Hands-on Activity Engineering a Minion Rescue

Learning Objectives

After this activity, students should be able to:

• Identify a problem and research what others have done to solve that problem.
• Understand the properties size, shape, color, temperature, weight, texture, and sinking/floating in water.
• Apply their knowledge of properties to design and create a boat that floats on water.
• Understand the engineering design process and why it is important to engineers. 

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.

NGSS: Next Generation Science Standards - Science

Common Core State Standards - English

Common Core State Standards - Math

International Technology and Engineering Educators Association - Technology

State Standards

Materials List

Each group needs:

• KWL chart (page 2 from Resource Binder) for each student.
• Pre-Assessment Handout for each student.
• Research Record sheet for each student (page 3 from Resources Binder)
• Recording Sheet (page 8 from Resource Binder) for each student.
• Clay Investigation Sheet (page 9 of the Resource Binder) for each student.
• Recording Sheet (page 10 of the Resource Binder) for each student.
• Print Material Price List per pair of students (pages 12 from Resource Binder)
• Budget Sheet per pair of students (pages 13 from Resource Binder)
• blank poster board for each group to present their research
• paper to sketch their boat ideas
• Post-Assessment for each student (optional)

To share with the class:

• laptop or tablet device and projector to play video for class.
• laptops or tablets for one-fourth of the students to use for research during stations.
• whiteboard, chalk board or large sticky notes to write down student KWL ideas.
• pictures of boats sinking and floating (page 7 from Resources Binder.)
• book to read aloud: The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashely Spires
• recommended books for student research
• The Boat Alphabet Book by Jerry Pallotta
• Busy Boats Amazing Machine by Tony Mitton
• Boats and Ships for Kids by Melissa Ackerman
• National Geographic Readers: Titanic by Melissa Stewart
• Toy Boat by Loren Long
• Things That Go: Boats Edition by Baby Professor
• Things That Float and Things That Don't by David Adler
• Float by Daniel Miyares
• Curious George The Boat Show by H.A. Rey
• balance scale
• stopwatch
• measuring stick/tape
• storage bins:
• 1 plastic (Sterilite) containers (100 L)
• 5 plastic (Sterilite) containers (5 L) for research
• materials needed for testing (can then be used in boat construction)
• 6 Styrofoam blocks
• 0.5 kg box of balsa wood
• 1,000 popsicle sticks
• 0.5 kg modeling clay
• 100 plastic cups
• 100 corks
• aluminum foil
• electric fan
• suggested materials for boat construction
• 300 rubber bands
• 1 meter of fabric
• 100 meters of jute twine
• 100 balloons
• plastic wrap
• duct tape
• clear tape
• empty water bottles
• markers, crayons and pens
• tape or push pins to attach posters to wall
• $100 in play money per student (optional)

Worksheets and Attachments

Introduction/Motivation

We have a problem to solve! (Play Minion Shipwreck video, “Meet Phil in the Minions Paradise Game,” stopping at 1:04, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoKUmFuV7iQ.)

Can you tell me what happened to the minions? (Students identify that the minions need to rebuild their boat to get off the island.) How can we help them with this problem? (Let students offer answers.) Luckily, the minions have many materials that we can use to help them get off the island. (Show the materials available for the activity.) What do you think we need to build? (Potential answers: boat, ship.) That’s right, the minions need our help to build a boat that can take them safely off the island and back to their homes.

So, what do we know about boats? (Potential answers: float on water, some are wooden, metal, some have engines, some have sails.)

Today we are going to going to become engineers and help the minions using the engineering design process. Engineers figure out solutions to problems. The first thing an engineer must do is to identify, or figure out, what problem needs to be solved. Well, we have already identified our problem! We need to build a boat to safely take the minions away from the deserted island.

Procedure

Background

Boat designers are a type of mechanical engineer. Like all mechanical engineers, they must use their engineering knowledge along with their imagination to create boats for a variety of purposes. It is important for these engineers to be able to create detailed blueprints of boat designs in which they consider all parts of the boat such as engines, steering, hull type and shape, electrical and mechanical systems and more. They also need to have a thorough knowledge of the variety of materials with which boats may be constructed out of such as wood, various metals, synthetic materials like fiberglass, fabrics if sails are included, etc. Boat builders can use computer software such as AutoCAD to help them create 2D and 3D engineering plans. Boat engineers can work for small, local businesses, large corporations, the military, or other boat and yacht design companies. 

