Unit 7 — Using Engineering Design with Force and Motion Systems
Description
Students apply scientific ideas about force, motion, and energy to design, test, and refine a device that converts energy from one form to another. Through the engineering design process, students research design problems, establish criteria and constraints, generate and compare multiple solutions, and test and improve their designs. Students work collaboratively in small groups to build devices such as rubber band cars, roller coasters, and ball launchers. They present their design solutions and receive feedback from peers to support design improvements. Students learn that science affects everyday life and that engineers work in teams to meet people's needs for new or improved technologies.
Essential Questions
- How can scientific ideas be applied to design, test, and refine a device that converts energy from one form to another?
- How does the engineering design process help us solve problems?
- What makes a design solution successful?
Learning Objectives
- Apply scientific ideas to design, test, and refine a device that converts energy from one form to another
- Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost
- Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each meets criteria and constraints
- Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved
- Understand that engineers improve existing technologies or develop new ones to meet societal demands
- Communicate design solutions with peers and incorporate feedback
Supplemental Resources
- Chart paper for posting criteria and constraints
- Construction materials (rubber bands, springs, wood, cardboard, batteries, wires)
- Graphic organizers for design planning and testing
- Printed design challenge instructions and materials lists
Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science
Physical Sciences
Crosscutting Concepts
Disciplinary Core Ideas
Science and Engineering Practices
Students read informational texts and conduct short research projects to gather evidence supporting science explanations across all units. They write informative and opinion pieces, take notes from print and digital sources, draw evidence from texts, and use audio recordings and visual displays in presentations to communicate understanding of science concepts including weathering, erosion, earth processes, structures and functions, energy transfer, force and motion, and waves.
Students apply mathematical reasoning and measurement skills across science units. They use measurement units to collect and analyze quantitative data, model with mathematics when drawing diagrams of light and waves, solve multistep word problems involving distances and quantities related to energy and earth processes, interpret multiplication equations as comparisons when analyzing environmental data, and apply geometric concepts such as points, lines, angles, and lines of symmetry when studying wave properties and organism structures.
Formative Assessments
- Small group research on stored energy and energy conversion
- Design sketches and diagrams of proposed devices
- Testing and data collection on device performance
- Peer feedback on design solutions based on criteria and constraints
- Refinement documentation showing design iterations
Summative Assessment
develop an electrical warning system to alert astronauts on a spaceship of potential asteroid collisions
Benchmark Assessment
— not configured —
Alternative Assessment
Students may demonstrate understanding through a verbal explanation of their device's design and how it converts energy, supported by labeled diagrams or visual models. Teacher-led interviews, simplified design sketches with sentence frames, or collaborative demonstrations with a peer or adult may replace or supplement written responses.
IEP (Individualized Education Program)
During research and design phases, provide graphic organizers that break the engineering design process into clearly labeled stages, helping students track their progress from problem definition through testing and refinement. Allow students to communicate design ideas through labeled sketches, oral explanations, or dictation rather than requiring extended written descriptions. When collecting and recording test data, offer structured data tables with pre-filled categories so students can focus on observing and measuring rather than organizing information from scratch. Pairing students with a peer partner during group build and test sessions can provide additional processing support while maintaining collaborative participation.
Section 504
Provide extended time during testing and data collection phases to allow students to observe, record, and reflect on device performance without time pressure. Preferential seating within small groups ensures access to materials and clear sightlines during demonstrations and peer presentations. Written copies of design criteria, constraints, and testing instructions should be available at the student's workspace so key information does not need to be held in working memory throughout multi-step build sessions.
ELL / MLL
Introduce and display key vocabulary related to force, motion, energy conversion, and the engineering design process with visual supports such as diagrams and labeled illustrations before and throughout the unit. Provide simplified, step-by-step directions for design and testing tasks, and check comprehension by asking students to restate the task in their own words before beginning. Encourage students to sketch and label design diagrams using their home language as needed, and allow oral explanation of design reasoning as an alternative or supplement to written documentation.
At Risk (RTI)
Connect the engineering design challenge to familiar, everyday experiences with motion and cause-and-effect to build confidence and activate prior knowledge before introducing more abstract concepts like energy conversion. Reduce the complexity of initial design tasks by narrowing the number of variables students are asked to consider at one time, then gradually introduce additional criteria and constraints as understanding grows. Frequent check-ins during the build and test phases allow the teacher to provide immediate feedback and help students recognize progress, supporting persistence through the iterative design process.
Gifted & Talented
Challenge students to investigate the underlying physics principles governing their device's energy conversion at a deeper level, exploring concepts such as potential and kinetic energy relationships or the effect of friction as a variable in their fair testing. Encourage students to develop more sophisticated design criteria beyond the baseline requirements, such as optimizing for efficiency, minimizing material use, or solving for a secondary constraint they identify independently. Students may also take on a leadership role in the peer feedback process, designing a structured evaluation protocol for assessing classmates' solutions against engineering criteria, adding an authentic layer of systems thinking to their experience.