5.4 Assignment-Building Summative and Formative Assessments
Lesson Plan - Engineering Design Process (Adapted from Mr. Bannach’s 5th Grade Science Class)
Unit 1.0 - The Nature of Science
Objective
• Explain the important steps of the engineering design process.
• Compare and contrast the Scientific Method and the Engineering Design Process
• Apply the engineering design process to a design challenge.
Materials
INTRO (each class)
· Rubik's Cube Collection
· Scientific Method & EDP Individual steps (Printed & Laminated)
ACTIVITY
· 4 square pieces of cardboard (~12 x 12 inches)
· string or rope, ~20 feet
· duct tape
· 2-4 small buckets
· Whiteboard and paper to write down the problem statement and record brainstorming ideas
ASSESSMENT
· Google Forms Exit Ticket
Vocabulary
• brainstorming: Thinking of ideas as a group.
• engineer: A person who applies her/his understanding of science and mathematics to create
things for the benefit of society.
• engineering: Creating new things for the benefit of society.
• engineering design process: A structured way to help engineers come up with the best design to solve a specific challenge.
• prototype: A model of a product that is used for testing before it is manufactured. Prototypes help designers learn about the manufacturing process of a product, how people might use it, and its durability.
Lesson ENGAGE (5 minutes)
Intro: As you know, I have a small obsession with Rubik's Cubes. I have the original one. I also have a speed cube, a megaminx (12-sided one), a Mirror Cube, a miniature one, a pyraminx (triagular), a 2x2 cube, a 4x4 cube, the impossible cube (with reflective stickers of two different colors), and my newest one called the Rubik's Connected that connects to my phone for a whole new experience with different games and solutions. I love the challenge - the puzzle - and trying to solve what seems to be impossible to solve (which, by the way, the IMPOSSIBLE cube really is impossible to solve - at least for me.)
For you, the Rubik's Cube has been around your entire life. But when I was your age, there weren't too many handheld puzzle games. As a matter of fact, I don't remember personally having anything that I could play with like the Rubik's Cube. For me, it was primarily board games or that ancient practice of going outside to play. But that would change. Because that same year, 1974, when I was 10, a man by the name of Erno Rubik began working on a cube he would call the Magic Cube. Six years later, in 1980, after having changed the name, the first Rubik's Cube was sold. And by the next year, it had become a worldwide craze, with millions sold. I was one of those customers.
Did you know, though, that Mr. Rubik never intended for the Magic Cube to be a toy? That seems crazy to us - it's always been a toy. But that was not why Mr. Rubik created it. So, if that is true, why did Mr. Rubik create the cube? What was its intended purpose? ??? Mr. Rubik was a professor of architecture, and he originally invented the Magic Cube because he wanted a way to help his students understand three-dimensional problems. It was going to be a teaching tool - that was his purpose. The fact that it would take the world by storm and still exist as one of the most popular toys some 40 years later, didn't even cross his mind. Well, you know what, almost everything we have today, began in the mind of someone who was simply wanting to solve a problem. For Mr. Rubik, it was the need to provide his students with a visual for understanding a concept. Whether we are talking about something as complicated as a computer or an iPhone, or something as practical as a refrigerator or an apple peeler, or as entertaining as Rubik's Cube or a video game called Fort Nite, they all started as an idea - an idea, that after months, or even years of development would one day become a product that could potentially revolutionize the way something was done. And the goal of every single one of those ideas was the same - to solve a problem. And that's what we're going to talk about today.
EXPLORE (15 minutes)
To start, I have here some school items that I want us to take a few minutes to look at. I have a stapler, tape dispenser, scissors, a large binder clip, and a timer. Here's what we are going to do...In your groups, I am going to give each group one of these objects. For the next 5 minutes, I want you to look at it carefully (to make observations). Together, I want you to make a sketch of it - a drawing. I want you to try to figure out how it is made and exactly what it does. And as you do, I want you to write it down and we will discuss your observations in just a few minutes. I also want you to add one more thing to your paper - in one sentence I want you to describe what problem your object might have solved.
5 minutes
SHARE
- Groups share their object, show sketch, what it is used for, and what problem it solved.
EXPLAIN (10 minutes)
The people who helped to solve each of these problems are called Engineers, and like scientists, there is a process of thinking that Engineers go through as they move from the idea to the final solution - this is called the Engineering Design Process. Let me walk through each of those steps briefly...
Step 1 - ASK Define the Problem (Ask questions about the problems you observe)
Step 2 - IMAGINE Do your research (Learn from the experiences of others to find out about existing solutions and to avoid mistakes / Brainstorm many different solutions to the problem) Step 3 - PLAN Design your solution (Sketch or blueprint solutions)
Step 4 - CREATE Build a prototype (Try out your design)
Step 5 - TEST Evaluate your solutions (Analyze your design to see if it meets all the specifications)
Step 6 - IMPROVE
Step 7 - PRESENT Communicate your design (Share your results with a wider audience)
The Engineering Design Process - ASK. IMAGINE. PLAN. CREATE. TEST. IMPROVE. PRESENT.
