THE DESIGN EXPERIENCE CHALLENGE 2 - …1].pdf · Resume Worksheet .....239 Preparing the Oral Presentation ... They begin to develop an identity as a group by developing design team

CHALLENGE 2

O R L D I N O T I O NA

T H E D E S I G N E X P E R I E N C ETM

The Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc. (SAE) is a nonprofit scientific organization dedicated to theadvancement of mobility technology in order to better serve humanity. A global society of nearly 70,000members, SAE is the leading professional organization for engineers and scientists involved with land, sea,air, and space mobility. Its members come from all branches of engineering, science, and technology. SAEcreates and distributes information through meetings, books, technical papers, magazines, standards, reports,continuing education programs, and electronic databases.

SAE’s educational goals include the promotion of excellence in math, science, and technology education in grades K–12 and beyond through the development of curriculum materials and volunteer mobilization. To this end, SAE invites and supports collaboration and partnership among schools, industry, communityorganizations, teachers, volunteers, and students. The materials for this program were made possible by agrant from the National Science Foundation and generous donations from corporations and individuals in the mobility industries. To lend your support to the program, please contact the SAE Foundation at (412) 776-4841.

SAE FoundationSociety of Automotive Engineers, Inc.

Copyright © 1996 by The Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc. Allrights reserved. Permission to reproduce the teacher manual and studentreproducibles is hereby granted by The Society of Automotive Engineers

to teachers for classroom use.

Acknowledgements

This program was developed for and supported by the Society of Automotive Engineers, International and the SAE Foundation.Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaMary Beth Ament: Program CoordinatorJohn Boynton: Education Program DeveloperVeronica Meury: Foundation ManagerBarbara Pontello: Division Manager, Public Affairs and SAE Foundation

Written and Developed by Education Development Center, Inc.Newton, MassachusettsDan Dick, Bernie Zubrowski, Doug Haller, Shelley Isaacson, Cindy Char, Jan Ellis, Lorena Martinez, Brian Williams, Myles Gordon, and Marilyn Quinsaat

Formative Research and Student Assessment by the Learning Research andDevelopment Center, University of Pittsburgh.Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaAnne Louise Fay, Britte Cheng, Erika Sueker, and Robert Glaser

Graphic Design by The Mazer Corporation.Dayton, OhioBill Franklin, Bill Pflaum, Kim Holtel, Joy Burns, Kay Selke, Jim Bartosik, Jim Higgins,Mark DaGrossa, Jim Redick, Lori Carusone, Ed Pokorski, Mindy Marik, Craig BuchananMazer Digital MediaBoston, MassachusettsJanet Dracksdorf, Chuck Langdon, Judd Gledhill, Rob Dawson

Advisors, Consultants, and ReviewersDorothy Bennett, Kristin Bjork, Robert Daiber, James Kaput, Glenn Kleiman, Diane Lind,Jim Minstrell, Jerry Pine, Ernie Savage, Ron Todd, Dan Watt

From The National Science FoundationGerhard L. Salinger, Program Officer

We would like to thank the following schools for their participation in the field test of the curriculum.

Field Test SchoolsAggassiz School, Cambridge, MAHaggerty School, Cambridge, MALessenger Middle School, Detroit, MIMorse School, Cambridge, MANorthern Granville Middle School, Oxford, NCPeabody School, Cambridge, MARegis College, College Awareness Program, Weston, MA

Classroom TeachersKaren Amati, Maryanne Asselin, George Baccus, Kathy Brown, Darlene Cash, Tim Currin,Mary Ann Cusack, Karen Fitzgerald, Corinne Gaile, Margaret Giacoppo, Glendora Hargrove,Nina Lindsey, Frances Louis, Marie Lynch, Jim McBride, Robin McDaniels, Ruth McMurray,Geralyn Narkiewicz Blossom, Mary Alice Parker, Joseph Pisapia, Nancy Rial, SumnerRichards, Birdie Senior, Amy Woo Skinner, Mary Woodilla

AdministratorsErnest Bibby, Dan Callahan, James Cody, Julie Cuppola, Juanita Clay Chambers, AndreHenry, Jean Nash, Eva Paddock, Juanita Washington

Aknowledgementsiv

Table of Contents v

INTRODUCTIONIntroduction to the Challenge ............................ viiOverview Chart—Activities by Recommended Discipline .................................. xx

Planning Chart ................................................ xxviii

SET GOALS ............................................... 1Reading and Evaluating the Request for Proposals (RFP) .................................................... 3Mobility Toys Inc. Request for Proposals ....... 7Evaluating the RFP Log Sheet ......................... 9

Meeting an Industry Volunteer ........................... 11Designing a Team Name, Logo, and Slogan ..... 13Using Design Logs ............................................... 17

Mobility Toys Inc. Design Log ....................... 21Design Log (blank) .......................................... 23Design Log (pegboard frame) ........................ 25Design Log (write-on lines) ............................ 27

Identifying the Customers .................................. 29Identifying the Customers Log Sheet ............ 31

Seeing the Big Picture ......................................... 33Seeing the Big Picture Log Sheet .................. 35Objectives and Criteria Log Sheet ................. 37

Creating a Design Checklist ................................ 39Checklist Log Sheet ......................................... 41

BUILD KNOWLEDGE .......................... 43Looking at Gears in Bicycles ............................... 45

Questions About Bicycle Gears ...................... 49What We Know About Gears .............................. 51Introducing the Gear Materials .......................... 55Recording Gear Rotations ................................... 61

Gear Rotation Recording Table ..................... 65Gear Rotation Recording Table (blank) ........ 67

Developing the Gear Ratio Formula ................... 69Gear Ratio Recording Table .......................... 73Gear Ratio Recording Table (blank) ............. 75

Using the Gear Ratio Formula ............................ 77Gear Ratio Practice Sheet .............................. 81Gear Ratio Practice Sheet (blank) ................. 83

Measurements and Ratios in Wheels and Gears (optional) ................................................. 85Circle Measurement Recording Table (blank) ................................................. 89

Circle Measurement Recording Table (sample data filled in) .................................. 91

Adding a Motor and Wheels ............................... 93Measuring Performance: Speed and Wheel Rim Force ................................................ 99Performance Recording Table ..................... 105

Challenge 2

TABLE OF CONTENTSActivities are listed in the order in which they appear in the Teacher Manual.Reproducible materials are shown in italics.

