Engineering Redesign
You can use these hands on lessons to get kids excited about the field of engineering!
By Jennifer Sinsel
When most students hear the word “engineer,” they think of a person who operates a train. However, engineers who utilize scientific and mathematical principals to design products, structures, and systems improve our quality of life on a daily basis. From the alarm clocks that wake us up in the morning to the vehicles we drive home from work, it is difficult to get through even one day without being touched by the wonders of modern engineering!
Many times the job of an engineer involves redesigning and changing a product to make it better. For example, car designs have been changed hundreds of times since they first came on the market. Simpler items, such as soda bottles, have been redesigned several times as well. Genetic engineers specialize in redesigning crops and other foods so they are bigger, produce more fruit, or are more resistant to disease and changes in weather.
You can challenge your students to play the role of an engineer. First, ask them to look around their home and classroom and make a list of items used every day. From that list, they should circle the items that could be improved with a different design. Perhaps someone has a pair of shoes that hurt her feet or a pencil sharpener that doesn’t work very well.
Once each student has chosen an item from the list, he or she should list the good and bad points about how it is made and the way it’s used. From the “bad” list, brainstorm ways in which the product could be improved. Draw a new design on a clean sheet of paper, making sure to include changes in size, shape, materials, and color. Sometimes engineers use graph paper to make quality drawings. They also draw their designs from several different angles. Be sure that students label the parts of their redesigned product! As a writing extension, each student engineer can be required to write a paragraph describing the problems with the original product and how the proposed changes will improve the product for everyday use. It’s amazing to see what your students will come up with!
For more great ideas involving engineering redesign in the classroom, check out the following lesson plans.
Engineering Redesign Lesson Plans and Activities:
Design and Build a Tangle-Free Headphone Holder
In this lesson students design a device in which people can store headphones without the wires getting tangled. They learn about the engineering design process, present possible solutions for the problem, and build and test a device.
Students evaluate the design and redesign of the computer mouse. They take a mouse apart, identify its the functions of each of its parts, and build a model for a new and improved design.
Students design a bag to hold candy that can withstand the greatest weight without tearing. After they create a design, they make a model, and then test it. They redesign as necessary.
In this activity students learn about biomedical engineering and bioengineering. They complete worksheets and hands on activities. They design a new way to set a broken bone using a cast, and create a prototype.