Lesson 1: Designing Vehicles (Getting Started)

Jeremiah XiongMotion/Design

Grade level: Grade 4

Lesson 1: Designing Vehicles (Getting Started)

1. Lesson Objective:Students will be able to design & build a vehicle meeting requirements

2. Language Objective: Students will use language skills to communicate and discuss information to each other and the teacher. Utilizing reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills throughout the lesson.

3. Lesson Standard: Science (NGSS) Engineering Design 3-5-ETS1-1.

Define a simple design problemreflecting a need or a wantthat includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.

4. Rationale: Motion and design is a science unit that is inquiry based. This unit will incorporate science and math as well as language and literacy to give students ideas of how engineering works and how these skills impact our lives and how they can utilize these skills in everyday life. This lesson will be an introductory lesson to the unit covering physics of motion and the challenges of technological design.

5. Assessment: For this introductory lesson, I will be assessing students on participation and science journal entries that are written throughout the lesson. Points will not be given for grading at this time. Formative assessments will be given to students through verbal and written feedback on participation and journal entries. Through these assessments I will gain information on the students understanding of what is required of them in this unit and concepts of the lesson. Through our interactions with ELLs I will be able to further help them in deeper understanding and gain more insight on how to provide information that they will need. There will be hands on manipulatives for students to be engaged and help them with the concepts of motion and design.

6. Time Frame: 40-60 minutes

7. Materials:
Students:science journals, pencil, graph paper, scratch paper, K’nex building pieces, bucket w/lid, copy of building pieces for each groups (one sheet)
Teacher: teacher’s lesson guide, projector, large paper for class discussion, markers, measuring tape, masking tape, timers, post-its, bucket w/lid

8. Beginning of Lesson (10-15 minutes):

Preparation: Two sheets, “What we know about the motion and design of vehicles” and “What we want to find out about motion and design”
Divide class into groups of three or partners. (Dependent on materials)
Gather materials and explore building pieces.
Arrange class desks into groups.
Copy Building Pieces (sheet) for Each Group.
Label buckets for groups.

(Split groups up into pre-arranged groups)
“Today we are starting our new science/math unit on Motion and Design. I’d like everyone to take a second and think to yourself about all the different things you know about vehicles and what causes them to move. What about how engineers design vehicles?”

“Today we will be focusing on these objectives. At the end of the lesson you will build and design a vehicle that meets requirements. You will accomplish this by reading, writing, listening, and speaking to help you communicate and gather information.”
(Review all aspects of objectives for ELLs and the rest of the class)
(Objectives will be written up on the board)

Instruct students to pick up journals, graph paper, and scratch paper.Make sure students pick up only what is needed at this time.
(Excuse groups one at a time)
“Now that you have picked up your writing materials I would like you to think about what you know about the motion and design of vehicles. I’d like you to take a few minutes to write down those thoughts in your journals.”
(If needed, have students think about how vehicles move then how they are designed)
(Have pictures or visuals for ELLs)
(Discuss vocabulary and students ideas, explaining to class)
Invite students to share their thoughts and write them down on the sheets

Take same steps on “What we want to find out about motion and design”
(Brainstorm discussion, same steps as earlier)

9. Middle of Lesson (20-30 minutes):

Have students gather their materials based on their group letter.
(First names on the list pick up materials from distribution area for each group, rotate everyday to give other’s a chance)
“In your groups I’d like you to take a minute to explore all the different pieces” (Make sure all target students are on task and not distracting others)
(regroup desks and layout at this time, if needed)
“Now that you have had a chance to explore the pieces and understand how they fit into each other we are going to have our first challenge. In 15 minutes or less, design and build a vehicle (cart) that will move at least 100 cm or 39 inches. But before you build, I want to know how you will test whether your vehicles will meet the requirements or not.”
(Discuss requirements and time constraints)

10. End of Lesson (10-15 minutes):

“Now that we have all had a chance to build and test our vehicles, I would like you to take out your journals and record your findings.”
(Discuss procedures and activities with class)
(Give time before prompting questions)
“How did you get your vehicle to move?
What was one problem your group encountered while building the vehicle? How did you solve the problem?”
(Have a rotating way of calling on students to include everyone)

“At this time, while we wrap up the lesson, I’d like everyone to take a few minutes and write in their science journals on what they learned today, what was new, what wasn’t new, what was challenging, what was fun, and just anything else you would like to add to what we did today.”
(Use clarification so all students can fully understand)

(Assign jobs in groups for returning materials)

“To wrap up our lesson I would like you to do the following when I give you the signal (Teacher Signal):
Label vehicle with group letter
place materials including vehicle on the table with groups letter on it
return inventory sheet to table
return bucket of materials

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