Unit 3 — Design Challenges and Problem Solving: Civil Engineering
Description
This capstone unit applies the Engineering Design Process to real civil engineering challenges with instructor-determined constraints. Students work in teams to design and construct solutions using the EDP. Before building physical prototypes, students use TinkerCAD to create design drawings. Possible projects include wooden bridges, paper towers, straw suspension bridges, or book support challenges, each with varying constraints such as materials, weight, distance, budget, size, and time. Students must create structures that survive multiple challenges and issues. Safety lessons on glue gun use and equipment are reinforced. The unit culminates in students demonstrating how they applied the design process within the constraints provided.
Essential Questions
- How can the Engineering Design Process be applied to solve a civil engineering problem?
- What is structure and how does structure relate to function in civil engineering?
- How do design constraints influence the solution?
- What are the benefits and drawbacks of various building materials?
- Why do engineers need to keep outside effects in mind when designing structures?
Learning Objectives
- Solve a problem with constraints determined by the instructor within the civil engineering branch using the EDP
- Create a structure that can survive multiple challenges and issues
- Use TinkerCAD to plan designs before physical construction
- Apply understanding of gravity, load, force, and structure to design decisions
- Work collaboratively in teams to design and build solutions
- Evaluate material choices based on properties and constraints
- Document the iterative design process and decisions made
- Students will analyze how civil engineering design decisions account for earth science factors such as soil composition, weather conditions, and seismic activity when planning structures, connecting physical science forces to earth and space science concepts.
- Students will apply the full Engineering Design Process to define a civil engineering problem, develop and compare multiple solutions, test prototypes against specified constraints, and iteratively refine their designs based on test results, meeting MS-ETS1 performance expectations for the 6-8 grade band.
Suggested Texts
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Supplemental Resources
- Rulers and measuring tools for precise construction to specifications
- Index cards and graph paper for planning and design documentation
- Scissors and glue sticks for material assembly during building phase
- Printed constraint cards or specification sheets for each design challenge
Engineering Design
Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science
Geometry
Standards for Mathematical Practice
Students engage in collaborative discussions with diverse partners, build on others' ideas, and express their own thinking clearly and persuasively during design challenges and project presentations.
Students make sense of problems and persevere in solving them, use appropriate tools strategically, attend to precision in measurements, and apply geometric concepts including scale drawings and spatial relationships when designing and constructing engineering solutions.
Students follow precisely multistep procedures when carrying out investigations and technical tasks, and apply engineering design processes to define criteria and constraints, evaluate competing solutions, and test modifications to optimize designs.
Formative Assessments
- TinkerCAD design drawing completion before building
- Team design process documentation showing iterations and constraint considerations
- Classroom observation of collaborative problem solving during construction
- Testing and evaluation of prototypes against stated constraints
Summative Assessment
Completed civil engineering project (wooden bridge, paper tower, straw suspension bridge, or book support challenge) that meets specified constraints and survives challenge testing
Benchmark Assessment
End-of-trimester benchmark assessment measuring cumulative understanding of the Engineering Design Process, structural engineering concepts, and application of constraints in civil engineering design
Alternative Assessment
Students document the iterative design process through a multimedia portfolio or video walkthrough showing design decisions, constraint responses, testing outcomes, and reflections on their civil engineering project
IEP (Individualized Education Program)
During the design and planning phase, provide graphic organizers or structured templates that guide students through each step of the Engineering Design Process, reducing the cognitive load of open-ended planning. For TinkerCAD work and physical construction, offer step-by-step visual directions and allow students to demonstrate understanding of concepts like load and force through oral explanation or labeled diagrams rather than written documentation alone. Extended time on design documentation and prototype testing phases supports processing differences, and pairing students intentionally within teams ensures collaborative roles are accessible and meaningful for every learner.
Section 504
Students should have access to a distraction-reduced workspace during focused design and building phases, as hands-on construction environments can be overstimulating. Extended time for TinkerCAD design completion and written documentation of the iterative process allows students to demonstrate their engineering thinking without time pressure undermining output. Preferential seating near the instructor during safety instruction on tools such as the glue gun ensures critical directions are clearly received.
ELL / MLL
Introduce and display key civil engineering and design vocabulary — such as constraint, load, force, prototype, and iteration — with visual supports like diagrams and illustrated word walls that remain visible throughout the unit. Directions for each phase of the Engineering Design Process should be given in short, clear steps with accompanying visuals, and students should be invited to retell instructions in their own words before beginning. Where possible, allow students to discuss design ideas with a peer who shares their home language before contributing to the full team, supporting concept development alongside English communication.
At Risk (RTI)
Begin by activating students' prior knowledge of everyday structures — bridges, towers, shelving — to build a concrete entry point into civil engineering concepts before introducing formal design constraints. Reduce the complexity of initial planning tasks by providing partially completed design templates or constraint checklists that help students organize their thinking without requiring them to generate all structure from scratch. Frequent check-ins during construction and testing phases, with specific and positive feedback on incremental progress, help sustain engagement and build confidence in the problem-solving process.
Gifted & Talented
Challenge students to engage more deeply with the engineering constraints by independently researching how real civil engineers balance competing factors such as material cost, structural load, and environmental forces in professional practice. Encourage them to propose and test multiple design iterations with documented hypotheses about why one structural approach might outperform another, moving toward evidence-based engineering reasoning. Students may also explore how their chosen structural form — suspension, beam, tower — connects to larger concepts in physics or architecture, producing an analysis that extends beyond the build itself to the underlying principles that govern it.