Unit 1 — Introduction to STEM - Tin Foil Boat Challenge
Description
Students begin the year with an introduction to STEM and the engineering design process through a hands-on boat design challenge. Using tin foil, metal washers, packing peanuts, and paper clips, students design and build boats that float and hold weight. Students test their designs in a clear tank or pool and record data. The challenge includes word processing assessments and presentations using PowerPoint, integrating technology skills with engineering. This unit establishes foundational understanding of testing, evaluation, and iteration.
Essential Questions
- What makes a boat float and hold weight?
- How do we test and improve our designs?
- What is the engineering design process?
- How do we record and analyze our results?
Learning Objectives
- Understand and apply the basic engineering design process
- Design and build a boat using simple materials
- Test designs and collect data on performance
- Make predictions and improvements based on test results
- Communicate findings using word processing and presentations
- Measure and compare results using graphs
Supplemental Resources
- Chart paper for recording initial design ideas
- Markers for labeling boats and data displays
- Index cards for recording observations during testing
- Rulers for measuring boat dimensions and performance
- Clipboards for holding data collection sheets during testing
Algorithms and Programming
Data and Analysis
Engineering Design
Nature of Technology
Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science
Digital Literacy
Measurement
Operations and Algebraic Thinking
Students write informative texts to explain engineering design processes and create digital stories about investigations. Students engage in collaborative discussions during design challenges and present findings about prototypes and solutions.
Students measure lengths of objects using appropriate tools and units, create bar graphs and picture graphs to represent data, and use addition and subtraction to solve word problems involving measurements and comparisons.
Formative Assessments
- Pre-assessment bar graph activity
- Observation of boat design and construction
- Testing and measurement of boat performance
- Student presentations of designs and results
Summative Assessment
Completed boat design project with PowerPoint presentation of design process and results
Benchmark Assessment
— not configured —
Alternative Assessment
Students may demonstrate understanding of the engineering design process through a picture or video-supported explanation of their boat design instead of a written or verbal presentation. Simplified data recording sheets with visual symbols or checkboxes may replace standard written responses.
IEP (Individualized Education Program)
During the design and building phases, provide visual step-by-step supports such as illustrated process charts that break the engineering design cycle into clear, sequenced stages. Allow students to demonstrate understanding through oral explanation, dictation, or guided drawing rather than relying solely on typed or written responses, particularly for the PowerPoint presentation and data recording components. When collecting and graphing data, offer pre-formatted recording sheets with labeled sections and picture cues to reduce the cognitive load of organizing information independently. Check in frequently during hands-on tasks to provide feedback and redirect as needed, ensuring students experience success at each stage of the build-and-test process.
Section 504
Provide extended time during testing, data recording, and the PowerPoint presentation to ensure students can demonstrate their understanding without time pressure. Preferential seating near the water tank or demonstration area supports focus during whole-group modeling of the engineering design process. Ensure that directions for each phase of the challenge are provided both verbally and in print, with key steps highlighted, so students can reference expectations independently throughout the build-and-test cycle.
ELL / MLL
Introduce and preview key engineering and science vocabulary — such as float, sink, weight, design, test, and improve — using pictures, physical demonstrations, and realia before students begin building. Provide visual directions with illustrations for each stage of the engineering design process so students can follow along without relying solely on oral or written English. When students present their designs and results, allow them to point to their boat, gesture, or use a drawing to support their explanation, and honor responses that draw on their home language alongside English.
At Risk (RTI)
Connect the challenge to students' everyday experiences with water and floating objects to activate prior knowledge and build confidence before design work begins. Offer simplified recording templates with sentence starters and labeled diagram frames so students can participate fully in data collection and reflection without being blocked by writing demands. During the build-and-test cycle, pair these students with a supportive partner and focus expectations on the core process — design, build, test, and change — rather than the volume or complexity of documentation.
Gifted & Talented
Encourage students to go beyond a single design by challenging them to investigate how changing one variable at a time — such as the shape of the hull or the placement of weight — affects their boat's performance, introducing early concepts of controlled experimentation. Students can be supported to analyze their graphed data to draw conclusions and generate new questions, moving from description to explanation and prediction. For the presentation component, invite these students to consider what they would design differently and why, pushing toward evaluative and evidence-based thinking rather than simple reporting of results.