Teacher Notes
Protect a Home (30-40 minutes) > Print/View All Notes
Students will work in their STEM teams in this activity to choose a kind of home and a type of severe weather. Using an online design tool, they will make modifications that will enable the home to stand up to severe weather. They will submit their design through the online activity and see what happens to their home during a simulation of the severe weather event they chose. If students' designs do not pass the severe weather test, they will be able to go back and make changes to their design. Note that students may work as a team at one computer station, or students may work at individual computers, inputting information that was decided upon as a team.
Before the class begins, have students turn to pages 13-15 of their Engineering Portfolios and go over the steps of the engineering design process with your class. (A graphic of the engineering design process is provided in Appendix B.) Throughout the lesson, help students work cooperatively in their STEM teams. If they need help, encourage them to refer back to the work they have already completed in their Engineering Portfolios. When each group has submitted a successful design, have groups share their experiences and their final design with the class.
Standards Addressed:
3-ESS3-1,
3.D.1.a,
Engineering Design Process
