2. Table of Contents Unit 1- Understand the Problem Unit 2- Gather Information Unit 3- Develop Solutions Unit 4- Implement A Solution Unit 5- Test and Evaluate Unit 6- Redesign and Communicate

3. In this activity, you will: -Understand the problem by learning about the Problem Context and Design Challenge. - Discover the steps in the technological problem solving method.

4. Hello. My name is Angela Bryant, and I am the mayor of Cityville. Not too long ago we experienced a fairly large earthquake. Most of our buildings held up just fine. But in some areas of the city, the building are badly damaged. On the outside, the old city courthouse does not look too bad. But inside, portions of the building have collapsed. Last week, a team of engineers inspected the building. They told us that we cannot repair the damage. And they also said that the building is not safe for us to enter.

6. We need a new courthouse. Our challenge is to build a structure that can resist damage from future earthquakes. And the structure must be able to hold up against normal wind and weather. We would like to consider many ideas before building the courthouse. So we need the help of a structural engineers. We want you to design and build a prototype, or model, for the structure of the courthouse. Then we will test and evaluate the prototypes.

8. When you design your prototype, make sure it meets our list of specifications. The specs list required elements and features for the structure. And they also detail the criteria, conditions, and restrictions for the design. With your partner, Review the specifications.

10. Your goal is to design and build a prototype, or model, for the courthouse structure. Specifications are a list of the required elements and features and the criteria, or conditions, and restrictions for the design.

11. The technological problem solving method involves several steps: ∙First, understand the problem. ∙Then, gather information about the problem. ∙Develop several solutions to the problem, and then select the best one. ∙Implement a solution. ∙Test the solution and then evaluate it. ∙Redesign the solution, if needed. And then communicate the solution. When you are working on the structural engineering project, you can use the technological problem solving method. This method is a process for solving a challenge.

12. You will use a technological problem solving method to design the courthouse structure. But sometimes you may need revisit activities that you have already done. For example, you may need to gather more information before you can test your solution. The steps in the technological problem solving method serve as the guide for this project.

14. When solving a problem, a checklist is an easy way to keep track of your work. A checklist is a way to break a project into a series of tasks. A checklist can help to put tasks in an order to be done. You will use a checklist to work on the structures project. You can take notes about your progress on the checklist at the end of each class. And you can date tasks when you complete them.

16. DO: Get the structure design checklist. DO: Write today’s date in the box next to Activity 1: Understand the Problem.

17. The technological problem solving method is a process for solving a challenge. It involves several steps: understand the problem, gather information, develop solutions, implement the solution, test and evaluate, and redesign and communicate. A checklist is a way to break a project into a series of tasks that need to be completed. A checklist can help to put tasks in an order to be done. Congratulations! You have completed Unit One- Understand the Problem. You will now move onto Unit 2. The power point is titled “EQT- Unit 2”.