Quick Look
Grade Level: 4 (3-5)
Time Required: 45 minutes
Expendable Cost/Group: US $1.00
Group Size: 4
Activity Dependency: None
Associated Informal Learning Activity: Make an Alarm!
Subject Areas: Physical Science, Science and Technology
NGSS Performance Expectations:
| 3-5-ETS1-1 |
| 3-5-ETS1-2 |
Quick Look 
- Grade Level:
- 4 (3 – 5)
- Time Required:
- 45 minutes
- Group Size:
- 4
- Associated Informal Learning Activity:
Associated Informal Learning Activity indicates that an abbreviated version of this activity is available. These 60-minutes-or-less, easy-to-prep “taste of engineering” activities are intended for informal learning settings.
- Make an Alarm!
- Subject Areas:
-
Physical Science Science and Technology -
NGSS Performance Expectations:
3-5-ETS1-1 3-5-ETS1-2
Summary
After reading the story "Dear Mr. Henshaw" by Beverly Cleary, student groups use the engineering design process to create alarm systems to protect something in the classroom, just as the main character Leigh does to protect his lunchbox from thieves. Students learn about alarms and use their creativity to devise multi-step alarm systems to protect their lockers, desk, pets or classroom door. Note: This activity can also be done without reading the Cleary book.
Engineering Connection
Engineering teams are continually confronted with challenges to solve as thoroughly and creatively as possible. They use the engineering design process to start with a simple solution and then redesign it in order to make the design more reliable and efficient. It is rare that a first design meets all the requirements and constraints of a design challenge; more typically, a product goes through several redesign iterations to improve the product.
Learning Objectives
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Understand the importance of alarm systems and where they are found.
- How to work in teams, with members having different roles.
- Design techniques and construction methods.
- Understand the importance of cause and effect when designing an alarm.
- Understand and explain the steps of the engineering design process.
Educational Standards
Each TeachEngineering lesson or activity is correlated to one or more K-12 science,
technology, engineering or math (STEM) educational standards.
All 100,000+ K-12 STEM standards covered in TeachEngineering are collected, maintained and packaged by the Achievement Standards Network (ASN),
a project of D2L (www.achievementstandards.org).
In the ASN, standards are hierarchically structured: first by source; e.g., by state; within source by type; e.g., science or mathematics;
within type by subtype, then by grade, etc.
Each TeachEngineering lesson or activity is correlated to one or more K-12 science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) educational standards.
All 100,000+ K-12 STEM standards covered in TeachEngineering are collected, maintained and packaged by the Achievement Standards Network (ASN), a project of D2L (www.achievementstandards.org).
In the ASN, standards are hierarchically structured: first by source; e.g., by state; within source by type; e.g., science or mathematics; within type by subtype, then by grade, etc.
NGSS: Next Generation Science Standards - Science
| NGSS Performance Expectation | ||
|---|---|---|
|
3-5-ETS1-1. Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost. (Grades 3 - 5) Do you agree with this alignment? |
||
| Click to view other curriculum aligned to this Performance Expectation | ||
| This activity focuses on the following Three Dimensional Learning aspects of NGSS: | ||
| Science & Engineering Practices | Disciplinary Core Ideas | Crosscutting Concepts |
| Define a simple design problem that can be solved through the development of an object, tool, process, or system and includes several criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost. Alignment agreement: | Possible solutions to a problem are limited by available materials and resources (constraints). The success of a designed solution is determined by considering the desired features of a solution (criteria). Different proposals for solutions can be compared on the basis of how well each one meets the specified criteria for success or how well each takes the constraints into account. Alignment agreement: | People's needs and wants change over time, as do their demands for new and improved technologies. Alignment agreement: |
| NGSS Performance Expectation | ||
|---|---|---|
|
3-5-ETS1-2. Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem. (Grades 3 - 5) Do you agree with this alignment? |
||
| Click to view other curriculum aligned to this Performance Expectation | ||
| This activity focuses on the following Three Dimensional Learning aspects of NGSS: | ||
| Science & Engineering Practices | Disciplinary Core Ideas | Crosscutting Concepts |
| Generate and compare multiple solutions to a problem based on how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the design problem. Alignment agreement: | Research on a problem should be carried out before beginning to design a solution. Testing a solution involves investigating how well it performs under a range of likely conditions. Alignment agreement: At whatever stage, communicating with peers about proposed solutions is an important part of the design process, and shared ideas can lead to improved designs.Alignment agreement: | Engineers improve existing technologies or develop new ones to increase their benefits, to decrease known risks, and to meet societal demands. Alignment agreement: |
International Technology and Engineering Educators Association - Technology
-
Students will develop an understanding of the attributes of design.
(Grades
K -
12)
More Details
Do you agree with this alignment?
-
Students will develop an understanding of engineering design.
(Grades
K -
12)
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-
Invention and innovation are creative ways to turn ideas into real things.
(Grades
3 -
5)
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-
Identify and collect information about everyday problems that can be solved by technology, and generate ideas and requirements for solving a problem.
(Grades
3 -
5)
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-
Describe requirements of designing or making a product or system.
(Grades
3 -
5)
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-
Illustrate that there are multiple approaches to design.
(Grades
3 -
5)
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-
Design solutions by safely using tools, materials, and skills.
(Grades
3 -
5)
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-
Evaluate designs based on criteria, constraints, and standards.