Now, what do those series of steps remind you of? The Scientific Method? Remind me, what are the steps of the Scientific Method? Step 1 - Ask a question Step 2 - Gather information Step 3 - Form a hypothesis Step 4 - Design & conduct an experiment Step 5 - Collect & analyze data Step 6 - Make a conclusion/Share your results
Let's compare the two processes on the board... (Print & Laminate the 6 steps of SM and the 7 steps of the EDP)
- Draw arrows to steps that match (or are similar)
- What is the same?
- What is different?
Scientists and Engineers use very similar processes. They complement one another and yet in many ways seek to achieve different goals.
Someone once said that...
"Science is about knowledge and engineering is about invention."
"Scientists ask what happens and why in the natural world, while engineers use the answers scientists find to create new inventions and ideas, not in the natural world."
No matter how you compare them, at the end of the day we need both scientists and engineers.
ELABORATE (Lava Escape) (30 minutes)
Well, today, we are going to become engineers as a class. We are going to work together as a team and follow some of the steps of the engineering design process to solve a challenge, which is what engineers do in their jobs. Our challenge... Imagine that most of the floor in our classroom is hot lava. Everything you put in the lava will burn and sink unless it is larger than one square foot. The entire class is stuck on the heater side of the room. Somehow, we must figure out a way to get everyone safely to the other side of the room at the doorway, untouched by the dangerous hot lava.
Now, this activity will involve a lot of teamwork! Who can explain why teamwork is important for engineers? (Listen to student explanations.) We will need everyone's ideas. So, teamwork is important because having many ideas helps engineers come up with great designs. Engineers use teamwork to build off each other’s ideas and trigger even better ideas.
Are you ready? Let's use the engineering design process to help us come up with a solution!
Step 1: Ask (Define the Problem) So, what is our problem? In one sentence - what are we wanting to do?
IDEAS?
Step 2: Imagine (Research/Resources/Brainstorming)
Now, since we don't know of any other 5th Grade classrooms that have had this problem, we won't be able to do any real research - after all, our goal is to survive and make it out safely. So, in our case, we are going to just start with BRAINSTORMING.
Brainstorming is...
1. Thinking - dreaming - imagining different ways to solve our challenges, always keeping the available materials in mind. What are the materials (resources) we have available... - 4 square pieces of cardboard (~12 x 12 inches) - this rope - it's about 20 feet long - duct tape - 2-4 small buckets
2. In brainstorming, no idea or suggestion is "silly."
Actually, any time we brainstorm, all ideas should be respectfully heard without criticism. Now, remember... The most obvious way to solve this problem might be to set something (working with the available materials) down on the floor (the lava) and step on it. But what if you don't have enough materials to cross the entire lava field? What if those materials sink in the lava? Also, what route will we take? What is the best option? The shortest route is not always the best. The desks are steep cliffs - they can't be climbed. That doesn't mean we can't use them somehow, just that we can't climb them for our escape. We must work our way through the maze. I want you to think hard. Be creative. Alright, in your groups, let's begin to brainstorm. What could do to get ourselves to the other side of the room? What's the best path? What's the best use of our resources? Again, BE CREATIVE. And then we will come back together, as discuss your ideas. Examples: Use a rope that kids could swing on or make a pair of special protective shoes that everyone could take turns using.
AFTER - write ideas on board. Discuss options.
Step 3: Plan
For us, we are simply going to pick one solution: We are going to take a class vote to agree on the best method and the best path to try out. Write the chosen method and/or draw the path on the board. Explain the plan again to make sure everyone understands the proposed solution.
Step 4: Prototype In this scenario, our prototype is whatever we are doing with our materials. Are we making something with them? What are we doing BEFORE we go to step 5 - which is to test it out.
Step 5: Test EXPLAIN - This is where we would test our solution. (If time, TRY it)
Step 6: Improve After we've tested it, then we will review, and ask ourselves - Did it work?
If not, we will do some more brainstorming to figure out why it's not working or try another one of the other ideas. If it does work, we would try to think of ways to make the solution work even better! Engineers are constantly improving their designs.
Step 7: Present Typically, this is where you would share your solution. So, for us, we will hang onto our solution so that when we hear of another elementary class somewhere in the world experiencing the need to cross a lava pit, we can share our results.
EVALUATE Exit Ticket - Multiple Choice/Fill-in-the-blank (Word bank)/Order process
Lesson adapted utilizing information/resources from...
- Betterlesson.com Beth McKenna (What is Engineering?)
- Kessler science (Engineering Design Process Student-Led Station Lab)
- Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D. (Engineer vs. Scientist: What's the Difference?)
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT
Engineering Design Process
Name:_______________________
Date:_________________________
1. What is the reason for having an engineering design process?
A. To be able to develop the most successful engineering product.
B. To complete a scientific experiment.
C. It’s the law of engineering.
D. The products will sell for more money.
2. Which step in the engineering design process does not come BEFORE building a prototype?
A. Defining a problem.
B. Developing possible solutions.
C. Communicating results with a wider audience.
D. Research existing solutions.
3. What happens during the evaluation step of the engineering design process?
A. Research new ideas.
B. Brainstorm several new ideas.
C. Build a prototype.
D. Analyze your design to determine if it meets all specifications.
Question 4-8: For each question use the prompt & word bank below to fill in the missing vocabulary words. You should have no misspelled words since the answers are all listed correctly.
