Video Lessons

How Do Engineers Solve Problems?

Summary

Grade Range

3rd-5th

Group Size

4 students

Active Time

2 hours and 15 minutes

Total Time

2 hours and 15 minutes

Area of Science

Aerodynamics & Hydrodynamics

Key Concepts

Engineering design process, engineering criteria, engineering constraints, drag, lift, thrust

Credits

Sabine De Brabandere, PhD, Science Buddies Alumni

Video narration by Jennifer E Paz

Pricing

Free for a limited time thanks to individual donors

Video Lesson

Overview

In this fun video lesson, students will pretend to be engineers at an engineering company that constructs paper airplanes. They will identify the criteria for success from provided readings and define the constraints on their solutions. Using the engineering design process they will prototype, test, and deliver their best paper airplanes.

engineering design video lesson thumbnail.

Learning Objectives

Practice using the engineering design process.
Identify criteria for success and constraints on materials and time.
Understand the benefits of specifying constraints and criteria for success early in an engineering task.

Materials

For the class:

Open, indoor space for throwing paper airplanes (at least seven meters, with no furniture in the way).
Tape measure
Chalk or painters tape to indicate the target area and the throwing line on the floor.

Per group:

Printer paper (at least 16 sheets per team). Alternatively, you can let your students use colored construction paper.
Optional: materials that can be useful for making paper airplanes. These materials are not required; you can decide what to use based on what you have available in your classroom.
- Scissors
- Rulers
- Tape
- Paper clips
- Colored markers
Optional: calculator for calculating average distance

Per student:

Prep Work

Students should have Pages 1-2 of the worksheet at the start of the lesson. Pages 3-9 can be handed out before they start the explore section.

Prepare the test site before the students are ready to test their planes (time stamp 55:25 in the explore video). Use tape or chalk to tape or draw the throw line and the target area on the floor.

Image Credit: Sabine De Brabandere, Science Buddies / Science Buddies

Students might like to throw the airplanes a few times as practice, before throwing them to test the performance of the airplanes.

The explore section of the video does not need to be done in one session. If needed, you can easily halt the lesson at the following points:

Before or after doing background research (at 9:38 or 16:20 in the explore video). Reading the background research paper can be assigned as homework. The students should, however, be given time to discuss the background reading in their groups.
Between producing the prototypes and testing (at 55:25).
Just after testing, before evaluating the test data (57:20).

Engage (22 minutes)

In this video, students look at some actions that led to the Apollo 13 recovery, and discover the steps of the engineering design process.

Explore (1 hour 45 minutes)

In this video, students pretend to be engineers at a paper airplane factory. They will be guided through the steps of the engineering design process as they work on designing a paper airplane that fulfills the customer's specifications.

Reflect (5 minutes)

This video helps students reflect on how the engineering design process—specifically specifying requirements—helps engineers solve problems.

NGSS Alignment

This lesson helps students prepare for these Next Generation Science Standards Performance Expectations:

3-5-ETS1-1. Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.

This lesson focuses on these aspects of NGSS Three Dimensional Learning:

Science & Engineering Practices

Asking Questions and Defining Problems. Define a simple design problem that can be solved through the development of an object, tool, process, or system and includes several criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.

Disciplinary Core Ideas

ETS1.A: Defining and Delimiting Engineering Problems. Possible solutions to a problem are limited by available materials and resources (constraints). The success of a designed solution is determined by considering the desired features of a solution (criteria). Different proposals for solutions can be compared on the basis of how well each one meets the specified criteria for success or how well each takes the constraints into account.

Crosscutting Concepts

Influence of Science, Engineering, and Technology on Society and the Natural World. Engineers improve existing technologies or develop new ones to increase their benefits, decrease known risks, and meet societal demands.

Assess

Use the worksheet to assess students.
If the students makes a report, poster, or presentation to communicate their findings, these can be used to assess student's understanding.

Extensions

The Soccket, an energy-generating soccer ball that turns into a lamp, The Kid Should See This (TKSST)

Activities

Design a Cell Phone Stand

STEM Activity

86 reviews

Why buy it when you can build it? That is the attitude you will need for this project. You have probably seen cell phone holders or stands around the house or in a car. They might seem like a very simple object, but they are a great way to learn about the engineering design process. In this project, you will design and build your own working phone stand. Read more

Lesson Plans

Defining an Engineering Design Problem with Paper Airplanes

Lesson Plan Grade: 3rd-5th

30 reviews

Are paper airplanes a nuisance in your classroom? They don't have to be! Those distractions can be a constructive learning opportunity: use them to teach your students about the engineering design process. In this fun lesson, you will be the "customer" ordering a paper airplane, and your student teams will be engineering companies that will manufacture planes. Before they start making planes, they need to define the criteria and constraints of this engineering problem. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

3-5-ETS1-1. Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.

Careers

Aerospace Engineer

Career Profile

Did you have fun designing and building planes? Do you want to come up with lots of crazy designs of your own? Aerospace engineers design and build real planes, and other flying vehicles like helicopters and rockets. Read more

Industrial Engineer