3-5-ETS1 Engineering design - define, develop and improve
Aligned to 3-5-ETS1 — Next Generation Science Standards.
What this lesson teaches
Engineers start by clearly stating the problem and the rules, like how much money or material they can use. They think of more than one solution, test them fairly, and then improve the best one based on what the tests show.
Worked examples
Example 1
To build a bridge from 10 straws that holds a toy car, you might try two designs: a flat one and a triangle one. You test both with the car, see the triangle holds more weight, then make it even stronger by adding tape at the joints.
Example 2
To build a container that keeps an egg from breaking when dropped, list your limits first: only paper and tape, no more than 10 sheets.
Example 3
Failure is information. An egg that cracks tells you exactly where the padding was thin, which is what the next version fixes.
Practice questions
- Why do engineers state the rules and limits before building?
- Why test more than one design instead of just one?
- Describe how you would improve a paper bridge after testing it.
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
3-5-ETS1 Diseño de ingeniería - definir, desarrollar y mejorar
Los ingenieros comienzan definiendo claramente el problema y las restricciones, como cuánto dinero o material pueden usar. Piensan en más de una solución, las prueban de manera justa y luego mejoran la mejor con base en los resultados de las pruebas.
Ejemplo 1: Para construir un puente con 10 popotes que sostenga un carrito de juguete, podrías probar dos diseños: uno plano y uno triangular. Pruebas ambos con el carrito, ves que el triangular aguanta más peso y luego lo refuerzas añadiendo cinta en las uniones.
Ejemplo 2: Para construir un recipiente que evite que un huevo se rompa al caer, primero anota tus límites: solo papel y cinta, no más de 10 hojas.
Ejemplo 3: Fallar es información. Un huevo que se rompe te dice exactamente dónde faltó relleno, y eso es lo que arregla la siguiente versión.
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