O R L D I N O T I O NA

T H E D E S I G N E X P E R I E N C ETM

Compound Gear Trains ..................................... 107Measuring Performance: Compound Gear Trains ....................................................... 113

Multiplying Fractions to Calculate Gear Ratios ....................................................... 117Multiplying Fractions to Calculate Gear Ratios Sheet ................................................ 123

Measuring the Rim Forces of Individual Gears ............................................... 125Measuring the Rim Force of Gears Recording Table .......................................... 131

Torque and Lever Arms ..................................... 133Torque and Calculation Table .................... 139

What We’ve Learned About Gears .................... 141Exploring Body Materials ................................. 143

Materials Testing Table ............................... 147Consumer Research: Conducting Interviews ... 149

Customer Interview Sheet: Child ................. 155Customer Interview Sheet: Parent .............. 157

Consumer Research: Conducting a Survey ...... 159Customer Survey Sheet: Parent ................... 163Customer Survey Sheet: Child ..................... 165

Consumer Research: What We’ve Learned About the Consumers ..................................... 167Sample Data Analysis Table ........................ 173What Have We Learned About the Customers? Sheet ....................................... 175

DESIGN .................................................... 177Integrating and Applying What We Know ...... 179Writing a Design Brief ....................................... 181Designing a Gear Train for the Prototype ....... 185Drawing Body Designs ...................................... 187

BUILD AND TEST .............................. 193Building a Prototype ......................................... 195Performance Testing the Prototype ................. 197Interpreting Performance Test Data ................ 199Redesigning the Prototype ............................... 201Focus Group Testing of Body Designs (optional) .............................................. 203

FINALIZE THE MODEL .................. 209Making a Body Mock-up .................................. 211Constructing the Body ...................................... 215Assembling, Testing, and Adjusting the Final Design ..................................................... 219

Planning for the Proposal and the Presentation .............................................. 221

Preparing the Written Proposal ........................ 223Types of Paragraphs Sheet .......................... 227Peer Evaluation Sheet .................................. 229

Writing a Resume (optional) ............................. 231Selecting and Organizing Information for a Resume ............................................... 235

Model Resume ................................................... 237Resume Worksheet ............................................ 239Preparing the Oral Presentation ....................... 241

Oral Presentation Outline ............................ 243Presentation Roles Worksheet ..................... 245Individual Presentation Skills Evaluation Sheet ........................................ 247

PRESENT ................................................. 249The Final Presentations ..................................... 251

Sample Letter to Review Panel Volunteers ........................................ 255

Reflecting on the Engineering Design Experience ........................................... 257

APPENDICES ........................................ 259Contacting Volunteers ...................................... 261

Sample Letter to Potential Volunteers ....... 264Mobility Toys Inc. Request for Proposals ............................................... 265

Gears, Torque, and Performance ...................... 267Designing a Gear Train for the Prototype: Using Calculations .......................................... 277Designing a Gear Train for the Prototype:Using Calculations Log Sheet ................... 285

Assessment ......................................................... 287Basic Understanding of Gears ..................... 293Design Log Assessment ................................ 297Design Log (Sunnyside Toy Co.) ................. 299Design Log (Wild West Toys, Inc.) ............... 301

Resources ........................................................... 303

Table of Contentsvi

Introduction to theChallenge

To survive and thrive in the society of tomorrow, our children need educationalpreparation that builds upon the technology of today. The needs of our societymandate that we educate students to be scientifically and mathematically literateand to be able to solve problems, communicate, ask and answer questions, assimi-late information, and work cooperatively toward common goals.

As educators we are called upon to go beyond the practice of dispensing scientificinformation and teaching students to manipulate rote formulas; we must alsostrive to help our students to achieve an inherent understanding of scientific phenomena and processes, and to use mathematics as an appropriate tool to solve problems.

Middle school students need to be competent and to feel confident in their abili-ty to use scientific methods to explore, conjecture, and reason logically and togather and manipulate information in order to gain useful knowledge about theworld around them. These abilities are nourished and nurtured when activitiesgrow out of interesting problem situations, and they are further stimulated anddeveloped through the interactive, cooperative processes of discussing, reading,and writing about their experiences.

Welcome to an adventure! The Society of Automotive Engineers has developed A World in Motion II: The Design Experience as an opportunity for students andteachers to use science, mathematics, and technology to explore the process ofdesign. This eight-week, integrated curriculum includes a manual for teachers,student reproducible masters, a set of planning posters, a classroom design poster,hands-on laboratory materials for constructing prototypes, a CD-ROM resourcedisc, and implementation videotapes.

Introduction to the Challenge vii

ABOUT THE CHALLENGEChallenge 2 is one of three challenge programs being developed for the middleschool curriculum A World in Motion II: The Design Experience. It is intended forseventh-grade students whose teachers are using a multidisciplinary approach.

For eight weeks the students engage in a problem-solving context for which theymust create a design to address a particular need. In this case, the challenge isposed in a letter from a fictitious toy company, Mobility Toys, Inc., which is inter-ested in receiving new designs for moving toys. The toy company sends a letter tothe class requesting written proposals, sketches, and working models of designsthat meet a specific set of requirements. Over the course of the curriculum, a vari-ety of activities will prepare the students to develop a proposal and a prototypefor a toy of their own design. The students must work in teams and as a team tocomplete the requirements stated in the letter. The program culminates in studentpresentations of their working models and a discussion of the design teams’efforts to address the challenge.

Students begin the Engineering Design Experience (EDE) process with goal-setting activities that encourage group building and identifying tasks. Studentscontinue to work in teams to develop the prototypes of models through whichthey explore many of the science and engineering concepts central to the toys’successful performance. Teacher-directed activities in the science, mathematics,technology education, social sciences, and language arts classes will cover thebasic concepts and skills needed to understand the principles behind the proto-types and apply them when building the models. These lessons includedemonstrations and hands-on experience examining force and friction, simplemachines, levers and gears, torque, etc. In mathematics, students apply an under-standing of ratio and proportion as they explore the relationship between gearratios and the radius of a wheel. Through gathering information from the clientand eventual “customers” and conducting controlled experiments, the studentsexplore data collection and retrieval techniques and apply basic statistical analysis.In addition, students apply their public speaking and writing skills as they preparea workable proposal and presentation.

THE ENGINEERING DESIGN EXPERIENCEA unique characteristic of this program is its use of a problem-solving processfavored by engineers in design teams and taught at many engineering schoolsacross the country. The EDE provides a problem-solving context in which studentsdesign a product or solution to a problem. The students examine what must beaccomplished and determine the target market; gather and synthesize informa-tion; predict a plausible solution; design, develop, and test a prototype orpotential design, and prepare for a presentation of their design ideas.

Introduction to the Challengeviii

Introduction to the Challenge ix

The EDE, as modified in this curriculum for middle school teachers and students,comprises six phases.

Set Goals. Students define goals through activities that stress sharing ideas andidentifying and setting priorities. They define the problem, identify parameters fordeveloping a solution, determine the users or “customers,” and establish objectivesfor successfully completing the job. Students also begin to develop a plan for thedevelopment process and related tasks, as well as to clarify roles within the team.They begin to develop an identity as a group by developing design team logosand slogans.

Build Knowledge. Students engage in a variety of inquiry-based activities involv-ing direct experiences with the materials to help them develop an understandingof the underlying scientific phenomena and mathematical concepts. Through consumer research activities, students also begin to study the makeup of potentialcustomers and markets.

Design. Students synthesize the information they have acquired with the newskills and concepts they have learned to propose solutions to the challenge. Theythen develop sketches and prepare a design brief that describes their proposedproduct.

Build and Test. Based on their proposed design, students select appropriatematerials for prototype development and performance testing, and develop drawings and diagrams to guide construction. Students develop a testing plan todetermine the likelihood of successful performance and the appropriateness of the solution.

Finalize the Model. Students complete the building of their prototype, carry outperformance tests, and then modify the prototype based on the results, providingevidence to support their changes. Students produce written documentation asevidence of their development process, such as a proposal and product specifica-tions. The proposal incorporates testing data and reflects their understanding ofthe design process and design team capabilities.

Present. Student teams present their work to a review committee comprising representatives from local industry, the community, and the school. The presenta-tions include demonstrations of the prototype, displays of charts and graphs fromthe testing phase, presentations of portfolios with designs and sketches, anddescriptions of the design teams’ contributions.

