Survivor:LEGOIsland
SubjectArea(s) physicalscience,geometry,problemsolvingAssociatedUnit density
AssociatedLesson none
ActivityTitle Survivor:LEGOIsland
GradeLevel 5(4‐5)
ActivityDependency none
TimeRequired 60minutes
GroupSize dividetheclassintoteamsoffourstudentseachExpendableCost/Group~US$0.72(assumingsevengroupsoffourstudents)
Summary Workinginteams,studentsdesignandbuildaliferaftusingmarshmallows,uncookedpasta,
andWasacrackerbread.Thegoalisforstudentstocreatethestrongestmodeltoholdthe
Image1
ADADescription:Pictureshows
alogofortheactivity,including
LEGOblocksandfigurine.
Caption:Figure1:Logofor
activity
Imagefilename:
survivor_logo.jpg
Source/Rights:Copyright©
2009AshlieDelloiacono
maximumnumberofLEGOpeople.Studentswillexperimentwithdifferentmodelsand
strategiestocreatethemostsubstantivestructure.Bydifferentiatingmodelsofrafts,students
gainanunderstandingoftheprinciplesofdensity.
EngineeringConnection
Manyoftoday’smostmoderncruisevesselshavelifeboatstosavepassengersfromdangers
thatmightariseonboardtheship.Priortolifeboats,liferaftswereanessentialpartofaship’s
emergencyplans.Engineersmustkeepdensityinmindwhendesigningtheseboatsandrafts.
Theymustdesigntheselifeboatsandliferaftstomaximizetheamountofpassengersorpeople
theywillsavebykeepingtheraftbuoyant,butalsoconservingthelargestamountofresources
possible,soastominimizecosts.
EngineeringCategory
(3)providesengineeringanalysisorpartialdesign
Keywords
density,design,designandbuild,float,liferaft,marshmallow,model,pasta,raft,sink
EducationalStandards
NewJerseyscience(2002)
• 5.2.8A.2:Knowthatscientistsaremenandwomenofmanycultureswhooftenwork
togethertosolvescientificandtechnologicalproblems.
• 5.2.8A.3:Describehowdifferentcultureshavemadeandcontinuetomake
contributionstoscienceandtechnology.
NewJerseymath(2002)
• 4.2.5B.2:Recognize,identify,anddescribegeometricrelationshipsandpropertiesas
theyexistinnature,art,andotherreal‐worldsettings.
NewJerseytechnology(2002)
• 8.2.8B.2:Usehandsonactivitiestoanalyzeproductsandsystemstodeterminehowthe
designprocesswasappliedtocreatethesolution.
PreRequisiteKnowledge
None
LearningObjectives
Afterthisactivity,studentsshouldbeableto:
• Givenavarietyofsupplies,studentswillbeabletoeffectivelydesignandcreateand
lifeboatwhichwillbeabletosustainanumberofLEGOfigurines.
• Whilebuildingaliferaft,identifyshapesandobjectswhichincreaseordecreasethe
buoyancyofanobject.
• Understandthedensityofobjectsandhowitrelatestoanobject’sfloatabilitybydesigning
aliferaftfromsupplies.
MaterialsList
Eachgroupneeds:
• 8largemarshmallows
• 10piecesofuncut,uncookedspaghetti
• 3piecesofWasaCrisp’nLightcrackerbread
Tosharewiththeentireclass:
• Atleast30LEGOfigurines
• Largebowlortubfilledwithwater
• Paper
Image2
ADADescription:Photoshowsspaghetti
boxandspaghettigiventoeachteam.
Caption:Figure2:Spaghetti
Imagefilename:spaghetti.jpg
Source/Rights:Copyright©2009Ashlie
Delloiacono
Image3
ADADescription:Photoshows
marshmallowsgiventoeachteam.
Caption:Figure3:Marshmallows
Imagefilename:marshmallow.jpg
Source/Rights:Copyright©2009Ashlie
Delloiacono
Image4
ADADescription:PhotoshowsWasa
crackerbreadgiventoeachteam.
