الأسبوع 9 · المحور الأول، الوحدة الأولى: مشروع الوحدة «التواصل بين الخفافيش» والمشروع البيني «حماية الحياة البرية» · 3 دروس
3
Design, build and test our walkway
Discovery Education Science P4: Term 1, Unit 1, pp. 100–115
GoalUse the design process in a group to plan, build and test a small walkway model and reflect on it.
New words
design process · steps engineers use: ask, imagine, plan, build, test, improvemodel · a small copy used to try a designrole · a job each person does in a group
Explanation
Engineers solve problems with the design process: ask, imagine, plan, build, test, improve. Work in a group of four and share roles: a leader who keeps time, a materials manager, a recorder who writes, and a tester. Imagine three ideas, such as a roof of cardboard for shade, a pale-coloured path that stays cooler, or a small covered tunnel along the edge. Sketch each idea, then choose one and make a plan with a labelled drawing and a materials list. Build a small model with cardboard, craft sticks and paper. Test it with a toy paper lizard and a lamp or the morning sun: does the shade cover the path? Is the model strong? Is there room for people? Record what happens, then improve one thing and test again. At the end, reflect: how well did the design meet the needs of the lizards and the people? A grown-up helps with scissors and any lamp. Never look into a bright lamp.
ask→imagine→plan→build→test→improve
Worked examples
Roles in the group: Mina leads and watches the clock, Nour gets the cardboard, Seif writes down results, and Malak tests the model with a paper lizard. Everyone has a job.
Time of test
Is the lizard in shade?
morning lamp
yes
noon lamp (overhead)
no
The group’s plan: a cardboard roof on four sticks over half of the path. The test: shine a lamp from the side and see if the shade covers the paper lizard. Result: the shade covered it in the morning, but not at noon.
They improve the model: a wider roof. Test 2: the shade covers the lizard at both times. Reflection: the design helps the lizards, but it costs more cardboard than planned.
Class activity
Walkway project. In a group, follow the design process. Make a sketch with labels, a materials list and a test plan. Build a small model. Test it twice and record what you changed and what happened. Finish with a reflection: Did the design meet the needs of the lizards? Of the people? What would you improve next? Present your model to the class in two minutes. A grown-up cuts and handles any lamp.
Practice
1
Put the design steps in order: test, ask, build, imagine, improve, plan.
Ask, imagine, plan, build, test, improve.
2
Why does the group test the model before they build the real walkway?
To find problems early and improve the design cheaply.
3
Why is it useful to give each person a role?
Everyone knows their job, so the work gets done and nobody is left out.
4
In the test, the shade did not cover the lizard at noon. What should the group improve?
Make the roof wider so that shade covers the path at noon too.
