Wendy Haggerton
Heizer Middle School
Have you ever found yourself in a similar scenario?
Your parents leave you alone for the first time and the first thing
you do is spill red soda on your mother's favorite, brand new, white rug.
You swallow hard. You must figure out how to clean the stain and return it
to its original condition before your parents get home tomorrow. And then,
just maybe when you have time to get creative, you will work on inventing a
contraption that evaporates stains within seconds, void of tears, panic,
experimenting with solutions, scrubbing and exacerbating the stain, and on
and on. But, then you would have to know the engineering design
process, and you can’t think about that right now because you are in a panic!
You're broke so you can't buy a new rug. You
don't have a car or driver's license. You don't have anyone else to blame
this on – no pets, little brothers or sisters, and of course, no one would
believe you if you blamed it on a Narnian, stray unicorn running through the
house with the main purpose of toppling over your red soda. Would your parents
believe Chuck Norris knocked down the door with the intent to spar with you?
No, probably not. Well, you do know your mom has numerous cleaning supplies
and other household items stored in the laundry room, and as you mentally scan
all the products, you hear the words of your science teacher echoing through
your brain. You try to block it, but it pounds through that thick skull of yours.
"You're going to need to use the scientific method someday! You actually use
this method a lot and are not aware of it. You will soon find out what you can
accomplish when you become more aware of applying your background knowledge
to new situations."
You mutter weird words at the thought of your teacher but realize the task of
cleaning the rug is crucial in order to see your next birthday, much less
keep that phone you sleep with. Yeah, we know you sleep with that phone because
it's essential you stay connected. You may miss something, and you just never
know when someone might really need you. But, that's another story.
What do you do first? Then what? What if you make a mistake? How do you decide when to stop?
Do you rush in and make the stain permanent or even worse?
Time for some action!
PLEASE PROCEED TO THE TASK SECTION AT THE TOP.
*****REMEMBER to add "Inventions" to your Table of Contents*****
Well, by now you should have discerned that an invention is a brand new creation designed to solve a problem or address a need and an innovation is an improvement on an invention - something that already exists. Watch the following video on the Engineering Design Process:
[Go to the "Process" section at top. Complete the "Process #2" BEFORE doing TASK #3 below.]
Watch the videos from the following link: http://pbskids.org/designsquad/video/
Take notes on at least five videos that you watch in your Engineering Design Notebook.
[Go to the "Process" section at top. Complete the "Process #3"]
The changes that SCAMPER stands for are:
Design a Graphic Organizer, Flow Chart, or Illustration to highlight the steps of The Engineering Design Process (EDP)
Step 1: Look at the EDP
Look into the Engineering Design Process and make sure you understand all the steps involved. Use the following graphic organizer to help guide your research http://teachers.egfi-k12.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Engineering-Design-Process.jpg. Write down the important components - the CRITICAL STEPS - of the EDP.
Step 2: Designing your Graphic Organizer, Flow Chart, or Illustration.
After listing the critical steps of the EDP, think how you can visually represent them in a note-taking strategy. Create your idea. Be sure to use the color pencils to make your design visually appealing.
[Go back to the TASK Section at the top. Begin at "Task #3". You should NOT move on to "Process #3 below until told to do so. ]
Read over the following three challenges.
Choose one challenge and think about how you would begin to complete the task. In your Engineering Notebook, brainstorm solutions and design a product that solves the problem in a real world context.
Invent a device that launches a spoonful of confetti into the air. The bigger the cloud, the better.
Invent an indoor game for one or two people that gets you moving.
Invent a holder for six cans that’s animal-safe, sturdy, convenient, and easy to carry.
[Go to the CONCLUSION Section at the top.]
You will be given a grade based on the following criteria:
Task #1: 3 inventions listed with name(3), patent #(3) , information(3), and how to improve (3) = 12 points
Task #3: Watch 5 Design Squad Videos and take notes = 15 points
Process #1: Improvement (2) and Scamper (10) = 12 points
Process #2: Graphic Organizer/Flow Chart/Illustration = 20 Points
Process #3: Challenge (5 points), Brainstorm (10 points), Design (10 points) = 25 points
Conclusion: Questions = 16 Points
Total = 100 points
In your opinion why does one invent, or create something new, or improve on a known product?
Explain one concept you learned from this activity.
How can you apply the design process to other areas of study and beyond (real world)?
How would you change this activity if you were assigning it to a class?
Thank you to Steffanie Grotz, Inverness Middle School. This activity was adapted from her original webquest.
Wendy Haggerton
Heizer Middle School