Grade 3 and 4 Engineering

DESERT ISLAND SURVIVAL DESIGN CHALLENGE

LEARNING INTENTION AND SUCCESS CRITERIA

LI: To understand how a structure can withstand strong winds

Success Criteria:

Identify structures that withstand strong winds

I can apply my understanding of design techniques

I can create a hut that can withstand strong winds

I can reflect on the most effective design against strong winds

ENGINEERING TASK


Please read the following story:

A long time ago a group of adventurous travelers set sail for a week on the seas. However, on the second night, they encountered a horrible storm. The captain tried to get hold of the ship, but it was useless against the violent storm.

The captain lost control and the ship slammed into a rocky shore of a deserted island. Sir Charlie was the only one to survive on the island. Now it is your job to help Sir Charlie survive on the island!

On the first night, he slept on the beach with no shelter. Besides the attack of the insects, he had a difficult time sleeping due the extreme winds at night.

Your task it to create a hut that will withstand a wind storm created by a Hair Dryer to save Sir Charlie

You will need to create a hut that has the following parameters:

  • You can only use the material that is listed below

  • It can be no bigger than 90 square centimetres

  • It can be no higher than 12 centimetres

  • When you have finished your creation, you must use a hairdryer to create a force of air for a duration of 10 seconds

EVIDENCE: Feel free to take a picture, video, create your design plan using paper or digital design software

Resources/Materials


You will need the following materials or the equivalent:

  • Graph paper for building

  • Hair Dryer

  • 4 pieces of card

  • 2 pieces of construction paper (or equivalent)

  • 4 pieces of newspaper

  • 10 craft sticks

  • graph paper (you can use the graph paper from your maths book)

  • 12 pieces of masking tape (8 cm in length)

  • Ruler

  • Straws

EXTENSION:

In order to add depth to the task, see if you can strengthen your building using experimental design ideas that you might think will improve it's performance in an extreme wind event.