5 Computational Thinking
5b- Students collect data or identify relevant data sets, use digital tools to analyze them, and represent data in various ways to facilitate problem-solving and decision- making.
5c- Students break problems into component parts, extract key information, and develop descriptive models to understand complex systems or facilitate problem-solving.
Introduction:
In order to review or evaluate the students' understanding of the EDP first and second grade students will be presented with a challenge. The teacher will present a problem for the students by making up a story about a character that did not know how to swim but needed to cross a river. The teacher may use a toy animal or Lego character as the main character in the story.
Students will be faced with the challenge. They have to create a "boat" that will help the character cross the river safely. The teacher will also present the constraints that the boat will have, as well as the rubric for the group evaluation. Students will be paired up in teams and will be sent off to work. A key point is that they must show evidence of following the EDP during their quest to finding the solution to the challenge.
Materials:
For the test tank:
big cardboard boxes
big trash bags
tape
For the boats:
water bottles
milk or juice cartons
foam
balloons
straws
fabric
tape
glue
Character to be placed on the boat
Procedure:
1. Students will be presented to the character and the story. They must be able to see the character and touch it in order to know the specific measurements of the boat they need to make.
2. After students evaluate the character, they will look at the width of the box that will become the tank in order to plan ahead.
3. Students will investigate what materials can float in water by using the kid friendly search engine Kiddle.co
4. They will sketch their idea on paper, choose their materials and start creating their prototype.
5. Teacher will serve as a guide to help (if necessary) or to spark ideas by asking questions.
6. The test tank will be built by the teams that finish first. The box will be covered with the trash bag so the water won't seep through.
7. After the box is full of water, students will take turns testing their creations.
8. Once all the teams took a turn, students will talk about their creations, focus on what worked and what didn't and share ideas on ways they could improve.
Evaluation:
Students will be evaluated on teamwork, end result of their creation, and evidence of use of the Engineering Design Process.
Extension:
Students can be asked to change one thing in their prototype and see how that would affect their creation.
Students can compare their creation to real life and talk about where they got the inspiration for their design.
A current or wave can be added to the test tank to see if the prototype can still take the character to the other side safely.
Students can measure the distance traveled and the amount of time it took.