Mission Library

Beach Frenzy

Reducing the Warming Effect with Engineering Skills
Grades K-2

The Mission

23 min

Storyline

When RALF overheats due to excessive sun exposure, the crew will help him get better by coming up with engineering solutions to protect him from the sun's warming effect.

Students will investigate multiple solutions and how each would effect RALF's rising temperature. Then, the crew will explore modifications that could be mad...

3-Dimensional Science

Phenomenon

Sunlight has multiple effects on objects.

Science and Engineering Practices

Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

  • Make observations (firsthand or from media) to construct an evidence-based account for natural phenomena.

  • Generate and/or compare multiple solutions to a problem.

Planning and Carrying Out Investigations

  • With guidance, plan and conduct an investigation in collaboration with peers (for K).

  • Plan and conduct an investigation collaboratively to produce data to serve as the basis for evidence to answer a question.

  • Make observations (firsthand or from media) and/or measurements to collect data that can be used to make comparisons.

  • Make observations (firsthand or from media) and/or measurements of a proposed object or tool or solution to determine if it solves a problem or meets a goal.

  • Make predictions based on prior experiences.

Crosscutting Concepts

Cause and Effect

  • Students learn that events have causes that generate observable patterns. They design simple tests to gather evidence to support or refute their own ideas about causes.

Structure and Function

  • Students observe the shape and stability of structures of natural and designed objects are related to their function(s).

Disciplinary Core Ideas

PS1.A: Structure and Properties of Matter

  • Matter exists as different substances that have observable different properties. Different properties are suited to different purposes. Objects can be built up from smaller parts.

PS3.D: Energy in Chemical Processes and Everyday Life

  • Sunlight warms Earth’s surface.

ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions

  • Designs can be conveyed through sketches, drawings, or physical models. These representations are useful in communicating ideas for a problem’s solutions to other people. To design something complicated, one may need to break the problem into parts and attend to each part separately but must then bring the parts together to test the overall plan.

ETS1.C: Optimizing the Design Solution

  • Because there is always more than one possible solution to a problem, it is useful to compare designs, test them, and discuss their strengths and weaknesses.

Targeted Standards

Resources

  • Device for teacher
  • Laptops or iPads for each student in class
  • Large screen to mirror to

Skills in Action

Critical ThinkingCollaborationResilienceProblem SolvingInitiative