Introduction to the Challengex

In the middle-schoolyears, students’ workwith scientific investi-gations can becomplemented byactivities that aremeant to meet ahuman need, solve ahuman problem, ordevelop a product . . .

From National Research Council

THE CURRICULUM CONTENTThe EDE is an applied process that enables students to see how the field of engineering integrates knowledge and skills from science, mathematics, and tech-nology. In addition, the design challenge provides a context in which students canapply content and concepts from their previous learning experiences. The chal-lenge, as embodied by the EDE, embraces the direction of national standards inscience and mathematics education. Indeed, Challenge 2 is one of the few cur-riculum programs to address specifically both the National Research Councilstandards to educate students to develop products and solutions to problemsthrough technological design, and the National Council of Teachers ofMathematics curriculum standards emphasizing that students should see mathe-matical connections to the real world through mathematical thinking, modeling,and problem solving.

In addition to addressing the larger, overarching learning outcomes regardingdesign technology and problem solving, the curriculum also addresses specificobjectives in each of the related disciplines described below.

Science• Students begin to develop an understanding of forces acting on moving

objects by exploring the design of a moving toy. • Students extend their understanding of simple machines through their

explorations of gears, axles, wheels, and motors.• Students begin to understand the differences between science and technology

by developing the ability to use technological design processes and skills.

Mathematics• Students extend their understanding of rates and ratios as a relationship

between numbers.• Students systematically collect, organize, and describe data; make inferences

based on data; and develop an appreciation for statistical methods as a meansfor decision making.

• Students use physical materials to build conceptual development of algebraicvariables and relationships.

Technology Education• Students use development and production processes to solve a technological

design problem.• Students learn to create design briefs, sketches, and models. • Students explore properties of materials in designing a product.

Social Studies• Students develop research skills through conducting interviews and gathering

data on consumers.• Students develop marketing skills through an understanding of customer needs.

Language Arts• Students develop writing skills through a variety of writing products such as

design logs, journals, and proposals.• Students develop oral language skills through the preparation and execution of

formal presentations.• Students develop communication skills through performing collaborative tasks

with their peers.

SCIENCE ANDTECHNOLOGYContent Standard E: As a result of activities ingrades 5-B, all studentsshould develop• Abilities of

technological design• Understanding about

science and technology

GUIDE TO THE CONTENT STANDARDFundamental abilitiesand concepts thatunderlie this standardinclude• Abilities of

Technological Design.• Design a Solution

of Product.• Implement a

Proposed Design.• Evaluate Completed

Technological Designsof Products.

• Communicate the Process ofTechnological Design.

From National Research Council National Science Education Standards

INTEGRATED LEARNING AND TEACHINGThe EDE incorporates many facets of learning within the eight-week period. Someactivities include explorations of materials and concepts that are completely newto the students. Others use already familiar mathematical tools such as data col-lection and graphing techniques to organize information. In some cases the bestway of using information from one activity may be to integrate it with informa-tion from another activity. This process requires the collaboration of teachers inplanning and teaching, as well as the cooperation of students in their designteams. The middle school reform movement proposes changing the structure andorganization of schooling and how students learn in the classroom. A teamingapproach to teaching calls for a small group of teachers to have collective respon-sibility for a group of students within the school. The team then jointly plans andimplements the curriculum for all disciplines, thereby fostering interdisciplinarystudies and considering the academic, social, and emotional development of thewhole student. Clearly, this is the optimal environment for A World in Motion II:The Design Experience.

The core teaching team should consist of science, mathematics, and technologyeducation teachers with additional support from social studies, and language artsstaff. Since most of the classroom activities come under the supervision of the science, mathematics, and technology education teachers, the coordinating andfacilitating role will most likely rest with them.

Initially, teachers in the team will need to read the curriculum thoroughly, devotepreparation time to developing an implementation plan and strategy, and definethe scope and nature of the collaboration across the disciplines and classes.Schools may decide to implement this program either with one or two classes, or across an entire grade.

The teachers will need to determine who will teach which activities and how bestto communicate information about activities that are closely integrated. Becauseof the “teaming” nature of the program, it is recommended that teachers in theteam meet at least once a week to reassess the schedule, troubleshoot any exist-ing problems, and plan for the next set of activities. A recommended schedule isprovided in the Overview Chart.

STUDENTS WORKING IN TEAMSIn addition, the teachers will need to decide how students will be placed in designteams and how to handle the logistics of providing materials and support for indi-vidual teams. For a program of this nature, heterogeneous groupings make for thebest combination of individual skills and interests. However, a considerableamount of research indicates that young women in the middle school benefitfrom studying in all-female groups. At that age, young men in the group, whomay well have had more experience working with materials and thus feel moreconfident doing so, tend to dominate explorations with the materials and discus-sions of the phenomena. Many of the young women will be working with gears,axles, wheels and motors for the first time and may be inhibited when talkingabout their emerging understandings of the phenomena. It has also been observed

Introduction to the Challenge xi

STANDARD 4:MATHEMATICALCONNECTIONSIn grades 5–8, themathematics curricu-lum should include theinvestigation of mathe-matical connections sothat students—• apply mathematical

thinking and model-ing to solve problemsthat arise in otherdisciplines, such asart, music, psychology,science, and business;

• explore problemsand describe resultsusing graphical,numerical, physical,algebraic, and verbalmathematical modelsor representations;

From National Council ofTeachers of Mathematics,Curriculum and EvaluationStandards for SchoolMathematics

that teachers of both genders tend to ask boys more questions in activities of thisnature. It has been our experience that mixed-gender groupings work fine whenteachers are aware of the issues and actively work to improve the comfort level oftheir female students. Ultimately, it is the teachers who are best able to decidewhich students can work together in groups. The success of the program is alsoinfluenced by how well the students have worked in groups in the past, and thechances of success are further increased if the students are already familiar withcollaborative and cooperative learning strategies.

VOLUNTEERS IN THE CLASSROOMThis program is unique in encouraging the active participation of volunteers inthe classroom. Volunteers can play a key role in helping design teams to imple-ment the challenge during various phases of the EDE. Some volunteers may act as advisers throughout the eight weeks. Others may assist in one or two activitiesby describing how their own work relates to the students’ design experience.Throughout the activities, suggestions for using volunteers are provided asVolunteer Tips.

Volunteers may be identified through collaborations formed from implementingthe Partnership Builder packet. Others may be found within the local business and industry community, as well as through parents in the school community. For more information on the use of volunteers, see the appendix ContactingVolunteers.

THE ACTIVITY SEQUENCEThe following outline describes how Challenge 2, through the EDE, may unfold inthe school, classroom, and community context. While the description outlines thevarious phases of the EDE process, classroom implementation is iterative as stu-dents take in new information, constantly evaluate and gauge their designdecisions, and explore other options.

Week 1Set Goals. Students receive a request for proposals (RFP) from a fictitious toycompany, Mobility Toys Inc., to develop designs for new motorized, gear-driventoys. These toys can be cars, boats, animals, parade floats, or any moving toy thatthe design teams determine will interest young boys and girls. Each studentdesign team is invited to submit a proposal and prototype model that meets per-formance specifications. The RFP gives very specific criteria for performance, forexample, the ability to climb a 15° grade and to travel 3 meters in 3 seconds orless from a standing start. These criteria provide opportunities to explore conceptsand factors important to mobility such as speed, forces, and friction. The RFPspecifies design guidelines, date of completion, and standards of performance.

