The Engineering Design Experience consists of five phases.
Set Goals..
Students are introduced to a challenge scenario. They review a toy
company’s letter, discuss what is requested of them, and share ideas on
how to go about solving the problem. Students begin to work in teams
and start recording work in design logs.
Build Knowledge..
Many activities are included in this phase as students develop the
knowledge and skills they will need to design their own vehicles. The
first thing students do is build a model and figure out how it works. In
the next several activities teams vary factors on the model, record
observations, and discuss results with the rest of the class. They move
from simple explorations and opinions to controlled experiments and
performance predictions based on graphs or tables of results.
Design..
Student teams design their own toy to meet the requirements stated in
the toy company’s letter. They determine the values of variables, plan
construction, and predict performance based on knowledge from
previous activities.
Build and Test..
Student teams build and test their design to see how well it meets the
performance criteria.
Present..
Student teams make presentations of their work to an audience.
Set Goals..
Students are introduced to a challenge scenario. They review a toy
company’s letter, discuss what is requested of them, and share ideas on
how to go about solving the problem. Students begin to work in teams
and start recording work in design logs.
Build Knowledge..
Many activities are included in this phase as students develop the
knowledge and skills they will need to design their own vehicles. The
first thing students do is build a model and figure out how it works. In
the next several activities teams vary factors on the model, record
observations, and discuss results with the rest of the class. They move
from simple explorations and opinions to controlled experiments and
performance predictions based on graphs or tables of results.
Design..
Student teams design their own toy to meet the requirements stated in
the toy company’s letter. They determine the values of variables, plan
construction, and predict performance based on knowledge from
previous activities.
Build and Test..
Student teams build and test their design to see how well it meets the
performance criteria.
Present..
Student teams make presentations of their work to an audience.
Project Engineer.. Responsible for helping members understand the
team’s task, leading team discussions, checking for safety at all times,
and checking whether the team’s task is complete.
Facilities Engineer.. Responsible for collecting materials, directing
model construction, directing cleanup, and storing materials.
Test Engineer. Responsible for recording and organizing data in the
Team Design Log.
team’s task, leading team discussions, checking for safety at all times,
and checking whether the team’s task is complete.
Facilities Engineer.. Responsible for collecting materials, directing
model construction, directing cleanup, and storing materials.
Test Engineer. Responsible for recording and organizing data in the
Team Design Log.
EarthToy
Designs, Inc.
Dear Student Designers:
We need your help! The mission of EarthToy Designs, Inc. is to develop and promote toys
that children can build using recycled or recyclable materials. As you know, recycling is a
key part of caring for our environment.
EarthToy Designs, Inc. is planning to publish a book called JetToys You Can Build. It will
have plans for balloon-powered toy vehicles that kids can build themselves. To be sure that
our book is filled with great new designs that kids will like, we decided to go to the experts
on what kids like: you! Help us design a set of JetToys that will be easy and fun for kids to
build and play with.
The JetToys need to be made with inexpensive common materials like balloons, poster
board, and drinking straws.
We want our book to include a variety of JetToy designs so that every child will find
something he or she likes. A JetToy may be a vehicle (such as a dump truck or lunar
rover), an animal (such as a lizard or gerbil), or even an alien creature.
We’d like to see toys that have a wide range of performance. Here are some of the
performance characteristics we would like to see you include in your designs:
• Speed. JetToys that crawl along, zip fast, or somewhere in between.
• Distance. JetToys for small rooms, and some that can travel long distances.
• Weight-carrying ability. JetToys that can haul heavy cargo.
• Time. JetToys that can go for a long time.
All JetToys should be able to travel in a straight line and be sturdy enough for kids to play
with without breaking.
You will present your new JetToy designs at a Design Review meeting. Be prepared to
demonstrate your fleet of JetToys and explain what they do and how they work.
Good luck with your designs!
I. M.
Designs, Inc.
Dear Student Designers:
We need your help! The mission of EarthToy Designs, Inc. is to develop and promote toys
that children can build using recycled or recyclable materials. As you know, recycling is a
key part of caring for our environment.
EarthToy Designs, Inc. is planning to publish a book called JetToys You Can Build. It will
have plans for balloon-powered toy vehicles that kids can build themselves. To be sure that
our book is filled with great new designs that kids will like, we decided to go to the experts
on what kids like: you! Help us design a set of JetToys that will be easy and fun for kids to
build and play with.
The JetToys need to be made with inexpensive common materials like balloons, poster
board, and drinking straws.
We want our book to include a variety of JetToy designs so that every child will find
something he or she likes. A JetToy may be a vehicle (such as a dump truck or lunar
rover), an animal (such as a lizard or gerbil), or even an alien creature.
We’d like to see toys that have a wide range of performance. Here are some of the
performance characteristics we would like to see you include in your designs:
• Speed. JetToys that crawl along, zip fast, or somewhere in between.
• Distance. JetToys for small rooms, and some that can travel long distances.
• Weight-carrying ability. JetToys that can haul heavy cargo.
• Time. JetToys that can go for a long time.
All JetToys should be able to travel in a straight line and be sturdy enough for kids to play
with without breaking.
You will present your new JetToy designs at a Design Review meeting. Be prepared to
demonstrate your fleet of JetToys and explain what they do and how they work.
Good luck with your designs!
I. M.