Engineering in the World of Dr. Seuss
If a LEGO figure is completed coated in a strange green gel; what kind of solvent can you use to remove it?Copyright (left) 2008 Catherine Bulinski, CC-BY-ND 2.0, Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/kasiaflickr/2726871276 (right) 2017 Brickset, CC-BY-2.0. Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/brickset/35215289964
Students are introduced to the engineering design process within the context of reading Dr. Seuss’s book, Bartholomew and the Oobleck. To do so, students study a sample of aloe vera gel (representing the oobleck) in lab groups. After analyzing the substance, they use the engineering design process to develop and test other substances in order to make it easier for rain to wash away the oobleck. Students must work within a set of constraints outlined within the Seuss book and throughout the activity and use only substances available within the context of the plot. Students also take into consideration the financial and environmental costs associated with each substance.
Students identify with the work engineers perform and learn about the engineering design process as they research a problem within the context of a popular children’s book. They design, test, iterate, and select solutions to their problem while considering the environmental impacts of their solutions and, by extension, are exposed to environmental engineering concepts. Like engineers, they communicate their process and results as a group to others.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Explain the differences between solids and liquids.
- Use an electronic scale to tare and measure a substance.
- Use a syringe to measure a liquid in ml.
- Take accurate and thorough notes in their lab notebooks.
- Create a multimedia presentation to present their engineering design process and resulting prototype.
- Explain the engineering design process.