Recommendations & Presentations: Drum Roll Please

In the real world, engineering teams spend much time researching and analyzing so they have the information needed to select the best design option. Then, communication is critical. Engineers routinely prepare final reports and give presentations to clients and customers to explain and defend their recommended design solutions.

After this activity, students should be able to:

• Analyze data from several days' worth of work to make a final decision.
• Use experimental data and logic to explain and defend a decision/recommendation.
• Communicate to an audience via a formal presentation.

If available, encourage students to use Microsoft® PowerPoint® to create their presentations. This requires some familiarity with the PowerPoint application.

You have all worked hard to decide the best place for the cavern. The governor of Alabraska will choose only one location though, and she will base her decision on your presentations!

Before the Activity

• Gather materials and make copies of the Drum Roll Please! Worksheet (PDF) and Design Presentation and Report Guidelines (PDF).
• Make available computers, software or other materials to support the presentation and report preparation. If possible, have students prepare their presentations using Microsoft PowerPoint software.
• During the presentations, have the Alabraska Poster Map (PDF) in the front of the classroom, or make available some other way for teams to reference the big map.

With the Students

1. Day 1: Start by discussing today's objectives: Today you will analyze your data and make a final decision, figure out how to defend that decision, and prepare a class presentation to explain it.
2. Pass out the handouts. Review the report and presentation guidelines with students.
3. Give students time to work in their groups, writing a final report and preparing a presentation, guided by the worksheet and guidelines handouts. Facilitate as necessary.
4. Make sure all teams have made cavern cutouts to put on the big map at the front of the room before they give their presentations (or some other way to illustrate this information to the class).
5. Require reports and presentations to be finished by the end of the class period, or assigned as homework, to be completed by Day 2 of this activity.
6. Day 2: Have student engineering teams give their presentations to the class. Call each group individually to place its cutout on the big map and give its presentation.
7. After each group presents, leave several minutes for Q&A.

Worksheet: Review students' written reports on the Drum Roll Please! Worksheet (PDF) to gauge their ability to synthesize and summarize the data and information. Refer to the Asteroid Impact Student Workbook Example Answers provided in the unit document for example worksheet answers.

Presentations: Review team oral presentations using a combination of peer and instructor evaluations to gauge their mastery of the concepts.

With what students have learned from other team presentations, critiques and class discussion, have them reflect on how they could improve their cavern designs.