Overview

Grades

3+ (Ages 8+)

Time

40 minutes per lab

Unit Essential Question(s)

How can I design a pendulum solve an authentic problem?
How can I use the iterative process to continue to design and learn from my mistakes?

Unit Understandings

The following concepts will be covered throughout this Unit:

How to build a pendulum.
How to use the iterative process to complete challenges testing a team’s ability to problem solve open-ended issues without a clear solution.
How to build the Pendulum Kerplunk game.
How to use the iterative process to experiment how to make an original pendulum game.

Lab Summary

Click on the following tabs for a summary of what the students will do and learn in each lab.

Lab 1 - Engineer a Pendulum

Main Focus Question: How do I build and engineer a pendulum?

Students work in teams to build the Pendulum using the VEX GO Kit. After building, teams will explore how the Pendulum can move with force and motion.

Using the Pendulum Challenge Cards, students will explore and use the iterative process to experiment adding and taking pieces away to solve questions such as, “How can I add a piece to help the motion of my pendulum?” By experimenting, students will learn how to debug and solve challenges with no clear solution.

Lastly, students will share and explore how their collaborative teamwork using the iterative process helped to solve the challenges.

Lab 2 - Creating the Kerplunk Game

Main Focus Question: How do I design a pendulum game?

Students will work in teams to build the Pendulum using the VEX GO Kit. Teams will build the Pendulum Kerplunk game.

As a team, students will take the class game and further experiment how to create alternative rules, objectives and goals in the game to create an original game. Using the iterative process, teams will challenge themselves to create a game that 2-4 players can play in the class.

Lastly, students will rotate and play each other’s game. In the end, the class will discuss the challenges and successes they faced in the game experiment.

Unit Standards

Unit Standards will be addressed in every Lab within the Unit.

International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)

ISTE - (4) Innovative Designer - 4a: Students know and use deliberate design process for generating ideas, testing theories, creating innovative artifacts or solving authentic problems.

How Standard is Achieved: In Lab 1, this ISTE standard is met in the Play Part 1 and Part 2 activities through the Pendulum Challenge Cards. Students will design and generate ideas on how to create and solve an authentic problem. Using challenges such as add a piece to your pendulum, students will solve a design challenge. By solving authentic problems, student are engaged in designing for a reason.

In Lab 2, this ISTE standard is met in the Play Part 1 and 2 activities through the building and experimenting of the Pendulum Kerplunk game. Students will first design the Pendulum Kerplunk game as a class. Then teams will develop alternate directions, objectives and goals to create a new game for the class to play.

International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)

ISTE - (4) Innovative Designer - 4c: Students develop, test and refine prototypes as part of a cyclical design process.

How Standard is Achieved: In Lab 1, the ISTE standard is met in the Engage section through building and constructing the pendulum. Students will debug and test how pieces are put together for the build. In Lab 1, the ISTE standard is also met through the Play 1 and Play 2 activities. Students test, debug and solve Pendulum Challenge Cards using the iterative process. Testing, failing, and then trying again is a major theme in the Play 1 and Play 2 sections for students to gain a sense of understanding how every challenge will take more than one step to solve.

In Lab 2, this ISTE standard is met in the Engage, and Play Part 2 sections. Students in the Engage section must work together to debug and put together their pendulum build. In the Play Part 2 section, students will test and debug their alternate pendulum game to make sure that their creation works and can be played by their fellow classmates.

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