Caption:Figure4:Wasacrackerbread
Imagefilename:wasa.jpg
Source/Rights:Copyright©2009Ashlie
Delloiacono
Introduction/Motivation
Oneofthemostpopularvacationsthataretakentodayarecruises.Imaginefora
minutethatyouandyourfamilyaretakingacruisetobeautifulBermuda.Beforeyousetsail,
thereisamandatorylifeboatdrill.Doesanyoneknowwhytheymakethisdrillmandatory?
(Answer:(1)sopassengersarefamiliarwiththeareatheymustgotoinanemergency,(2)how
tousethelifevests.)Lifeboatsareimportant;iftherewasacatastropheordisasteronboard,
passengerswouldbeabletoevacuatetheshipandbesafe.
Lifeboatsoriginallywerenotstandardizedoncruiseships.OntheTitanic,therewere
onlyenoughlifeboatsandliferaftsforabouteleven‐hundredpeopleeventhoughtherewere
overthree‐thousandpeopleonboardtheship.DoesanyoneknowanythingabouttheTitanic
anditsstory?AftertheTitanicdisaster,cruiselinesandcruiseshipsbecamemoreawareof
safetyandhadmanymoresafetyconcerns;theTitanicdisasterclaimedthelivesofover
seventeen‐hundredpeopleandtheydidnotwanttohaveanotherdisasterlikethisagain.Asa
result,lifeboatsbecameanimportantpartofeachcruisevessel.Eachengineermadesurethat
eachshiphadenoughaccommodationsinthelifeboatstoservethatofthepassengersand
crewmembersaboardtheship.
Engineersareextremelyimportantinthedesigningofcruiseships.Firstofall,shipsare
notalwaysassembledinthesameplace.Thoughtheyareputtogetherinoneplace,eachpart
istypicallymanufacturedanddesignedinaseparateplace.Inthisway,engineersfrommany
differentcountriesmanufacturepartsoftheship.Doesanyoneknowanypartsofacruiseship
whichmightbemadeoverseas?Whatcountriesdoyouknowofthatmightmaketheseparts?
Today,wearegoingtobeengineersanddesignaliferafttosavesurvivorsoftheMS
Fiesta.Doesanyoneknowwhat“fiesta”means?Doesanyoneknowwhatlanguageitis?
(Answer:partyinSpanish).Wearegoingtobesplitupintobuildteamsoffourmemberseach.
Iamgoingtogiveyouavarietyofsuppliestousetobuildthisliferaft.Attheend,wearegoing
toseehowmanysurvivors,orLEGOpeople,yourraftwillsave.
Keepinmindsomeoftheconceptswehavelearnedinourmathematicsandscience
classes.Makesurethatyourraftisgoingtobelessdensethanwatersothatitfloats.In
addition,beawareofspecificshapeswhichmightbestrongerandholdmoreweightthanother
shapes.Thesetwokeysandtoolswillallowyoutocreatearaftthatwillmaximizetheamount
ofpeopleyouwillsavewithyourliferaft.
Aswithmostengineers,wearestrivingtobuildthestrongestraftwiththeleastamount
ofmaterials.Eachofyouwillreceivetenpiecesofuncookedspaghetti,eightmarshmallows,
andthreepiecesofthisWasacrackerbread.Besuretocreateyourdesignonpaperfirst,likea
realengineerwould,thenattempttocreateyourliferaft.Goodluck.
Vocabulary/Definitions
Word Definition matter Anythingthattakesupspaceandhasmass.density Themeasureoftheamountofmatterinanythingthattakesupspace.volume Theamountofspaceoccupiedbyanobject.mass Theamountofmatteranobjectcontains.
Procedure
BeforetheActivity
• Forthetestingofthebuoyancyandstrengthoftherafts,preparealargetuborbowlandfill
itwithwater.
• Dividetheclassinto“buildteams”offourstudentseach.(Donebeforetheactivitysothat
specializedstudentswillbeplacedwithcounterpartswhichwillmaximizetheirefficiency
duringtheactivity.)
• Foreach“buildteam”,setaside10piecesofspaghetti,8marshmallows,and3piecesof
crackerbread.
