Engineering Motion

Contributor
Nicole Tuttle, Wendy Stanley, and Tracy Bieniek
Type Category
Instructional Materials
Types
Article , Lesson/Lesson Plan
Note
This resource, vetted by NSTA curators, is provided to teachers along with suggested modifications to make it more in line with the vision of the NGSS. While not considered to be "fully aligned," the resources and expert recommendations provide teachers with concrete examples and expert guidance using the EQuIP rubric to adapted existing resources. Read more here.

Reviews

Description

This article provides insight on an a first grade derby car engineering activity.  First graders build derby cars while enhancing their communication skills. This lesson illustrates how the engineering design process, coupled with differentiation, can work for a population of students with diverse abilities.

Intended Audience

Educator
Educational Level
  • Early Elementary
Language
English
Access Restrictions

Free access with user action - The right to view and/or download material without financial barriers but users are required to register or experience some other low-barrier to use.

Performance Expectations

K-PS2-2 Analyze data to determine if a design solution works as intended to change the speed or direction of an object with a push or a pull.

Clarification Statement: Examples of problems requiring a solution could include having a marble or other object move a certain distance, follow a particular path, and knock down other objects. Examples of solutions could include tools such as a ramp to increase the speed of the object and a structure that would cause an object such as a marble or ball to turn.

Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include friction as a mechanism for change in speed.

This resource was not designed to build towards this performance expectation, but can be used to build towards it using the suggestions provided below.

Comments about Including the Performance Expectation
The students can investigate the concept that objects can be moved in a variety of ways such as straight, zigzag, circular, and back and forth based on parameters determined by the class such as, how many wheels, what to test, etc. By having conversations and asking questions the teachers can meet this performance expectation.

K-2-ETS1-3 Analyze data from tests of two objects designed to solve the same problem to compare the strengths and weaknesses of how each performs.

Clarification Statement: none

Assessment Boundary: none

This resource is explicitly designed to build towards this performance expectation.

Comments about Including the Performance Expectation
Students can collect and record data regarding the distance that their derby cars traveled and use that data to determine how successful they were in the race or if they need to make changes.

K-2-ETS1-2 Develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model to illustrate how the shape of an object helps it function as needed to solve a given problem.

Clarification Statement: none

Assessment Boundary: none

This resource is explicitly designed to build towards this performance expectation.

Comments about Including the Performance Expectation
Students can draw diagrams of their planned derby cars and build them based on those drawings.

Science and Engineering Practices

This resource is explicitly designed to build towards this science and engineering practice.

Comments about Including the Science and Engineering Practice
Students can create drawings for models and use such drawings to create a model derby car (and the cars themselves may represent models of real cars).

This resource is explicitly designed to build towards this science and engineering practice.

Comments about Including the Science and Engineering Practice
Students will measure the distance their derby cars traveled and assess what changes in their designs might allow their cars to travel further.

Disciplinary Core Ideas

This resource is explicitly designed to build towards this disciplinary core idea.

Comments about Including the Disciplinary Core Idea
Students will investigate the properties of different materials and determine which materials would perform as needed.

This resource is explicitly designed to build towards this disciplinary core idea.

Comments about Including the Disciplinary Core Idea
Students will use their drawings and models to discuss their design with the class.

Crosscutting Concepts

This resource is explicitly designed to build towards this crosscutting concept.

Comments about Including the Crosscutting Concept
Students can determine if they need to make changes in the function and/or structure of their cars. Paying attention to structure can help students decide which materials they may or may not need to change. Achieving success and experiencing failures will help students learn the value of planning out their designs while analyzing ways to correct their problems.

Resource Quality

  • Alignment to the Dimensions of the NGSS: This resource meets the K-2 Performance Expectations for engineering; however it does not fully meet any of the grade specific performance expectations. It can be used suggestively with kindergarten forces and motion expectations depending on how teachers introduce the concepts to students.

  • Instructional Supports: The authors provide tips on how to differentiate instruction, guiding questions to ask students during discussions, and ways to integrated math and technology into their lesson.

  • Monitoring Student Progress: Although they are not directly stated within the article, the authors included a supplemental lesson that can be found at the following website: http://www.nsta.org/elementaryschool/connections/201601TuttleLessonPlan.pdf The website contains several guiding questions, a data recording sheet, and highlights what the students should be doing. Beyond the questioning and discussion, no other means of assessment is provided. The authors suggest that the summative assessment will be the design, build, and retesting of the cars. Additional ways to assess students could be to have them journal about their experiences, make predictions of what will work and might not work, and have them collect and analyze their data.

  • Quality of Technological Interactivity: The authors included a video of their students engaged in this lesson utilizing an iPad app called Perfect Video. To view students videos click on the following link: http://www.nsta.org/elementaryschool/connections.aspx#1601