Make an Alarm!
After reading the story "Dear Mr. Henshaw" by Beverly Cleary, student groups use the engineering design process to create alarm systems to protect something in the classroom, just as the main character Leigh does to protect his lunchbox from thieves. Students learn about alarms and use their creativity to devise multi-step alarm systems to protect their lockers, desk, pets or classroom door. Note: This activity can also be done without reading the Cleary book.
Students make alarm systemsCopyright Microsoft Corporation, 1983-2001. http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/results.aspx?qu=alarm&ex=1#ai:MP900422198|mt:2|
Engineering teams are continually confronted with challenges to solve as thoroughly and creatively as possible. They use the engineering design process to start with a simple solution and then redesign it in order to make the design more reliable and efficient. It is rare that a first design meets all the requirements and constraints of a design challenge; more typically, a product goes through several redesign iterations to improve the product.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Understand the importance of alarm systems and where they are found.
- How to work in teams, with members having different roles.
- Design techniques and construction methods.
- Understand the importance of cause and effect when designing an alarm.
- Understand and explain the steps of the engineering design process.