SILO 2.2 (DRAFT)

Year 2, Term 2: Construction zone

Focus: Engineering Scope and sequence: Engineering

Learning intention: Students use materials, tools and equipment to develop solutions for a need or opportunity.

NSW Syllabus
Australian Curriculum (version 9.0)
"A student uses materials, tools and equipment to develop solutions for a need or opportunity." (ST1-2DP-T)
"Students learn to use materials, components, tools, equipment and techniques to safely make designed solutions." (AC9TDE2P02)


Introduction to the topic

Investigating shapes
Can anyone guess which shape is the strongest? Think about some of the major structures you have seen. Does anyone notice anything in common with all of these? Hint: Each picture gets more obvious.



(Image source https://www.pickpik.com/paris-transmission-tower-building-national-culture-france-eiffel-tower-124132)


(Image source https://freerangestock.com/photos/134469/swings-in-park-.html)


(Image source https://www.rawpixel.com/image/5925047/photo-image-public-domain-free-building)


(Image source https://pxhere.com/en/photo/1636227#google_vignette)Week 2


Revising the design cycle

Think Make Improve


Expanding the design cycle



Building 3D objects

Toothpick and chickpea activity

Chickpeas work really well as connectors for toothpicks. For best results, soak dry chickpeas in water overnight as canned chickpeas are usually too soft and can break apart.


(Image source https://aofradkin.wordpress.com/2017/04/06/the-joys-of-peas-and-toothpicks-for-all-ages/)

Design challenge
Using this newly gained knowledge of shapes, students will work independently to build the tallest structure possible that is able to stand upright on its own. They will then line all their structures up and look at which is the tallest and why it is able to support itself at this great height.


  • What made the tallest structure so successful?
  • What kind of base did each person choose?
  • Do you notice anything about some famous structures such as the Eiffel Tower? (i.e., what kind of shape do they make going from top to bottom?)
  • How could you have refined your structure to make it more successful for next time? (this is part of the design cycle).


What is an engineer?

This short video (4:29) provides an introduction to engineering and what it means to be an engineer.


Building bridges

Does anyone know what a bridge is? Can anyone name any famous bridges? Can you identify what features most major bridges contain that was discussed in an earlier week (answer, triangles)?

Remember earlier in this unit when we learned about engineers? One type of engineer is a civil engineer. These engineers are responsible for building stable structures – for example, bridges!

The following video (3:45) from SciShow Kids discusses what makes bridges strong.


The following video (3:51) Deysi from Design Squad Global talks about the strength of using triangles in your engineering designs.



Design challenge

Students will endeavour to test this shape theory with the addition of weights. Their goal will be to build a bridge that can withstand a downwards force acting on it. Students will have 20 minutes to build their structure and then we will test each bridge by placing its ends on an elevated surface and layering weights such as books on top until the structure fails. The bridge that remains standing the longest is the winner.

  • If your bridge failed, can anyone identify the way in which it failed?
  • Why did it fail this way?
  • What did the longest standing structure do successfully?

Popsicle stick challenge

Last week we learned about building bridges using the strongest shape, triangles. Does anyone remember what we used to fasten the toothpicks together last week?

That’s right, chickpeas! How did the chickpeas hold the toothpicks together?

Activity
This week, we are going to use the force of pressure to hold together a different type of material, that is even stronger than the toothpicks from before – popsicle sticks!

PART 1: Everyone is going to create a structure by weaving together a handful of popsicle sticks. The outline of the panels we are creating have already been put together, using PIN JOINTS to keep the corners in place; your task is to weave popsicle sticks through the center to strengthen the panel through reinforcement which will STABILISE the structure.

The first structure (shown in blue) can can made using six popsicle sticks. This can then be extended into a stronger shape (shown in red) using a total of ten popsicle sticks. 

   


LEARNING POINT: Wait – with no glue, how are these two center pieces going to stick to the rest of the panel? Well, each popsicle stick is going to be supporting the other by applying a force that is opposite to the next touch point.

PART 2: Now that we have all created strong independent structures, we are going to see how strong they can be when we combine these individual structures together! Can anyone predict if the resulting structure will be stronger or weaker than our toothpick bridges?

Have everyone stack their panels in a way that creates a bridge using cable ties as a means of holding them together. See the example image below.

Once the bridge is finished, the class can test the strength in a similar way to how the toothpick bridges were tested, to prove the increased strength of the popsicle sticks.


Scissor arms

   There is an old saying that, "A chain is only as strong as its weakest link". What does this mean?

   There is another saying advising us to, "Measure twice, cut once". What does this mean?


Materials for design:
The activity from the previous week demonstrates one way cable ties are useful in linking objects together. Cable ties are also very useful in the design process.

Activity:
Today our goal is going to be to create a machine that can reach something far away – we are going to build a SCISSOR ARM! The materials available for use are listed below. A major part of the design process is selecting the right materials for the task, so note that not all of these are required – it is up to you to pick what will best accomplish the task!


*Give students 20 minutes to build their scissor arm*

Now that everyone is done building their machines, we are going to test them! Your goal is to move as many of the 3D blocks from one desk to the other desk, without dropping them or damaging their shape.


Each of the scissor arms that were built today incorporated something known as a simple machine – a LEVER. This is something we will touch on in a future lesson.


  • Which fastening mechanisms were most effective – pin joints or cable ties?
  • What about the materials used on the end of the arm – which best held the delicate blocks and why?

Dams

Beavers are a great example of engineers in our natural environment. Their identified problem is the inability to build their homes on rushing water, and to fix this problem they create dams – an engineering feat mimicked by humans for use in our communities as well. The following video (6:40) by Mystery Science shows how and why beavers build dams.



Some real-world examples of dams created by humans are the Hoover Dam in the United States, and the Three Gorges Dam in China. Both of these are very large dams that achieve the same goals of controlling water movement that beaver dams do, but these ones took years to build by humans, using some major machinery to assist in the process.

Activity Introduction

To demonstrate how a dam works, we are going to create one of our own.


This is a small-scale version of what a dam does to control lake levels and water flow rates.


Shapes and their superpowers

Squares

In SILO 2.1 'Shapes and objects' we learned about the properties of circles and how this also applies to cylinders. Earlier in SILO 2.2 'Construction zone' we learned about triangles. Now it is time to look a squares and the idea of being 'square'. Although a square does not have the same structural strength as a triangle, squares are everywhere in classrooms, tables and even boxes thanks to the symmetrical properties of the 90-degree angle. The idea of a building being ‘square’ is a fundamental concept in the construction industry.

 

Moderated self-assessment


 

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