Students define their own goals through activities that stress sharing ideas andidentifying and setting priorities. Students establish objectives and discuss whatthey must learn to succeed—all activities that challenge many adults and are critical for a productive work force.

Introduction to the Challengexii

Weeks 2–4Build Knowledge. The activities in this phase encourage students to learn basicconcepts and skills related to the EDE challenge. The need to meet the challengeor solve the problem serve both as a context and motivation for learning. Theseactivities are closely aligned to the specific performance, design, and customerneeds for the prototype designs. During this phase, students explore materials andphenomena through trial and error, experimentation, and questioning. From thishands-on work they begin to gain an understanding of the variables, constraints,materials and phenomena that affect design and performance. For example, stu-dents create vehicles with a variety of gear ratios and test their performance togain a better understanding of how gear ratio affects performance. They investi-gate the concepts underlying the simple lever and wheel, gear configurations, andratios; and through experiments they build an understanding of the relationshipsbetween energy, forces, and motion.

Students may find that in addition to conceptual understanding, they also neednew skills to complete a task. The social studies and mathematics teachers canhelp students in their effort to assess customer needs by teaching consumerresearch skills such as designing a survey, writing good interview questions, select-ing a sample, finding averages and medians, organizing and representing data,and analyzing results. These activities and information feed back to the students’design and development.

Throughout the process, teachers have a range of opportunities for assessing student learning. In many cases assessment and curriculum are integrated, as students’ performance on many of the tasks provide insight into their under-standing. Student design teams maintain portfolios of their work and their designlogs. The design logs contain a collection of checklists, worksheets, and reportforms to be completed. Teachers may also serve as preliminary reviewers for thereview panel. Industry volunteers can be used to assist the design teams and theteachers, or to see if the teams need any additional consultants or specialists fromthe community.

Weeks 5–6Design and Build and Test Phases. Students synthesize their newly acquiredinformation to propose potential solutions to the challenge. In this phase theybegin to design, build, test, and evaluate their final prototype toy cars. Afterexperimenting with various gear configurations, students predict that certain configurations are more appropriate for meeting specific performance criteria.Consumer research will also indicate other factors that may influence a successfuldesign such as body styling and use.

The processes of gathering information and proposing solutions is followed by aprocess of designing a solution, developing drawings and diagrams to guide con-struction, and building the prototype with the materials.

As the prototypes are developed, the students use testing techniques to examineperformance and customer preference. They use quality assurance processes suchas testing in focus groups to evaluate their prototype design features. The goal isto optimize their vehicle’s design and performance. During this time, studentstake on a range of roles. Some design, others build; some create experiments, oth-ers conduct the experiments; some record and organize the data, others analyzethe data. Everyone is essential; all participate.

Introduction to the Challenge xiii

Many of the students find that their initial design is not appropriate and somediscover that their original assumptions and understandings about how gearswork were incorrect. They therefore have to re-examine their designs and retesttheir new prototype. Students repeat this cycle as often as they need to, eventual-ly making only minor adjustments as they become happier with the performanceand design.

Weeks 7–8Finalize the Model. Construction includes building the final models, preparingreports, and developing graphics for the presentation. Each member of the teamtakes responsibility for some aspect of the final product.

Week 8Present. For the culminating activity, the design teams present written, visual,and oral reports documenting the design and development process, the consumerand testing data, solutions, and their design team capabilities.

To prepare for the presentation, teams develop charts and graphs displaying theirtesting and consumer data. In language arts and art classrooms they work ontheir written proposals, resumes, and other visuals. In the technology educationclassrooms, they put the prototypes through their final paces.

At the same time, the volunteers and teachers assemble the review committee forthe final presentation. Representatives from business and industry partners, a localmarketing specialist, the principal, parents, and community representatives may beasked to review the design team presentations. Representatives from the localtelevision station, newspaper, and corporate newsletter may be invited to chroniclethe event.

WRITING AND DESIGN LOGSA World in Motion II: The Design Experience encourages a fair amount of writingby students. Recording and keeping track of data and designs are critical elementsof the EDE. The design logs become a tool for students to organize their designthinking and process systematically. Indeed, many engineers keep logs, journals, orsketches as evidence of their creative work should questions arise concerningcopyright or intellectual ownership.

Writing also enables students to articulate and capture their emerging under-standing of difficult concepts and phenomena. During the EDE, students shouldbe encouraged to write in their design logs often. Each design team should have a three-ring binder as a design log. Student reproducible masters can be copied,completed, and stored in the team design log. Individual student writings, such asjournal entries, can also be kept in special sections.

Introduction to the Challengexiv

ABOUT GEARSThe design of the moving toys as specified in the letter from Mobility Toys, Inc.requires students to construct prototypes with a pegboard frame, steel axles, rub-ber wheels, plastic gears, and a motor powered with an AC adapter. Forces andmotion, as well as general movement, are explored in the assembly of these simpleand complex elements. Gears play a key role in the potential performance of themoving toys. For many students, this may be their opportunity to explore gears,examine the role they can play as an extension of simple machines, and see howthey provide mechanical advantage. Some students will have trouble with some ofthe fundamental concepts about gears, for example, that meshing gears rotate inopposite directions.

The selection of appropriate sizes and assembly of the gears to the motor andaxle are important factors that enable the moving toys to perform in specificways. A simple gear arrangement of a smaller driver gear rotating the driven gearon the axle will enable the car to move relatively fast. A compound gear arrange-ment increases the amount of torque, or twisting force, that will enable themoving toy to climb a steep grade or pull a load.

Developing an understanding of gear ratios, the relationship between the num-ber of rotations of the driver gear and the driven gear, is another concept thatstudents will explore and use in their emerging ideas about gears, forces, andmotion. Understanding that a ratio is really a relationship between two parts is a central mathematical concept.

Students should be given plenty of time to explore with the materials and developtheir own language and understanding of the phenomena. They may not emergewith a full mastery of the concepts, but they will use that understanding to devel-op a prototype and begin to develop a better sense of mechanical advantage,simple and complex machines, and forces and motion. For further informationabout these concepts, see the appendix Gears, Torque, and Performance.

ABOUT CONSUMER RESEARCHThe design process almost always entails designing a product or solving of aproblem for another person or persons. The designer must therefore think beyonda design that is personally pleasing and project the potential preferences of others.In business, a designer must consider who the customers are. In this unit, thetypes of customers students must consider include the actual users (six to tenyear-old boys and girls), the people who buy the product (parents), the peoplewho might market and sell the product (toy store owners), and the people who are requesting the product (Mobility Toys, Inc.).

Like all designers, students will have a tendency to design what they would like,or assume that a customer would like what they like. “Determining customerneeds” is a new objective for the students. They will accomplish it by identifyingwho the customers are, interviewing representatives from the customer group toget a general sense of preferences and interests, analyzing the information, andcollecting data in sufficient numbers to assess the appropriateness of the findings.

