Mackenzie Furman April 22, 2014 Harpine ISAT 495 Individual Design Project: Aluminum Foil Boats. Aluminum Foil Boats

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1 Mackenzie Furman April 22, 2014 Harpine ISAT 495 Individual Design Project: Aluminum Foil Boats Aluminum Foil Boats Description: In this activity, students will be tasked with designing and creating a vehicle (boat) that can carry as many pennies as possible until it sinks. They will have access to materials such as aluminum foil, pennies, ruler, scissors, paper, and other decorations (to make a sail, etc) to create their boats. However, students will only be allowed a 12 x 12 sheet of aluminum foil and limits will be placed on other materials to even the playing field. This activity can be connected to other subject areas, such as social studies, with respect to the study of transportation of the present, past, and future. Students will also practice their writing skills as they are completing the Guided Portfolio component of this activity; mathematics and science skills will come into play when measuring and building the boat and calculating how many pennies the boat will be able to hold. Context: The students will be studying transportation with respect to social studies and how different types of transportation have an impact on the way people live and move from one place to another. General Topic: The general topic being covered during the activity is sinking and floating. Skills Covered Prior to Activity: In earlier grade levels, students will have learned about the concepts of sinking and floating. We will briefly review this science concept prior to beginning the activity, which is a good way to get them thinking about how to design their boats. After students have designed their boats, but before testing them, they will make predictions about how many pennies their boats will be to hold. Goals of Project: This activity involves many goals, one of which is for students to design and create a vehicle (boat) out of aluminum foil that will hold the largest number of pennies possible before sinking. Students will work collaboratively on teams and will need to use effective communication, collaborative problem solving skills, and critical thinking skills in order to be successful. Time Frame of Activity: This activity should take about minutes. This rough estimate includes 5-10 minutes to introduce the topic, 20 minutes to design and create a boat, and minutes to test and redesign if necessary. However, this timeline might not be accurate for students of all grade levels or ability levels, thus there will be some flexibility to extend the length of the project or to continue it the next day.

2 Standards/ National Standards: SCIENCE: K.5 The student will investigate and understand that water flows and has properties that can be observed and tested. Key concepts include: a) water occurs in different phases; b) water flows downhill; and c) some materials float in water, while others sink. SOCIAL STUDIES: 1.6 The student will describe how the location of his/her community, climate, and physical surroundings affect the way people live, including their food, clothing, shelter, transportation, and recreation. 2.3 The student will identify and compare changes in community life over time in terms of buildings, jobs, transportation, and population. VS.10 The student will demonstrate knowledge of government, geography, and economics by c) explaining how advances in transportation, communications, and technology have contributed to Virginia s prosperity and role in the global economy. STL: Standard 3: Students will develop an understanding of the relationships among technologies and the connections between technology and other fields of study. In order to appreciate the relationships among technologies, as well as with other fields of study, students should learn: A. The study of technology uses many of the same ideas and skills as other subjects. B. Technologies are often combined. C. Various relationships exist between technology and other fields of study. Standard 4: Students will develop an understanding of the cultural, social, economic, and political effects of technology. In order to recognize the changes in society caused by the use of technology, students need to learn that: A. The use of tools and machines can be helpful or harmful. B. When using technology, results can be good or bad. C. The use of technology can have unintended consequences. Standard 6: Students will develop an understanding of the role of society in the development and use of technology. In order to realize the impact of society on technology, students should learn that:

3 A. Products are made to meet individual needs and wants. B. Because people s needs and wants change, new technologies are developed, and old ones are improved to meet those changes. C. Individual, family, community, and economic concerns may expand or limit the development of technologies. Standard 8: Students will develop an understanding of the attributes of design. In order to comprehend the attributes of design, students should learn that: A. Everyone can design solutions to a problem. B. Design is a creative process. C. The design process is a purposeful method of planning practical solutions to problems. D. Requirements for a design include such factors as the desired elements and features of a product or system or the limits that are placed on the design. Standard 9: Students will develop an understanding of engineering design. In order to comprehend engineering design, students should learn that: A. The engineering design process includes identifying a problem, looking for ideas, developing solutions, and sharing solutions with others. B. Expressing ideas to others verbally and through sketches and models is an important part of the design process. C. The engineering design process involves defining a problem, generating ideas, selecting a solution, testing the solution(s), making the item, evaluating it, and presenting the results. D. When designing an object, it is important to be creative and consider all ideas. E. Models are used to communicate and test design ideas and processes. Standard 18: Students will develop an understanding of and be able to select and use transportation technologies. In order to select, use, and understand transportation technologies, students should learn that: A. A transportation system has many parts that work together to help people travel. B. Vehicles move people or goods from one place to another in water, air, or space and on land. C. Transportation vehicles need to be cared for to prolong their use. D. The use of transportation allows people and goods to be moved from place to place. E. A transportation system may lose efficiency or fail if one part is missing or malfunctions or if a subsystem is not working.