WiththeStudents
1. Discussliferaftsandliferaftdesignwiththestudents.Askstudentswhichshapewouldbe
thestrongesttokeeptheraftafloatwithLEGOfigurinesonit.Askstudentstovoteon
shapesbyashowofhandsandrecordtheirresponsesontheboard.Studentsshouldvote
thattrianglesarethestrongestshape.Ifnot,explainhowsquareswouldeasilyfallapartif
torquewereappliedtoanycornerofthesquare,causingittocollapse.
Image5
ADADescription:Photoshowslargetubof
water.
Caption:Figure5:Tubofwater
Imagefilename:watertub.jpg
Source/Rights:Copyright©2009Ashlie
Delloiacono
2. Giveeachteamasetoftheirbuildmaterials:10piecesofspaghetti,8marshmallows,and3
piecesofcrackerbread,aswellassheetsofpaper.Remindtheteamtothinkcarefully
aboutwhattheirdesignwillbebeforeactuallycreatingtheirdesign.Askthemtodrawout
theirdesignonpaper.Oneeffectivewaytocreateadesignthatalltheteammemberscan
agreeonistosuggesttoeachgroupthateveryonedrawtheirowndesign.Theteam
memberscanthentakeideasfromeachdesignandcreatetheirteamdesignasa
combinationofindividualdesignideas.Explaintoeachteamthattheirraftwillbetestedby
placingLEGOfigurinesonthemuntiltheraftcollapsesortherearenomoreLEGOfigurines
left.Telltheteamthattheyhavealimitedamountofresourcesandthatconservingthe
mostresourcesisimportantinthecaseofatie;whicheverteamconservesthemost
resourceswouldwinatie‐breaker.
3. Giveallstudentbuildteamstimetobrainstorm,design,andbuildtheirmodelliferafts.
Makesurestudentshaveenoughtimetodrawsketches,comparewithteammates,and
compromiseondesignsbeforeactuallybuildingtheraft.
Image6
ADADescription:Photoshowsexampleof
build’sinside.
Caption:Figure6:Insideofbuild1
Imagefilename:build1inside.jpg
Source/Rights:Copyright©2009Ashlie
Delloiacono
Image7
ADADescription:Photoshowsexampleof
build’soutside.
Caption:Figure7:Outsideofbuild1
Imagefilename:build1outside.jpg
Source/Rights:Copyright©2009Ashlie
Delloiacono
4. Afterstudentscompletetheirfinalbuilds,askeachteamtopredicthowmanyLEGO
figurinestheirraftwillhold.Askthemtorecordtheirpredictionsontheboard.Askthem
whytheythinktheirbuildwillholdthatmanyfigurines.Next,placeeachteam’sraftinthe
tuborbowlofwater.MakesureitfloatsfirstbeforeaddingandLEGOfigurines.Next,add
one‐by‐onethefigurinesuntiltherearenomorefigurines,thereisnomoreroomonthe
raft,ortheraftsinks.Repeatthistestforeachgroup’sraft.Recordforeachgrouphow
manyfigurinesitcanholdontheraft,nexttotheirprediction.
5. Concludetheactivitybyhavingaclassdiscussionabouttheresultsofthetesting.Which
raftworkedthebestandwhy?Whatfactorsaideditsabilitytosustainthemaximum
amountofLEGOfigurines?Whatcouldbedonetoimprovethedesigns?Havestudents
describehowtheymightmaketheirraftsstrongerandmoreresilient.Havestudentsdesign
Image8
ADADescription:Photoshowsexampleof
secondbuild’sinside.
Caption:Figure8:Insideofbuild2
Imagefilename:build2inside.jpg
Source/Rights:Copyright©2009Ashlie
Delloiacono
Image9
ADADescription:Photoshowsexampleof
secondbuild’soutside.
Caption:Figure9:Outsideofbuild2
Imagefilename:build2outside.jpg
Source/Rights:Copyright©2009Ashlie
Delloiacono
Image10
ADADescription:Photoshowsbuild2
floatingintubofwater.
