Summer SAVY, Session 6 Day 1, Intro to Engineering (Green & Shuman) (5th – 6th)
We have begun to journey through what it takes to be and think like an engineer. We also began to explore the four major types of engineering that we will dive into later this week. Today, we learned the engineering design process through building paper airplanes and a trebuchet.
In the morning, we applied the engineering design process to rearrange the seats and tables in our classroom and applied critical thinking skills to determine how successful the outcome was. We also used critical thinking skills to construct several iterations of paper airplanes, with the results being more successful than the first.
In the afternoon, we talked about how engineers of all four main types work together to create the products and systems we use daily. We finished the day with students constructing trebuchets and learning through Productive Failure. Students were tasked with designing and building a trebuchet to launch a mini marshmallow at a given target. Some students successfully hit their target while others discovered how to make their trebuchet more precise. The focus of discussions was “What did you learn from some of your group’s struggles?”
Some questions you can ask around the dinner table:
- What type of engineering did you and your team present on?
- What would you do differently about your team’s trebuchet design?
- Why do airplane wings have winglets?
Announcement: On Wednesday, we will be going on a walking field trip to visit Vanderbilt’s Central Energy Plant. Students will need to wear closed-toe shoes on Wednesday for the tour.
Have a great evening. We look forward to seeing your students tomorrow morning.
Warmly,
Mr. Shuman and Ms. Green