Introduction to the Challenge xv

ABOUT COLLECTING, ANALYZING, AND DISPLAYING DATAUsing and manipulating numbers as data are typical activities in middle schoolmathematics. At this age, students continue to develop a sense of how data aregathered, begin to understand the basic fundamentals of statistical analysis, andgrapple with making sense of the data collected. As students interview prospectivecustomers, the design challenge provides a concrete opportunity for them to grap-ple with the use of numbers and information, use mathematical tools to processthat information, and begin to interpret the information in ways that may be useful in developing their ultimate designs.

Introduction to the Challengexvi

Introduction to the Challenge xvii

Recommendations are provided for co-teach-ing within the team. Some activities can betaught together. Some should be taughtimmediately following others.

A concise descriptionof the student tasksprovides teachers witha quick picture of theclassroom activity.

An overview of the concepts helps prepareteachers for student understanding.

The recommended subject area for the activity is markedfor quick reference. Teachers from other subject areasmay facilitate or assist in teaching the activity.

Writing a Design Brief

Introduction

WHAT STUDENTS DO IN THIS ACTIVITYIn this activity, student design teams use the information from the Integratingand Applying What We Know activity to write a design brief. The design specifica-tions outline the characteristics of the toy they plan to design for MTI.

The design specifications include a description of the consumers for whom they are designing, the consumers’ toy preferences, the type of toy (race car, jeep,truck, parade float), the appearance of the toy, and the desired performance of thetoy (fast, slow, high torque, low torque).

RATIONALE Students translate their analysis of what they know about the RFP, gears, and the consumers’ needs into design specifications of the toy’s performance and appearance.

TIME1–2 class sessions

MATERIALS• paper and pencil for writing descriptions• for each design team, any notes they recorded in their Design Logs during the

Integrating and Applying What We Know activity• for each design team, research findings from the Consumer Research:

What We’ve Learned About the Consumers activity, the class charts from theWhat We’ve Learned About Gears activity, and a copy of the RFP

Writing a Design Brief 181

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NMAKINGCONNECTIONSIn this activity, designteams will need todraw on the discus-sions they had in theIntegrating andApplying What WeKnow activity. In addi-tion, students’ designspecifications will inte-grate informationthey’ve gathered aboutthe RFP, gears, and theconsumers during theSet Goals and BuildKnowledge phases. Ifyou are not aware ofwhat students did inthese activities, youmay want to ask otherteachers in the team to help out with this activity.

Introduction to the Challengexviii

Many suggestions for classroom instructionwere provided by teachers who have successfully used the curriculum.

Encourage the active participation of volunteers as a valuable resource forstudents as well as teachers.

Recommended ques-tions guide discussionduring student explorations.

VOLUNTEER TIPStudents canshow theircompleted design briefto an industry volun-teer for comments andfeedback.

Classroom Activity

ACTIVITY DESCRIPTIONTell students that they will be designing a prototype. What is a prototype? The prefix proto- comes from the Greek word protos, or “first”. A prototype is aninitial design to test and evaluate.

Ask students: Have you ever built a model as the first step in designing some-thing? Have you ever built something, then made another, improved model?

One approach to building a prototype product is to take all the available relevant information about the product to be designed and write a brief description of the product. This description is called a design brief. Write this term on the board.

In the Integrating and Applying What We Know activity, students analyzed thedata they gathered about gears and about the consumers. Now, each design teamwrites a design specification for the toy it plans to design.

Students can approach this task in several steps:1. Select the performance criteria you want to achieve in your toy, and what you

want your toy body to look like. Based on what you now know about gearsand about the consumer, which criteria from the RFP will you try to meet?Why? What will the body look like? Why? The team may try to build a toy that will have broad appeal by meeting as many of the RFP criteria as possible,or they may decide to make a specialty toy that is fast, or powerful, or appealsto a particular type of consumer. Students should include reasons for their decisions.

2. Predict the gear train design that you think will meet the criteria you haveselected. What will the gear ratio be? Students should include the evidence for their prediction.

3. Describe your design in detail. The design brief might be roughly one pagelong. It should include brief descriptions of the following:• A profile of the consumer for whom you are designing the toy. The

consumer profile should be based on the consumer research and includeinformation such as ages, genders, toy buying habits, and toy preferences.

• The performance criteria in the RFP that you intend for the toy to meet. Will it be fast, slow, have high torque or low torque? Do you want to designa toy that will go fast, or one that can go up an incline?

• The prototype toy’s functional characteristics. Is it a race car? a jeep? a construction truck? a parade float?

• The appearance of the toy. Teams should include a rough sketch of their toy’s appearance.

FACILITATING STUDENT EXPLORATIONHelp students stay focused on using the data they have gathered. They may want to design a toy that meets their own interests. Remind students that theythemselves are not the customers.

Writing a Design Brief182

TEACHER TIP Some

students will want tostart by working withthe materials. In suchcases, remind the students that it isimportant to envisionand describe what theywant their vehicle toaccomplish beforeattempting to build it.

Introduction to the Challenge xix

Discussion is critical to help students articulatetheir understanding of concepts and to helpdirect their design decisions.

Space is left near theend of lessons forteacher notes.

SHARING AND INTERPRETING Each design team can give a brief presentation of its design brief. This can be anopportunity for students to practice giving oral presentations in preparation forthe final presentation. It can also be an opportunity for students to hear how theother design teams are approaching the design task.

Homework Idea

Students can begin to sketch out ideas for their prototype toy and bring thesesketches to their design team meetings.

Writing a Design Brief 183

Notes

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Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc. ©

1996

Set Goals

Many design projects (e.g., a building or consumer product) begin with the designers clearly understanding the intended goals and outcomes. Designers

must be clear on their goals at the outset, particularly if they are designing for aparticular client. The Set Goals phase marks the beginning of the engineering designexperience for the students. They will first receive a letter from a fictitious toy com-pany, Mobility Toys, Inc. The letter is a request for proposals (RFP) for design teams tosubmit designs for a new line of motor- and gear-powered toys. The letter sets thestage for the eight–week experience, but the students also need to read the letter care-fully for specifications or details about the designs to be proposed. Mobility Toys, Inc.describes the target audience and a set of minimum requirements for the toys.

As students read the letter and begin to understand the request, they see that manytasks need to be accomplished before the end of the eight weeks. They need to knowabout the materials and how best to use them for maximum efficiency and effective-ness. Students discover that the intended “customers” may have needs andpreferences for the toy design that are very different from their own; they will needto work together to accomplish all of the tasks on time.

This phase includes activities that encourage team building by having thedesign teams build group identity, as well as cooperatively determining and dividing up tasks. Another activity uses business and manufacturing processes by asking students to consider their own goals and criteria for success. Throughout the next eight weeks, students will discover manynew insights about design, engineering, science, and technology thatwill influence their work. The design team tasks may change as stu-dents learn more information in their attempt to meet their goals.

Set Goals 1

Reading and Evaluating the Request for Proposals (RFP)

Introduction

WHAT STUDENTS DO IN THIS ACTIVITYStudents will receive a Request for Proposals (RFP) from the director of new product development at Mobility Toys, Inc. (MTI), a fictitious toy company.

The RFP explains that MTI is looking for new designs of a toy to add to theircurrent product line and is inviting design groups to submit proposals and prototypes of their ideas. Students will carefully read the RFP to determine what is expected of design teams and what is needed to meet the challenge. They usethe Evaluating the RFP Log Sheet to begin to analyze what the RFP is askingthem to do. They write down questions for a volunteer engineer who will be visiting the classroom.

