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6th grade · Science · Unit 10 of 10

Engineering Design

Define the problem, test ideas, improve the design.

What your child practices

Practices defining a design problem with criteria and constraints, evaluating competing solutions, analyzing test data, and improving a design step by step.

New York State Learning 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

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Define the problem clearly, like “How can we keep a phone safe if dropped 2 m?”
  2. Criteria are what the design must do. Constraints are limits, like spending no more than $10.
  3. Models let you test ideas before building the real thing. A decision matrix compares designs.
  4. If a test fails, improve the design and test again.

Example: “The design must weigh less than 200 g.” Is that a criterion or a constraint? It is a limit the design must stay within. Limits are constraints. Answer: a constraint

Engineering Design in New York

In the New York State Learning Standards, this is unit 10 of 10 in 6th grade Science, after Growing & Reproducing.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: New York State Education Department (NYSED)

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    A model is useful because it…

    • never changes
    • is the final product
    • is always full size
    • lets you test ideas before building the real thing

  2. Question 2

    Which question defines a clear problem?

    • How can we keep a phone safe if dropped 2 m?
    • Who is tallest?
    • Is this fun?
    • What color is nice?

  3. Question 3

    Engineers design a sea wall for a New York City shoreline. A criterion could be…

    • It makes waves bigger
    • It costs as much as possible
    • It blocks all sunlight
    • It holds back storm surge water

  4. Question 4

    Engineers who share results can…

    • keep designs secret forever
    • ignore data
    • combine the best features of different designs
    • skip testing

  5. Question 5

    Why might engineers choose a slightly less effective design?

    • They didn't test
    • It is always worse
    • Constraints don't matter
    • It fits the constraints better

  6. Question 6

    Why include possible effects on people and the environment in the criteria?

    • A solution should not cause new problems
    • It makes designs more expensive only
    • Engineers don't care
    • It's never important

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