Discovery Science

DISCOVERY SCIENCE

(SECONDARY)

SELECTIVE UNIT 9 (S09)

(Structural Engineering)

(June 2011)

Unit Statement: How do you become an engineer? Here is a unit to practice the challenges to build objects with specific engineering requirements.

Essential Outcomes: (assessed for mastery)

1. The Student Will design and build a suspension bridge.

2. TSW make a vector diagram showing the forces involved with the bridge.

3. TSW evaluate the underlying structure of homes and sky scrapers.

4. TSW simulate a disaster with models.

5. TSW evaluate the methods used to make a tall building earthquake resistant.

Introduced and Practiced Outcomes:

1. The Student Will prepare a project following the rules of the Science Olympia.

2. TSW design a robot for a specific job.

3. TSW explain how the car frame redistributes energy during a car crash.

SUGGESTED RESOURCES & RUBRIC FOUND ON FOLLOWING PAGES……………………..
Suggested Activities:

1. Design a way to collect 1 megawatt of energy ( A dam 30 meters high etc. or some other source on energy.)

2. Plan activities for a family science night with special contests for example: building a bridge out of simple materials in ten minuets, the “mentos” volcano, science magic show, science quiz contest, simple experiment- test soft and hard water in test tubes with detergent.

3. Build in five minutes the tallest structure of straws to hold a weight or use card board to build a house or building.

4. Build a solar powered, rubber ban powered, or mouse trap powered car ( or the energy from a dropping object) that will meet a specific goal.

5. Build a catapult or trebuchet that will send ping pong balls flying through the air for two meters.

Technology Resources:

Destiny Webpath Express (found on school’s automated library system)

www.encyclomedia.com/video-tacoma_suspension_bridge_disaster.html

www.ipenz.org.nz/ipenz/forms/pdfs/Practice_Field_Guidelines-Structural_Final_version.pdf

http://www.nawiceducation.org/sites/images/nef/BDPJudgingCriteria_Rating%5B1%5D.pdf

http://www.nawiceducation.org/sites/images/nef/BDP%20DOCUMENT%20FOR%20WEB%20SITEprimary.pdf?CFID=1779597&CFTOKEN=71774572

http://www.sciencedecathlon.com/www.sciencedecathlon.com/Event_Lists.html

is like sci olympia but fewer events

http://soinc.org/

http://www.nawiceducation.org/sites/images/nef/BDPJudgingCriteria_Rating%5B1%5D.pdf

Suggested Assessments:

1. Provided Rubrics

2. Teacher Generated Rubrics

3. Anecdotal Observations

4. Teacher Generated Test

RUBRIC FOUND ON FOLLOWING PAGE………………………
Evaluation Rubric: SELECTIVE UNIT 9 (S09)

Name ______Date ______

‘A’= / To earn and ‘A’ for the unit, the student will have all of the ‘B’s marked as well as two or more ‘A’s.
‘B’= / To earn and ‘B’ for the unit, the student will have all of the ‘B’s marked.
In Progress / If even one box in the ‘IP’ column is marked, the grade for the unit is “In Progress (IP).”
OUTCOMES FOR THE UNIT / ‘A’ / ‘B’ / ‘IP’ /
Design and build a suspension bridge.
Make a vector diagram showing the forces involved with the bridge.
Evaluate the underlying structure of homes and sky scrapers.
Simulate a disaster with models.
Evaluate the methods used to make a tall building earthquake resistant.

QSI DISCOVERY SCIENCE SEC S09