Caption:Figure10:Build2intub
Imagefilename:float.jpg
Source/Rights:Copyright©2009Ashlie
Delloiacono
athomeabetterraftandbringitinthenextdayforextracredit,ifitcanholdmoreLEGO
figurinesthantheirteam’scounterpart.
SafetyIssues
• Remindstudentsnottoeatthefood.
• Remindstudentstopickupobjectstheymaydrop.
Assessment
Pre‐ActivityAssessment
Voting:AskstudentswhichshapewouldbethestrongesttokeeptheraftafloatwithLEGO
figurinesonit.Askstudentstovoteonshapesbyashowofhandsandrecordtheirresponses
ontheboard.
• Whichtypeofshapewouldbelikelytobethestrongestandholdthemaximumamount
ofweightrelativetoothershapes?(Explainhowsquaresarelessstablethanatriangle,
duetotheirabilitytofalleasilyapartifweightortorqueisappliedtoacorner.)
ActivityEmbeddedAssessment
Prediction:AskeachteamtopredicthowmanyLEGOfigurinestheirraftwillhold.Askthemto
recordtheirpredictionsontheboard.Askthemwhytheythinktheirbuildwillholdthatmany
figurines.
Post‐ActivityAssessment
RethinkingandRebuilding:Whichraftworkedthebestandwhy?Whatfactorsaideditsability
tosustainthemaximumamountofLEGOfigurines?Whatcouldbedonetoimprovethe
designs?Howmightyoumakeyourraftsstrongerandmoreresilient?Whatadditional
suppliescouldhelp?
ActivityExtensions
Explaintostudentshowtheyjustutilizedtheengineeringdesignprocess.Askthestudentsif
anyofthemhaveheardofthisprocessbefore.Comparethisprocesstothescientificmethod
asyouexplaintheprocesstothem:1)Definetheproblem,2)Brainstormideas,3)Selectthe
mostpromising/bestdesign,4)Communicatethedesigntoothers,5)Createandtestthe
design,and6)Evaluateandrevisethedesign.Askthestudentstothinkabouthowtheyused
eachstepintheirdesignprocess.
Havestudentsnotetheuseoftrianglesasoneofthestrongestgeometricshapes.Askstudents
toidentifywheretheyhaveseentriangulargeometricshapesonsometypeofdeviceor
structure.Havethestudentexplainhowtheybelievethatthistrianglehelpedthestructureor
devicekeepitsshape.Havestudentsexploreinthenextlessonthesetriangles.Thiscould
includeanactivityinvolvingstudentstakinga“fieldtrip”aroundtheschooltofindsupporting
shapeswhichhelptokeepthebuildingorsurroundingbuildingsfromfallingdown.Have
studentswritetheirfindingsdownandleadadiscussionattheendoftheactivityabouttheir
findings.
ActivityScaling
• Forlowergrades,givestudentsasheetwhichshowssomeexampledesignsonit.This
sheetwillalsoserveastheirareatobrainstormandsketchtheirideas.Also,consider
providingmoremarshmallowsormorespaghetti,asyoungerstudentstendtohavetore‐do
designsorbuilds.Studentswillnotre‐designtheirmodelsthenextday.
• Foruppergrades,considerusingsmallermarshmallowsinsteadofthelargerones.These
willprovidelessbuoyancy.Inaddition,givespecificationsaboutthesizeorshapethatthe
buildmusttake,whichwillrestricttheiroptions.Studentswillalsomakeare‐buildoftheir
modelinthesamedayfortesting.
References
"EngineeringDesignProcess|SallyRideScience."SallyRideScience|SallyRideScience.23Apr.
2009<http://www.sallyridescience.com/toychallenge/design>.
"Lifeboat(shipboard)‐."Wikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia.23Apr.2009
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifeboat_(shipboard)>.
"TitanicLifeboats."Titanic‐Titanic.com.23Apr.2009<http://www.titanic‐
titanic.com/lifeboats.shtml>.
Owner
AshlieDelloiacono,TheCollegeofNewJersey,SchoolofEducation,DepartmentofMath,
ScienceandTechnology
Version:January2009
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