Download STEM Day January 8 2015

STEM DAY, JANUARY 8, 2015
BUILD IT: INVENT NEW STRUCTURES AND CONTRAPTIONS BY TAMMY ENZ
• TURN ON THE TV AT 8:00 AND LISTEN TO MR.
PINNOCK READ THE BOOK.
OPEN YOUR STEMFOLIO TO PAGE 29 AND
SPEND 10 MINUTES RESPONDING TO THE
LITERATURE.
CHALLENGE: SHAPES OF STRENGTH
TODAY YOU ALL ARE GOING TO BE ENGINEERS WITH A SPECIFIC
PROBLEM: YOU MUST BUILD A STRUCTURE TO HOLD UP AS MANY
BOOKS AS POSSIBLE USING ONLY THE MATERIALS PROVIDED. TO
SOLVE THIS PROBLEM, THINK LIKE AN ENGINEER. AS YOU WORK
WITH YOUR TEAM, FOLLOW THE ENGINEERING DESIGN
PROCESS—BE CREATIVE AND THINK "OUTSIDE OF THE BOX."
REMEMBER TO KEEP IN MIND OTHER THINGS THAT MAKE
BUILDINGS STRONG, BESIDES THE MATERIALS. AND, DO NOT BE
DECEIVED BY USING PAPER AND STRAWS TO BUILD A STRUCTURE;
PAPER IS VERY STRONG WHEN USED TO ITS BEST ADVANTAGE!
ENGINEERS ARE CONSTANTLY BEING CHALLENGED TO SOLVE THE WORLD'S
NEW AND COMPLICATED PROBLEMS. MANY OF THESE PROBLEMS INITIALLY
SEEM IMPOSSIBLE TO SOLVE, BUT ENGINEERS FIND A WAY TO MAKE THINGS
HAPPEN! IN THE 20TH CENTURY, ENGINEERS DEVELOPED PREVIOUSLY
UNIMAGINABLE THINGS SUCH AS ELECTRICITY, MASS TRANSPORTATION,
THOUSANDS OF DIFFERENT AUTOMOBILES, AND EVEN SPACE TRAVEL.
ENGINEERS OFTEN LOOK BACK IN HISTORY TO LEARN FROM PAST
ENGINEERING SUCCESSES AND FAILURES AS THEY DESIGN AND BUILD AMAZING
NEW THINGS. EVERY DAY, ENGINEERS ARE THINKING OF WAYS TO IMPROVE
ON WHAT ALREADY EXISTS AS WELL AS DEVELOPING BRAND NEW IDEAS THAT
HAVE NEVER BEEN CREATED BEFORE. IN 2003, THE TALLEST BUILDING
IN THE WORLD, THE TAIPEI 101, WAS COMPLETED . LOCATED IN
TAIWAN, THE TAIPEI 101—NAMED FOR ITS 101 FLOORS—STANDS
AT 1,671 FEET, MORE THAN A QUARTER MILE TALL! FOR ENGINEERS
TO COME UP WITH A PLAN FOR THIS BUILDING (AND OTHER SIMILARLY
CHALLENGING STRUCTURES), THEY MUST BE CREATIVE AND THINK
"OUTSIDE THE BOX."
LET'S TALK ABOUT BUILDINGS. WHAT MAKES A BUILDING
STRONG? WHAT ELSE, BESIDES THE MATERIALS USED,
MAKES THE BUILDING STRONG? LET'S BRAINSTORM SOME
IDEAS. CONSIDER THE PYRAMIDS IN EGYPT. THOSE
BUILDINGS ARE VERY STRONG AND HAVE LASTED
HUNDREDS OF YEARS. THEY HAVE A VERY DISTINCTIVE
SHAPE THAT AIDS IN THEIR STRENGTH. STRUCTURES MUST
BE ABLE TO REMAIN STANDING DESPITE LARGE AMOUNTS
OF FORCE PUT ON THEM BY WEIGHT AND OTHER
FACTORS SUCH AS EARTHQUAKES OR WIND. USING
DIFFERENT GEOMETRIC SHAPES, STRUCTURES ARE
SUPPORTED IN DIFFERENT WAYS.
AN EXAMPLE OF A BUILDING USING TWO DIFFERENT SHAPES, TRIANGLES
AND COLUMNS, IS THE PARTHENON, A VERY SUCCESSFUL ENGINEERING
FEAT. THE PARTHENON BEGAN CONSTRUCTION OVER TWO THOUSAND
YEARS AGO IN 447 BC—AT THE HEIGHT OF THE ATHENIAN EMPIRE—AND
IS STILL STANDING TODAY. THE PARTHENON WAS A TEMPLE BUILT TO
REPRESENT THE POWER AND STRENGTH OF THE RESIDENTS OF ATHENS,
GREECE. THIS IS AN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE OF A WELL-BUILT STRUCTURE
THAT ENGINEERS CAN STUDY, ENABLING THEM TO LEARN BETTER DESIGNS
FROM THE PAST FOR THE FUTURE.
• AS A SMALL GROUP, COMPLETE THE “ASK”
QUESTIONS ON PAGE 32.
HAVE YOUR GROUP COMPLETE THE IMAGINE
SECTION.
BRAINSTORM:
HOW YOU WILL USE YOUR MATERIALS?
WHAT WILL BE THE BEST SHAPE TO
SUPPORT TEXTBOOKS?
• RESEARCH YOUR POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS FROM “IMAGINE”
TO FIND OUT MORE.
BRAINSTORM WITH YOUR TEAM HOW YOU WILL SOLVE
THE PROBLEM AND RECORD YOUR SOLUTION.
DRAW A DIAGRAM OF YOUR SOLUTION.
OF THE AVAILABLE MATERIALS, LIST THE ONES YOU WILL NEED.
DECIDE ON JOBS:
CHALLENGE CAPTAIN ____________________
MATERIALS MASTER ____________________
CHALLENGE RECORDER ____________________
TESTING COORDINATOR ____________________
CHIEF ARCHITECT ____________________
RAPID REPORTER ____________________
PLAN THE STEPS YOU WILL TAKE.
FOLLOW YOUR PLAN AND CREATE IT.
COLLABORATE WITH YOUR TEAM.
WORK STEADILY AND MANAGE YOUR TIME.
TEST YOUR DESIGN! DID IT WORK?
IMPROVE
WHAT WORKS?
WHAT DOESN'T WORK?
WHAT WOULD YOU DO DIFFERENTLY?
MODIFY YOUR DESIGN TO MAKE IT BETTER.
TEST IT OUT!
AT 9:45, HAVE A CLASS COMPETITION TO SEE WHICH
DESIGN HOLDS THE GREATEST WEIGHT.
AT 9:55, THE WINNER WILL COMPETE AGAINST THE
WINNERS OF THE OTHER 5TH GRADE CLASSES!