(Grades
3 -
5)
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Do you agree with this alignment?
State Standards
Massachusetts - Science
-
Define a simple design problem that reflects a need or a want. Include criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost that a potential solution must meet.
(Grade
3)
More Details
Do you agree with this alignment?
-
Generate several possible solutions to a given design problem. Compare each solution based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the design problem.
(Grade
3)
More Details
Do you agree with this alignment?
-
Describe different ways in which a problem can be represented, e.g., sketches, diagrams, graphic organizers, and lists.
(Grades
3 -
5)
More Details
Do you agree with this alignment?
-
Identify relevant design features (e.g., size, shape, weight) for building a prototype of a solution to a given problem.
(Grades
3 -
5)
More Details
Do you agree with this alignment?
Materials List
- small bells (inexpensive)
- string
- elastics
- balloons
- wires
- marbles
- paper towel tubes
- pipe cleaners
- Popsicle sticks
- paper cups
- duct tape
- classroom supplies such as paper clips, paper, tape, glue, erasers, scissors, etc.
- Group Worksheet, one per group
- Rubric for Performance Assessment, one per group
Worksheets and Attachments
Visit [www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/make_an_alarm] to print or download.Introduction/Motivation
What is the purpose of a car alarm? (Listen to student ideas.) It helps prevent thieves from stealing your car by triggering a loud alarm and drawing attention to the scene.
How would you protect something that is valuable to you from being stolen if you were unable to watch it at all times? Today, you will act as if you are engineers. Your design challenge is to think of creative ways to protect your locker, desk or classroom door using the partial engineering design process. Can you create a set of booby traps that will alert you if someone is trying to break in?
Engineers usually work in teams. The advantage of working in a team is that everyone's ideas can be combined to come up with a great idea. We call this concept of sharing ideas brainstorming.
Procedure
Background
An alarm is a device that warns or signals, as by a bell, buzzer or whistle. Alarms work by having some type of (often unwanted) action set them off. Alarms take many forms. Some examples include: fire alarms, car alarms, alarm clocks, and security alarms.
Recommended Resources:
Inside a wind-up alarm clock. Good step-by-step pictures of a wind-up alarm clock. Shows inner workings of clock, including gears. http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/clocks-watches/inside-clock.htm
History of time-keeping devices. Ancient Greeks introduced alarm clocks using water. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_timekeeping_devices
How digital clocks work. http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/clocks-watches/digital-clock.htm
Before the Activity
- Gather materials to be used by students to build alarms.
- Make copies of the Group Worksheet and grading rubric.
With the Students
- Introduce the topic of alarms to students. Discuss the use of alarms in our daily lives and where they are found. If using the book, "Dear Mr. Henshaw," discuss why Leigh built an alarm.
- Explain to students the engineering design challenge (the goal): To build an alarm system to protect something in the classroom. For example, build alarms to protect the students' lockers, desks, backpacks, the turtle aquarium, the classroom door, or a window.
- EDP Step 1: Ask to Identify Criteria and Constraints: Explain to students that engineers have to work within certain criteria and constraints. Criteria are things the design needs to do in order to be successful--its requirements. Constraints are limitations on the design. These may be materials available, the cost of the materials, the amount of time they have to develop the solution, etc. Go through the list of available materials with the students. Discuss any safety concerns related to the materials being used. Explain that the alarm system must consist of at least three steps, and should use the least amount of materials as possible. Talk about and explain what a design is and why it is important. Explain your criteria for the grading of their designs. NOTE: you may want to begin with a one-step alarm, and make it more challenging by adding steps.
- Divide the class into groups of three or four students each.
- EDP Step 3: Imagine Possible Solutions: Direct them to work individually to sketch out as many ideas as possible. Encourage them to go for crazy ideas, you want to focus on quantity over quality.
- EDP Step 4: Plan by Selecting a Promising Solution:. Once students have had time to brainstorm individually, lead them into the fourth step of the engineering design process and have them collaboratively chose one design to expand on. Ask students to draw on paper the design of their alarm system, including an explanation describing what their alarm does, how it works and materials used.
- EDP Step 5: Create a Prototype: Have students use the materials available to them to bring their design to life! Explain that engineers often use similar materials to create a prototype, or a first iteration of their design.
- Have groups present their final products to the class and explain how they work. Discuss how solutions met the criteria and constraints of the problem. Give students time for feedback and suggestions for improvement.
Vocabulary/Definitions
design: To plan and make something in a skillful way.
engineering design process: A series of steps used by engineering teams to guide them as they create, evaluate and improve a design solution. Typically, the steps include: identify the need and constraints, research the problem, develop possible solutions, select a promising solution, create a prototype, test and evaluate the prototype, redesign as needed.
Assessment
Investigating Questions
- For what are alarms used?
- Why do we need alarms?
- Where do we find alarms?
- Why did Leigh in "Dear Mr. Henshaw" need an alarm?
- What do most alarms have in common?
- For what reasons might we need an alarm in our classroom?
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Students design and build alarm systems to protect something of theirs when they are not around.
References
Cleary, Beverly. Dear Mr. Henshaw. New York, NY: Camelot, 2000.
Copyright
© 2013 by Regents of the University of Colorado; original © 2004 Worcester Polytechnic InstituteSupporting Program
Center for Engineering Educational Outreach, Tufts UniversityLast modified: March 9, 2023
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