1
Teacher Name: Kimberly Deckard
School: Burnett Creek Elementary School
Grades: 4/5
Design Task: Yucky Water!
Date: 9-4-15
PART I:
Day
Overview of your SLED lesson(s):
Brief description of lesson activities you enacted
each day over the course of the SLED design task
Read Dr. Xargle’s Earthlets to the students to
introduce the concepts of observations and inferences
Students sorted observation and inference cards and
using the Frayer Model form, they gave their own
definitions and examples of inferences.
What do you think your
students learned each day
Difference between
observations and inferences
Difference between
observations and inferences
with an emphasis on inferences
3
Students observed 5 mystery containers and recorded
the sounds, whether or not they were magnetic, and
the mass. They made an inference as to what the
objects were inside the containers.
4
Read Seven Blind Mice
5
UV bead observations
6
Students learn the following vocabulary: UV light,
spf, chemical reaction, prototype, device, indirect vs
direct light, transparent, translucent, opaque
Explain the Engineering Design Process
Teams work together to design a sensor based on their
scenario.
Using their senses to make
observations, the idea that
sometimes our guesses are
incorrect so we have to conduct
new tests
Students make inferences based
on the details in the book
Observations of uv light and
how sunscreen, sunglasses, and
different types of clot affect the
uv beads
Students understand the science
behind the uv beads and the
different materials
EDP
EDP and teamwork
1
2
7
8
9
10
3 states of matter sort – groups work together to sort
objects into groups (3 states of matter)
Explore mass – students find the mass of an
assortment of objects
The 3 states of matter and their
properties
What is mass and how to
measure and label mass
The tools used to find the mass
of an object
2
11
Weight – students find the weights of the objects from
the previous day
Youtube videos that sing about weight vs mass
14
Volume – find the volume of different objects
Conservation of mass – “It’s in the Bag” activity –
students find the mass of individual legos or unifix
cubes and then the mass of the whole
Introduce the “Yucky water” Task
15
Construct the prototype and test it
16
Explain/discuss results as a class
17
Find the mass of the filtered water: then freeze it and
measure the mass
Then allow it to thaw and find the mass
Boil the water and see the evaporation
Root beer floats and test day
12
13
18
Students define weight and
understand the difference
between weight (amount of pull
from gravity) and mass (amount
of material in the object)
Volume and how to measure it
Conservation of mass with
matter
Students will use the
engineering design process
model to create a filter to clean
the yucky water staying within
the parameters of the guidelines
Understand how different
materials truly filter
To learn more about the design
process, learn from others’
designs
How changing the state of
matter affects the mass
Share what they
know/understand about matter
See and eat the 3 states of matte
Please answer the questions below:
1. What worked well?
By conducting the inquiries ahead of time, students had a clear understanding of how to find the
mass and volume of objects. By conducting the UV design activity, they were familiar with the
process and were able to identify the client, constraints, problem, etc. Their drawings are
becoming clearer because they have to show their individual drawings and group designs prior to
obtaining materials to build their prototype. The discussions that occurred at the end of the
design task proved to be useful because they learned from each other groups’ designs.
2. What are two ways you can improve your efforts toward integrating design?
A. I could allow additional opportunities to design prototypes in the classroom.
B. I could also provide more examples to the students for their background knowledge.
C. The students should have participated in more inquiries of the specific materials to have
a background as to which materials provide the best filtration.
3
PART II:
Reflection#1 on student performance:
Include an image of work from one student who you thought performed well on the task. Insert
the image here within the Word document. This image may be a copy of the student’s notebook
entry(s) or an image of the team’s artifact or an actual picture of the student at work.
In the space below describe what the image(s) is about and why you would explain or
characterize the student’s performance as mastery or excellent.
This group’s design worked reasonably well. They were able to filter out the large parts of the
“yucky” water and to retain a reasonable amount of water. Their time was within a range
comparable to other teams. This group collaborated very well and were able to blend 3 out of the
4 group members’ ideas. They realized through the process which materials were the best types
of filters.
4
Reflection#2 on student performance:
Include an image of work from one student who you thought did not perform as well
(unsatisfactory) on the task. Insert the image here within the Word document. This image may
be a copy of the student’s notebook entry(s) or an image of the team’s artifact or an actual
picture of the student at work.
In the space below describe what the image is about and why you would explain or
characterize the student’s performance as unsatisfactory.
This group tried to use the cotton ball at the base of their filter and it went straight into the water.
They had great speed of the water going through the filter, but they didn’t see any change in the
clarity of the water.
PART III:
Reflection #3
Describe one thing you enjoyed about instructing this SLED task.
My favorite part about this SLED task was the follow-up discussion. I really enjoyed watching
the students test out the different materials and to use accurate measurements. I feel that they
learned so much from not necessarily getting their design correct. This task was presented
5
within the first month of school, and based on their excitement and their follow-up discussion, I
feel that each design task will be even more successful than this one. I enjoyed hearing the
students discuss what they believed worked well, what they would change for their next
prototype, and their expected outcomes. This project was a great introduction to the design task
and is something that they could personally relate to because we all want to drink clean water!
Engagement is always a great thing!!
Describe one thing in your practice you would improve upon next time you implement this
engineering design task or another SLED design task.
I would build in a day of inquiry of the filtering materials. The students did not have much prior
knowledge as to which materials would work the best. I also would like to build in an extra day
for them to be able to re-design and test and a new prototype. I feel that they learn a lot from
their mistakes and it would be great to give them a second shot at success.