4 Safety Considerations: There are no significant safety concerns associated with the activity. Students should be familiar with how to use scissors appropriately. The only material that presents a foreseeable safety concern is the aluminum foil, which could be sharp or pointy. Related Children s Literature: The Magic School Bus Ups And Downs: A Book About Floating And Sinking by Joanna Cole Arrangement of Classroom Furniture: Students will be working at table groups for the duration of this project. The classroom will not require any major changes to the typical layout. However, there will be a testing station located at one of the reading tables where students will be able to test their designs to see if they 1. float and 2. how many pennies the vehicle can hold before sinking. Other Details: None at this time.

5 Background: We have been studying transportation in Social Studies and have learned that boats are one way to transport goods from one place to another. In Science, we have been studying the concepts of sinking and floating. You now have the chance to use what you have learned to create an Aluminum Foil Boat, which you will use to transport as many pennies as possible without sinking the boat. The grade you receive for this activity will be used as a lab grade for Science. Challenge: Using what you know about transportation, sinking, and floating, design and build a boat that can transport the largest number of pennies possible. Work with your table group to come up with a name for the shipping company that your boat works for and put the name and logo on the boat s flag. Your boat should be at least 6 inches in length and 4 inches in width. You will need to predict how many pennies your boat can hold before you test your design. Your boat should hold at least 10 pennies before it sinks. Criteria: Your boat must: Include your name Have a flag with the logo and name of the shipping company Be at least 6 inches long and at least 4 inches wide Hold at least 10 pennies Materials: One 12 in. by 12 in. piece of aluminum foil Index cards (various sizes) Pipe Cleaners Construction paper Tools: Ruler Scissors Markers or Sharpies Tape Pennies Tub of water

6 Aluminum Foil Boats Guided Portfolio Who was in your group? What is the problem? Restate the challenge in your own words. Brainstorming: Sketch two designs for your boat. Please label the materials that you will use. Create the solution you think is best!

7 Test your solution! Predict the number of pennies your boat will hold. Does you boat include your name(s)? YES NO Does it have a flag & logo for your shipping company? YES NO What is the name of your company? Is your boat at least 6 in by 4 in? YES NO How long is your boat? How wide is it? Can your boat hold at least 10 pennies? YES NO How many did it hold before sinking? Evaluate your design: Was your design the best solution? Why or why not? If you were to create another boat, what would you change? What would you keep? While working with your table group, what worked well? What didn t work?

8 Aluminum Foil Boats Rubric Name: Date: Scale Criteria Assessed Goal is Not Met (1) Goal is Partially Met (lots of room for improvement) (2) Goal is Substantially Met (some room for improvement) (3) Goal is Fully Met (4) Aluminum Foil Boat Includes student name(s) No name(s) on project 1-2 student names on project 3 student names on project All student names on project Has flag with shipping company logo Is at least 6 in. long and 4 in. wide Boat holds at least 10 pennies No flag on boat Boat is not 6in. by 4in., meets neither measurement requirement Holds less than 10 pennies Has a flag, but no logo Boat meets one of the measurement requirements Holds exactly 10 pennies Has a flag with logo Boat meets both measurement requirements Holds more than 10 pennies (15-20) Has a flag with logo and name of company Boat meets both measurement requirements Holds many more than 10 pennies (20+) Guided Portfolio Restates Challenge Brainstorms Two Solutions Tests Solution Does not restate challenge No design sketches present Shows no evidence of testing solution Lists challenge using exact language from design brief One design sketch Shows evidence of partially testing solution Restates challenge partially Two design sketches Shows evidence of fully testing solution Restates challenge completely Two design sketches, with labels and details Shows evidence of thoroughly testing solution Evaluates Design Does not evaluate design (answers no questions) Partially evaluates design (answers some questions) Fully evaluates design (answers each question) Thoroughly evaluates design (answers each question with details)