you, “In order to solve this problem, what do you want to know?” Common responses: What are the materials? What is the deadline? (Constraints) How high does the structure have to be? How long does it have to display the statue? (Criteria) As they respond, ask them which of their questions were about constraints and criteria. Also, point out that some of their questions were related to the scientific information needed to complete the challenge. (CLICK SLIDE) Then reveal the “Imagine” step of the EDP. Ask: What are the “action words” listed that fit into the “Imagine” category? Repeat the above procedure for each of the remaining EDP steps: “Plan,” “Create,” and “Improve.” Explain that this representation of the EDP, as described by EiE, is a general summary of the cyclic nature of the development of technology. The process may begin with the “Improve” step if the technology is an existing one. Often, engineers move between a few steps many times or follow the steps out of order. Summarize this activity by noting that it flows in the same way as an EiE unit. In an EiE unit, students are introduced to the Engineering Design Process and the challenge through a context-setting story. In addition, the five-step EDP highlighted here is the same process that students use in Lessons 3 and 4 of every EiE unit to guide them as they design and improve a technology. Also be sure to point out that in this activity, the Engineering Design Process was a problem solving process that they used quite instinctively and that this will be true for their students as well. Participants might ask about how the EiE EDP wound up with five steps, especially when several state standards and national frameworks list EDPs with a greater number of steps. If so, explain that the EiE EDP is based on many of these existing EDPs that were primarily designed for middle and high school students. As those EDPs were far too complicated for younger students, EiE simplified the EDP down to five, single-word steps, that still echo those steps in the more complicated processes.   Get specific with one idea IMPROVE CREATE And test 7