Attack of the Raging River
Copyright 2007 Chico75, Wikimedia Commons http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amazon_river.JPG
Through this lesson and its associated activities, students discover the relationship between an object's mass and the amount of space it takes up (its volume) as they create small boats that are able to float loads—which helps them get out of the jungle as part of the ongoing (hypothetical) storyline of the Lost in the Amazon unit. Students also learn about the concepts of displacement and density.
This lesson and its activities provides an opportunity for student teams to complete the engineering design process used by practicing engineers including designing, constructing and testing their boat creations. See the related unit's Engineering Connection for further explanation.
After this lesson, students should be able to:
- Discover the relationship between an object's mass and the amount of space it takes up (its volume).
- Create small boats that are able to float different loads.
- Understand the concepts of displacement and density.
There are different forms of energy, and those forms of energy can be changed from one form to another – but total energy is conserved
Grade 8
Do you agree with this alignment?Use tools to gather, view, analyze, and report results for scientific investigations about the relationships among mass, weight, volume, and density
Grade 6
Do you agree with this alignment?Use information and communication technology tools to gather information from credible sources, analyze findings, and draw conclusions to create and justify an evidence-based scientific explanation
Grade 7
Do you agree with this alignment?
STEL-1I Explain how solutions to problems are shaped by economic, political, and cultural forces.
Grades 3-5
Do you agree with this alignment?STEL-7I Apply the technology and engineering design process.
Grades 3-5
Do you agree with this alignment?
3-5-ETS1-1 Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.
Grades 3-5
This resource focuses on the following Three Dimensional Learning aspects of NGSS:
Science & Engineering Practices- Define a simple design problem that can be solved through the development of an object, tool, process, or system and includes several criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.Do you agree with this alignment?
Disciplinary Core Ideas- Possible solutions to a problem are limited by available materials and resources (constraints). The success of a designed solution is determined by considering the desired features of a solution (criteria). Different proposals for solutions can be compared on the basis of how well each one meets the specified criteria for success or how well each takes the constraints into account.Do you agree with this alignment?
Crosscutting Concepts- People's needs and wants change over time, as do their demands for new and improved technologies.Do you agree with this alignment?
Do you agree with this alignment?- Define a simple design problem that can be solved through the development of an object, tool, process, or system and includes several criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.
Refer to the Vocabulary/Definitions section.
(Continue the unit storyline by reading to the class the following information.)
You are almost to your destination, your body is feeling more and more tired and you don't know if you can walk another step. Suddenly, you hear Beth yell from the front, "Hey, we have a problem! I think we have strayed slightly from the original route. The GPS unit says our location is 3°S and 60.2°W. It looks like we are going to have to cross a river in order to get to Manaus."
You look at the map and realize Beth is right. How will you cross the river? Will your supplies be enough to get everyone across safely? Using the hands-on design activities Anchors Away and Taking the Boat to Manaus students can practice their survival plan by crafting boats using various materials to escape to safety!
Imagine you have the following supplies:
- wood
- rope
- waterproof tarp
- various tools from the plane
In a concluding class discussion, ask students: How did you get your clay to float in the water? Were you surprised at how little or how much your clay boats and bowls could hold? How might you make your designs hold even more mass and still float?
- mass
- The amount of matter in an object. Mass does not change when an object is physically changed.
- volume
- The amount of space an object takes up.
- surface area
- The area of the outside surface of an object. This can change as the object changes shape.
- density
- The ratio of mass to volume. For example, a ping-pong ball and golf ball have similar volume, but a golf ball has more mass and is thus more dense.
- property
- A characteristic or trait of a material such as color, texture and density.
- displacement
- The amount of fluid that moves up in a container when an object is placed in the container.
Worksheet: Have each student group complete the associated activity worksheet.
Supporting Program
Adventure Engineering, Colorado School of Mines
Acknowledgements
Adventure Engineering was supported by National Science Foundation grant nos. DUE 9950660 and GK-12 0086457. However, these contents do not necessarily represent the policies of the National Science Foundation, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government.
Copyright
2013 by Regents of the University of Colorado; original © 2005 Colorado School of Mines