RATIONALEThe RFP is a document from a business or agency inviting individuals, groups, orcompanies to provide a specified set of goods or services. For example, a clothingmanufacturer may send an RFP to several advertising agencies asking for ideas ona print and television campaign for a new clothing label. Or a local health andhuman services department may ask social service groups to submit proposals todevelop a new drug education program that will be funded by the government.

Receiving the RFP sets the stage for the engineering design activities over the next two months. From the document, students begin to determine what isneeded and how they will address those needs.

Students carefully read the RFP as an example of technical literature. They usethis document as an initial vehicle to determine who the “customers” are and todefine the customers’ needs. By carefully finding and evaluating the requirementsof the RFP, they can begin to develop a plan for responding to the challenge.

Students will engage in the following:• learn about the context of the design experience• meet MTI, the first “customer” in the design experience• identify different customers and define the customers’ needs and characteristics• identify technical requirements

Reading and Evaluating the Request for Proposals (RFP)

SET GOALS

3

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MATERIALS• for each student, one copy of the Mobility Toys, Inc. Request for Proposals letter• for each student, one copy of the Evaluating the RFP Log Sheet• highlighting markers (optional)

Classroom Activity

INTRODUCING THE ACTIVITYPrior to this activity, alert the students that over the next 8 weeks they will beinvolved in a set of activities that make up what is called an “engineering designexperience.” They will work in small design teams. They will receive a letter from a fictitious toy company inviting them to design and develop prototypes, or working models, of toys. Explain that this experience isn’t real—there is no suchtoy company—but that the experience is modeled after what real design engineersdo. They may be asked to do some of the design work in science, mathematics,English, or social studies classes. They may need to do some independent researchin the library or resource room. In the end, they will have had an opportunity tolearn about engineering design and to see how engineers work with other designers to develop a successful product.

ACTIVITY DESCRIPTIONDistribute the RFP letter from Mobility Toys, Inc. Ask a student volunteer to readthe letter out loud. Explain that an RFP is a document from a business or agencyinviting individuals, groups, or companies to provide a specified set of goods orservices. For example, a clothing manufacturer may send an RFP to several advertising agencies asking for ideas on a print and television campaign for a newclothing label. Or a local health and human services department may ask socialservice groups to submit proposals to develop a new drug education program thatwill be funded by the government.

Discuss the points raised in the letter. Explain to the students that there isoften a lot of information written into a request for proposals. The first step inreading an RFP is to understand what information is most important. In order todo this, they need to read the RFP carefully to find out what the company wants.Sometimes the company asks for exactly what it wants. Sometimes the companywants the design teams to help it figure out what it wants.

Write the questions from the Evaluating the RFP Log Sheet on the board. Read the questions aloud with the class. Ask students to use these questions as aguide for analyzing the RFP.

Divide students into small groups. Ask each group to reread the RFP, highlightany sections that seem to be important, and answer the questions. Ask studentsto write down any additional questions they come up with.

Tell students that a volunteer will be visiting the classroom in a few days totalk about how the design engineer works. They should keep a list of questionsthey have about the RFP to ask the volunteer.

Reading and Evaluating the Request for Proposals (RFP)4

TEACHER TIP In one

classroom, all of theteachers and studentsfrom the whole teamgathered together tointroduce the unit. The RFP letter waspassed out and readand questions aboutthe upcoming experi-ence were addressed.The teachers pointedout that different activities would be ledby different teachers.This gave the studentsthe clear impressionthat the experiencewould be a teameffort.

TEACHER TIP In other classrooms, design teams have used this activity to begin working together. Have your students develop a list of ideas. Individual

design teams should continue to develop brainstorming lists throughout the challengeexperience. Remind them that when they are brainstorming, no idea is too out-landish. At a later date, they can decide if an idea is inappropriate or unusable.

SHARING AND INTERPRETINGAsk students to share their responses to the questions. When they begin to sharewhat the RFP requires of them, write those tasks on the blackboard or bulletinboard. Save what is written for the next activity.

Homework Ideas

You may want to make a writing assignment, such as• Do I personally know any people who could be customers?• How do I know them and what are they like?• What are questions I would like to ask the engineer volunteer?• Look at the kinds of toys your younger siblings or neighbors play with.

Write about those toys and why you think they are popular.

Start a collection of moving toys. Ask students to bring toys from home, particularly toys with wheels, axles, and gears. Students can also cut out advertisements of moving toys for a bulletin board display.

Reading and Evaluating the Request for Proposals (RFP) 5

Notes

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Reading and Evaluating the Request for Proposals (RFP)6

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©19

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7

Dear Designers:

Mobility Toys, Inc. (MTI) is a leading developer and manufacturer of toy cars, airplanes,

trains, boats, pull-toys, and other moving toys. MTI is well known for its Traveler line of

motorized toys. This line includes the Speedster, a drag-racer that speeds across smooth

flat surfaces, and the Splash, an amphibious truck that can travel through water as well

as over land.

OUR DESIGN NEEDS

MTI is looking for designs for a new line of motorized gear-driven toys to replace its

Traveler line. Our market research has shown that the Traveler line has become less pop-

ular with our target audience of boys and girls between the ages of 6 and 10. We need

your designs for the new Globe Rangers line of toys that will appeal to this audience.

We are especially interested in new designs that will interest girls. We don’t currently

have enough information about how different types of moving toys would appeal to

this audience. It may be that new and different designs and styles, including toys that

don’t even necessarily look like cars or trucks, such as animals, parade floats, or robots,

may attract our target customers. We need you to find out what customers want, then

give us designs that will engage them.

THE WRITTEN PROPOSAL

Interested design teams should submit a written proposal to MTI. Each written proposal

should include these items:

• a description of your toy design,

• design drawings,

• an explanation of why you think the design will appeal to 6-to-10-year-old

girls and boys,

• results from consumer research about what the customers want,

• results from performance tests that show that your design meets at least one of the

minimum criteria given below, and

• a brief biography of each member of the design team describing his or her design

experience and roles on the design team, with resumes, if possible.

Request for Proposals

(continued)

Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc. ©

1996

8

THE DESIGN PRESENTATION MEETING

On �� MTI will hold a design presentation meeting. At this meeting

a review panel will listen to presentations from each design team. Each design team

should be prepared to give us a 10-minute presentation on their toy design. Each

presentation should include these segments:

• Introduce the design team members and their roles in the design process

• Describe how you developed your design

• Demonstrate that your design meets at least one of the minimum criteria

stated below

• Show evidence that your design meets the needs of customers

• Argue strongly for why MTI should use your team’s design

THE MINIMUM PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

MTI is only interested in toys that meet minimum performance standards. In your pre-

sentation, you must demonstrate that your toy can meet at least one of the following

three performance standards. Your toy must be able to do one of the following:

• travel over a course of three meters from a standing start under its own power in

three seconds or less, or

• climb a 30-degree slope from a standing start under its own power for a distance of

at least one meter, or

• climb a 15-degree slope for one meter from a standing start under its own power in

two seconds or less.

We emphasize that these are minimum requirements. We expect that successful designs

will exceed at least one of these performance standards, depending on the type of toy

you design. At a later date, motors, gears, wheels, axles, and frames will be given to

design teams in order to build your prototypes.