In life, we encounter problems. These problems require a (4)______. To do so, an (5)_____ must use the (6)__________. They first analyze their problem and come up with a variety of ideas through (7)__________. Once settling on an idea, they develop a (8) ____________and test it. Then it can be reevaluated and improved upon.
WORD BANK
· Brainstorming
· Engineer
· Engineering Design Process
· Prototype
· Solution
9. Put the Engineering Design Process into the correct order.
_____ Imagine
_____ Present
_____ Improve
_____ Plan
_____ Ask
_____ Test
_____ Create
Reflective Summary – Formative vs. Summative
Whether one uses a formative or summative assessment to ascertain the level of knowledge retained by students, they all have different ways of learning. Some are visual learners, some are auditory learners, and some are kinesthetic learners. The lesson used in this example caters to all three types of learners in one way or another.
If our goal as educators is to help our students grow and learn throughout their educational journey, we must identify learning gaps throughout the learning process to ensure they are retaining the content being taught. This is done through formative and summative assessments. Though the lesson used in this assignment uses formative assessment techniques, the content could also be used as a part of an overall summative assessment as well.
In this assignment/lesson, the students had the opportunity to demonstrate a hands-on approach to what they learned by demonstrating their learning through groups and problem-solving thus it fits the requirements of a formative assessment. However, because it is a stand-alone lesson it could be used as a summative assessment as well with the addition of scientific methods questions, as the lesson made connections between both processes.
Zook says, “Formative assessments let students show that they’re learning, and summative assessments let them show what they’ve learned.” While this statement does a good job of summarizing the definition of the two, in my personal view, both show that the student learned. After all, isn’t that the purpose of teaching and education? I believe that learning comes easy for some and harder for others and the reality is that we all learn differently. So, with that in mind wouldn’t it make the most sense to assess students in the way that they learn best? Only you the educator know your class best. Do what works best for the student.
6.4 Assignment - Teaching with Virtual Reality and Gaming
Exploring Colonial America Project-Based Learning Unit Using Virtual Reality
Grades: 4,5,6
SUBJECTS: Social Studies, History, and Colonial America
OVERVIEW:
This project-based learning lesson is designed to support and reinforce the concepts taught as part of a Chapter Unit on Colonial America. It is built around 5 inquiry-based milestones that incorporate cross-curricular hands-on projects, formative and summative assessments, independent and group activities using virtual reality, and extensions.
STUDENT/GROUP OBJECTIVES:
In this lesson, students will:
- Perform independent and group inquiry-based research on beliefs about science, technology, and beliefs in colonial America using the Internet and other classroom resources.
- Use their research to report on the differences between colonial and modern approaches to science, medicine, and technology.
- Learn about tools and technology from the Colonial Era and compare those tools with modern technology.
- Perform a simulation of treating various illnesses using both colonial and modern medical techniques using virtual reality equipment.
- Synthesize acquired research on life in colonial America and create a "reverse" time capsule complete with modern items that would be of use to colonial Americans.
- "Show what they know" by delivering a class presentation about their time capsule.
SUGGESTED SUBJECT PREREQUISITES:
Students will acquire necessary background knowledge of colonial America as part of this project, and instructional materials for providing that background are provided by the teacher.
SEQUENCE AND PACING:
This project-based lesson is based on the first of 5 milestones. The minimum suggested duration for completing this project-based lesson is 1 class period. However, the unit is completely flexible and can be lengthened or shortened as necessary or desired, based on available class time.
TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES NEEDED:
Internet access
Microsoft Office PowerPoint, Google Slides, or other presentation software.
Virtual Reality Equipment
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT:
Colonial Times Quick Quiz
1. What period in history included the Colonial Times?
A. 1607 to 1776
B. 1543 to 1600
C. 1976 to 1996
D. 1800 to 1900
2. Which events took place in Colonial Times?
A. Jamestown colony is established
B. Province of Carolina is established
C. American Revolutionary War begins
D. All the above
3. Put the following events in chronological order with the earliest first and the most recent last:
____ Massachusetts Bay Colony is established
____ Mayflower ship arrives with Pilgrims
____ Jamestown colony is established
____ Province of Carolina is established
____ United States Declaration of Independence is adopted
4. How many original colonies were in the United States?
A. 50
B. 13
C. 25
D. 51
5. List the names of the 13 Original Colonies?
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
Assignment Reflection
What is gamification and why use it in teaching? The gamification of learning is an educational approach to challenge and motivate students to learn by using video game design and game elements in learning environments. The goal of gamification or game-based learning is to maximize enjoyment and engagement by capturing the interest of learners and inspiring them to continue learning.
This lesson did not originally include a virtual reality component, however by implementing a virtual reality simulation, students get a hands-on realistic and visual experience of how illnesses were handled during Colonial times. It is kind of like an advanced version of the game “Operation.” Since there are internet-based components of this lesson that require the student to utilize the internet, the entire lesson could be done in the online setting including the formative assessment.