6th grade · Science · Unit 5 of 9
Engineering Design
Criteria, constraints, testing and improving.
What your child practices
Practices the engineering design process: defining a problem with criteria and constraints, comparing solutions, testing to find the best features, and improving a design step by step.
California Content Standards learning standard: MS-ETS1-1; MS-ETS1-2; MS-ETS1-3; MS-ETS1-4 · defining design problems, evaluating and testing solutions, and improving designs
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
Engineers who share results can…
- keep designs secret forever
- skip testing
- ignore data
- combine the best features of different designs
combine the best features of different designs
Hint: Learn from each other.
Question 2
When testing designs, a fair test changes…
- no variables
- the results
- only one variable at a time
- every variable
only one variable at a time
Hint: Control the rest.
Question 3
Why should a test be repeated several times?
- To change the answer
- To make sure results are reliable
- Because one is never enough fun
- To waste time
To make sure results are reliable
Hint: Repeat for confidence.
Question 4
A model is useful because it…
- lets you test ideas before building the real thing
- never changes
- is the final product
- is always full size
lets you test ideas before building the real thing
Hint: Cheaper and faster testing.
Question 5
In engineering, criteria are…
- what the solution must do to succeed
- the final drawing
- limits on the design
- the materials list
what the solution must do to succeed
Hint: Goals of the design.
Question 6
A design meets all criteria but breaks the cost constraint. It is…
- perfect
- not acceptable yet
- finished
- the best possible
not acceptable yet
Hint: Must meet constraints too.