At MTI our slogan is, “The customers’ interests are our interests.” Our products are

designed to give our customers what they want. We look forward to seeing your successful

proposals showing how your designs live up to our slogan.

Sincerely,

Marilyn NewmanDirector of New ProductsMobility Toys, Inc.

Name �� Design Team �� Date ��

Reading and Evaluating the Request for Proposals (RFP) 9

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Evaluating the RFP Log Sheet

1. What does MTI want from each design team? List the requirements for a successful proposal.

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2. What kinds of toy designs might be successful?

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3. What are the minimum performance requirements?

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4. What information does MTI want us to find out for them?

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5. What additional questions do we have about the RFP?

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6. What questions do we have for the volunteer engineer?

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Meeting an Industry Volunteer

Meeting an IndustryVolunteer

Introduction

WHAT STUDENTS DO IN THIS ACTIVITYA volunteer engineer visits the class to talk to students about how engineers workwhen they design things. The volunteer’s conversation with the students focuseson the engineering design experience, especially two important aspects of thedesign process that students will encounter: working in design teams and usingdesign logs to keep careful records of their work. Students can ask the representative the questions they have prepared about the RFP.

RATIONALE A key element of the A World in Motion II program is the use of volunteers in theclassroom and in particular, volunteers who are design engineers. Students willhave an opportunity to learn what an engineer actually does. Most importantly, in today’s world an engineer’s work is very creative and she or he must use information from many fields in order to design.

In this activity, students will engage in the following: • meet a professional engineer and hear about how engineers go through the

engineering design process• learn from the engineer about the importance of working in teams• learn from the engineer about the importance of keeping careful written and

visual records of their evolving designs


MATERIALS• the lists of questions they prepared in the Reading and Evaluating the

RFP activity

11

SET GOALS

TEACHER TIP Your

volunteer may have little experience intalking to studentsabout the engineeringprofession. It is impor-tant that the volunteerhave a clear under-standing of his or herrole, and of how totalk effectively to students. See theVolunteer section inthe Introduction fortips on how to makethe visit successful.

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VOLUNTEER TIP Ask the volunteer to bring any visual aids such as actual products or photographs of products he or she has designed or sketches and

models of products in development. See the Volunteer section in the Introduction for more on the role of volunteers. You may also want to

invite a volunteer manager to talk about the importance of working as a team.

Preparation for the Activity

Arrange for a volunteer engineer to visit the class to discuss the engineering profession and to answer questions about the RFP. The volunteer may be a localmember of the Society of Automotive Engineers or another community member.Give the volunteer information about the unit and about the engineering designprocess that the students will be experiencing, especially about the design teamsand Design Logs the students will be using. This first meeting with the volunteerwill go smoothly if the class has prepared a list of questions in advance. In addi-tion, have ready an alternative activity if the question/answer period is brief or ifyou sense the need for a change of pace. Plan an activity that the volunteer canassist in. For example, have the students write a Design Log entry about tips theygathered from the volunteer.

Classroom Activity

ACTIVITY DESCRIPTIONIntroduce the industry volunteer. Ask the volunteer to talk to the class abouthow engineers work when they design something. The presentation mightinclude features like these:• how RFPs are used in the engineering world to solicit designs• how engineers respond to an RFP• setting an initial strategy for getting necessary knowledge, skills, and data

about technical design issues and about the customer• exploration, knowledge building, getting the data and knowledge needed to

make a competitive design• analysis, design, and testing• the presentation to the client• the importance of working in design teams• the importance of keeping careful records in design logs, even of unsuccessful

designs, with actual examples of the kinds of records the volunteer keeps

Give students ample time to ask the volunteer questions about the MTI RFP.

Homework Ideas

You may want to have students write about one of the following topics:• Do research into the different kinds of engineering jobs.• Interview an engineer.

Meeting an Industry Volunteer12

Designing a Team Name, Logo, and Slogan

Introduction

WHAT STUDENTS DO IN THIS ACTIVITYStudents are divided up into design teams. The class discusses how to work inteams, and the roles they will take in their teams. The teams collect examples frommagazines of company logos and slogans, and make these into a collage. Theydiscuss how companies use logos and slogans to appeal to customers. Studentsthen work in their design teams to design a team name, logo, and slogan.

RATIONALEFor the rest of the unit, students will be working intensely with their team members. This activity will strengthen their identification as team members andhelp build a sense of shared purpose within the team. In addition, teams will seeexamples of company slogans and logos, then generate their own.

Students will engage in the following:• learn about the importance of working in design teams• learn about the roles they will have in their design teams• identify company logos and slogans• discuss how companies use logos and slogans to appeal to customers• produce a team name, logo, and slogan designed to appeal to a customer


MATERIALS• old magazines (for cutting up)• assorted art supplies (paper, markers, glue, etc.)• heavy paper to glue the collage onto

PREPARATION FOR THE ACTIVITYIf you haven’t done so already, divide the class into design teams of three to fourstudents. Both same-sex and mixed-sex groups have been successful in field testsettings. See the Students Working in Teams section in the Introduction.

Designing a Team Name, Logo, and Slogan 13

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Classroom Activity

PART 1: FORMING DESIGN TEAMSGive the students their design team assignments. Talk about the importance of working in teams. Discuss the roles students can have in their design teams.You can brainstorm possible design team roles with the class, recording them on the board. Four central team roles are• equipment manager: responsible for keeping the materials in order.• design manager: responsible for collecting the team’s design ideas and

managing the design process. This person may also be in charge of makingdrawings of the designs in the team’s Design Log.

• construction manager: is responsible for the actual building of the team’s toy.• recorder/reporter: responsible for recording the team’s work in the Design Log.

You may want to assign initial roles for each design team, or ask them to assigntheir own initial roles.

Decide as a class the roles students will take in their design teams, whetherthey will rotate roles, and if so, how often. In one school test site, students votedto change roles every three days. In other sites, students kept the same rolesthroughout the unit.

PART 2: MAKING A LOGO COLLAGEIn the next part of this activity students design a team name, logo, and slogan.In preparation for this, bring to class an example of a widely known companyicon, such as “golden arches,” or use icons on students’ clothing. You may alsowhistle a well-known jingle. Discuss how companies use logos or tunes such asthese to create and maintain an easily recognized image. For homework studentscan cut out company slogans and logos from magazines and newspapers andarrange them into a collage. Students may want to focus their collage on a particular kind of product, such as cars, food, or clothing. If you want to allow a class period for students to make a collage, you can ask them to bring in oldmagazines the day before.

If you decide not to assign collecting logos and slogans as homework, bring afew examples of popular company slogans or logos to class.

Ask students to share the collages they have made. Help students become moreaware of ways that companies use logos, slogans, and icons, by asking them whatare some logos and slogans that most students recognize, what are other placesbesides magazines and newspapers that students see company names and logos?

Ask students why companies use logos, slogans, and icons. What image are thecompanies trying to project?

Have students examine the various advertising images more closely. Discuss thedifferent strategies companies use to appeal to customers.• To what type of customer is this slogan or logo trying to appeal?• What are some characteristics that might be common to consumers of

this product?• How did the graphic artists use layouts, lettering, and color to create an

appealing design that catches the attention of the desired customer?• How do the companies’ images make you feel?• Do these companies try to market themselves to you? How?• What would you do to market to customers like you?

