Natural disasters and weather related hazards affect the way we live. Because we don’t have a way to prevent natural disasters from happening, we must find ways to adapt and prepare for them. Oftentimes, flooding occurs as a result of a storm and can cause property damage and even loss of life.
Students engaged in the design process by being challenged to create a prototype that would act as a barrier to protect a city from rising water. One of the third grade earth and science standards is to make a claim about the merit of a design solution that reduces the impacts of a weather-related hazard. Before building, each group worked together to sketch each member’s idea and to consider the materials. Just like the real world has a budget and limited materials, two of the constraints of the challenge were to use only the materials given and to have some materials left over.
Students engaged in the design process by being challenged to create a prototype that would act as a barrier to protect a city from rising water. One of the third grade earth and science standards is to make a claim about the merit of a design solution that reduces the impacts of a weather-related hazard. Before building, each group worked together to sketch each member’s idea and to consider the materials. Just like the real world has a budget and limited materials, two of the constraints of the challenge were to use only the materials given and to have some materials left over.
The engineering design process is a way to break down a larger project into more manageable pieces. Going throughout each step as a team gives students the needed time to brainstorm, record each member’s ideas, and collaborate on a final plan before jumping into the materials. The design process also involves discussing, reflecting, and redesigning once the group’s original design is tested. Groups will use a rubric to assess their final product and their collaboration skills.
We are looking forward to testing and reflecting on our designs next week!