Designing a Team Name, Logo, and Slogan14

TEACHER TIP It’s espe-

cially important toencourage your femalestudents to participatein the hands-on activi-ties, since many younggirls often do not haveopportunities toengage with modelcars and tools. Studiesshow that girls oftenstay in the role ofrecorder, particularlyin science activities.This is something to beconscious of. In somecases, same-sex designteam groupings maybe appropriate inorder to encourageequal participation anddiscussion.

PART 3: DESIGNING A TEAM NAME, LOGO, AND SLOGANAsk each design team to design its own name, a logo, and a slogan. Remind students to be sure to consider the various customers to whom they want toappeal as they make their designs. Provide a variety of art supplies so that students may use different graphic techniques.

Here is a suggested procedure for students to follow in designing their name,logo, and slogan:1. Brainstorm a variety of ideas before evaluating them.2. Sketch several ideas.3. Choose the best idea.4. Draw a small color version of the logo.5. Make a large poster that displays the name, logo, and slogan.

FACILITATING STUDENT EXPLORATIONAs you work with each team, encourage students to share with the rest of theclass any examples of good name-recognition techniques and logos. Suggest thatstudents place these on a bulletin board for the whole class to see.

When the students are working on their own name and logo, encourage themto brainstorm and be open to all suggestions. If there are teams that are lessinspired, suggest that they think about techniques that existing companies use,such as combining the initials of principal owners.

SHARING AND INTERPRETINGAsk each design team to share its name, logo, and slogan with the rest of theclass. Here are sample questions:• In what ways do your designs reflect your team?• What makes them good examples?• How did you make decisions and come to consensus?

If you or your students have access to a copying machine with a reduction feature, make several copies of each name and logo and suggest that the studentsuse the design in letters, memos, and other types of communication.

Homework Idea

Assign design teams the task of finding 10 well-known examples of logos andslogans. Tell them to be prepared to discuss the uses of the names, logos, and slogans. How are they effective? Do they say something about the company?About the product? Or are they just catchy phrases?

Designing a Team Name, Logo, and Slogan 15

TEACHER TIP The team

of teachers can decidehow to organize student design teamwork that may need to be available in morethan one classroom. At one field-test site,teachers kept studentwork in a box thatrotated with the class.

TEACHER TIP You may

prefer to have yourstudents develop theirideas over the nexteight weeks so thatthey can modify theirslogans and logos,then finalize them forthe final proposal.Many design teamswill use their initialsfor a logo. Encouragethem to develop aninteresting graphicusing the initials.

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Designing a Team Name, Logo, and Slogan16

Notes

Using Design Logs

Introduction

WHAT STUDENTS DO IN THIS ACTIVITYIn this unit student design teams will record their work in Design Logs. This activ-ity introduces students to the importance of keeping a Design Log, and ways theycan use their Design Logs to keep a record of their work and to reflect on theirdesigns.

The activities in the unit suggest specific ways the Design Logs can be used.You may want to suggest to students other ways they can use the Design Logs.For example, students will need to use data recorded in their Design Logs to document the development of their vehicle designs as part of their final presenta-tions. Students can also use the Design Logs to record consumer data they collect,and to record questions they want to pose to other students, the teacher, the vol-unteer engineer, or others.

You can use students’ Design Log entries to assess their understanding of content, design process, and writing skills.

RATIONALEKeeping accurate records of experiments and designs is an important part of engineering design. A Design Log combines aspects of a journal and a laboratorynotebook. A journal is often used to reflect on experiences, or to express anddevelop ideas. An engineer or scientist might use a laboratory notebook to recordprocedures in words and pictures, to record experimental data, and to analyzeresults.

Students will learn about the following:• ways to use Design Logs to record their design work• reasons for keeping a Design Log • how the teacher will use the Design Logs for assessment

TIME1 class session

MATERIALS• one Design Log notebook for each design team, or a copy of the Design Log

Sheets for each student• one copy of the sample engineer Design Log page from Mobility Toys, Inc.

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PREPARATION FOR THE ACTIVITY Decide how you want students to record Design Log entries. Here are some options:

A strategy that worked well in field test classrooms was to have a Design Lognotebook for each design team. The notebook has a section for the design teamto record its main design work and separate sections for the individual work (such as activity worksheets) of each design team member. Students can writetheir Design Log entries on copies of the Design Log Sheets or on three-holenotebook paper. Students can keep individual Design Logs using loose-leaf notebooks, or bound lab-style or composition notebooks (“blue books”).

Depending on which Design Log option you choose, prepare either copies of the Design Log pages, notebooks, or folders for each student.

Classroom Activity

ACTIVITY DESCRIPTIONDepending on what the volunteer engineer had to say about Design Logs in theMeeting an Industry Volunteer activity, you can ask students to recall and discusswhat the volunteer said about the importance of using Design Logs and how theyare used in engineering design.

Distribute the MTI Engineer Design Log page to the class. The page is a copyof a Design Log page recorded by an engineer at Mobility Toys, Inc., working on adesign for a toy car. It describes and pictures a design prototype and analyzesways in which it did not meet the specifications.

Ask students to make observations about the Design Log entry.• What does the Log entry say?• What kind of design problem is the engineer working on?• What kinds of information has the engineer included in the Design Log entry?• Why would an engineer make this Design Log entry?• Why would an engineer take the trouble to document an unsuccessful design? • How might the Log entries help the engineer do his or her work?

The discussion can bring out reasons that real engineers use Design Logs to document their work. This can help students appreciate the need to record theirdesign work. Students may not recognize the need to document designs that arenot successful. Unsuccessful designs often provide valuable information thatdesigners can use to improve their designs. Sometimes patterns emerge from looking at a series of tests that is not clear by looking at individual test results. If a design team does not record all designs and data, the team can lose valuableinformation.

If a design team tests each design, even informally, and analyzes the results,that knowledge becomes information that the team can use to improve thedesign. Without accurate records of the design and the results of testing andanalysis, this process of design improvement is less efficient. There may be signifi-cant design factors that become clear only after the team analyzes several designs.If the team carefully records its designs, these factors are more likely to emerge.

Using Design Logs18

Distribute the team Design Log notebooks to the students. Ask them to put theirteam name on their notebook.

Discuss ways the students can use the Design Log to record the design workthey do throughout the unit. Students will want to use both verbal descriptionsand drawings in their Design Logs to record• the designs they plan• the design decisions they make• the designs they build• the knowledge or assumptions on which they base their design decisions• the tests they make on their designs• the results of those tests and calculations• data they collect about customers• questions they have for other students, the teacher, or anyone else• ideas and discoveries they want to share with the class

Tell students that you will be reviewing their Design Logs on a regular basis (perhaps weekly) and making comments on the entries. Also, they will be expectedto share excerpts from their Design Logs during class discussions as evidence fortheir observations and conclusions.

For the first entry, you might want to ask students to describe something theyhave designed or write some questions they have about engineering or design.

Using Design Logs 19

Notes

TEACHER TIP Gather

from encyclopedias orscience books someexamples of designlogs, journals, orsketches of importanthistorical inventors,scientists, or events,such as Galileo,DaVinci, or the WrightBrothers.

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Using Design Logs20

Notes

Documents

THE DESIGN EXPERIENCE CHALLENGE 2 - …1].pdf · Resume Worksheet .....239 Preparing the Oral Presentation ... They begin to develop an identity as a group by developing design team