In the following activities, student approximate many of the roles and responsibilities of a boat engineer ranging from researching and selecting materials for construction, drawing design plans, selecting a propulsion method, and constructing the boat.

Before the Activity: Day 1 – 

• Print copies of KWL chart (page 2 of the Resource Binder) for each student.
• Print copies of the Pre-Assessment (Pre-Assessment) for each student.
• Set up a laptop or tablet device and projector to play video for class.
• Obtain a copy of The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashely Spires.
• Be ready to write up a KWL chart on the board or large Post It note.

With the Students: Day 1

1. Ask the students if they know what the engineering design process is (Wait for student responses). Explain that the engineering design process is a series of seven steps that engineers use to solve problems. Either project the image below or draw the seven steps on the board and let the students know that they will be working through the EDP throughout this activity.

   

2. Before reading, The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashely Spires, ask the class: Look at the cover. What can you observe? What do you predict the most magnificent thing will be?       
3. Read aloud The Most Magnificent Thing.
4. Ask the following questions:
1. How does the girl react when she doesn’t succeed the first time? Can you think of a time you failed the first time?     
2. How did the girl discover how to make the most magnificent thing? Have you ever learned from your own mistakes?
3. What is the theme, or moral message, of this story? How can we apply this to our problem of building boats to save the minions?
5. Draw a KWL chart on board. Hand out copies of the KWL chart to each student.
6. Ask students for what they already know about boats. Write these in the K section on the board. Have students pick 2-3 to write down on their KWL chart in the K section.
7. Ask students to think-pair-share about what they want to know about boats.
8. Have students share what they want to know about boats with the class. Write these questions on the W section of the KWL on the board. Have students pick 2-3 to write down on their KWL chart in the W section.
9. Ask students for ideas of how to best research these questions so that they can solve this problem for the minions. (Potential answers: read books, ask experts/adults, go on internet, watch boats, etc.)
10. Have students fill out Pre-Assessment sheet.

Before the Activity: Day 2 – Research the Problem (Boats)

• Print copies of the Research Record sheet (page 3 from Resources Binder) for each student.
• Explain to the students that they will be working through the second step of the engineering design process: research. Engineers make sure to take time to understand the problem, see what solutions already exist, and what technologies might be adaptable to their needs.
• Set up four stations for research.
• Station 1: Set up laptops or tablets for students to explore World Book Kids through Clever, Canvas, ClassLink, etc. (if available)
• Station 2: Set up laptops or tablets for students to explore the research links in the Resource Binder on page 4.
• Station 3: Gather and display suggested books:
• The Boat Alphabet Book by Jerry Pallotta
• Busy Boats Amazing Machine by Tony Mitton
• Boats and Ships for Kids by Melissa Ackerman
• National Geographic Readers: Titanic by Melissa Stewart
• Toy Boat by Loren Long
• Things That Go: Boats Edition by Baby Professor
• Things That Float and Things That Don't by David Adler
• Float by Daniel Miyares
• Curious George The Boat Show by H.A. Rey
• Station 4: Print out and display pictures of boats sinking and floating (page 7 from Resources Binder.) Picture books can also be used at this station.

With the Students: Day 2

1. Divide the class into four groups. Each group will rotate through the four stations as they research the problem.
2. Briefly walk the students through each station explaining what they should do at each one.

• Station 1: Students use World Book Kids to research boats together on the available laptops and/or tablets. (if available)
• Station 2: Students use provided research links (page 4 from Resource Binder) to watch different videos of boats.
• Station 3: Students look through books of varying reading levels to research boats.
• Station 4: Students look at photographs of different types of boats (page 7 from Resources Binder) and determine which boats are successful (float) and which are unsuccessful (sink). Students infer why some boats float while others sink.

3. Have students rotate through each station, writing down their findings in their science notebooks.
4. Using the research they wrote down in their science notebook, have students narrow down their findings and fill out the Research Record sheet (page 3 from Resources Binder).

Before the Activity: Day 3– Research the Problem (Boat Materials)

• Gather materials: 5 Sterilite bins, Styrofoam, wood, popsicle sticks, reusable clay, plastic cups, corks, foil (crumbled and flat), water bottles, pennies, rocks.
• Set up 5 float tank stations: one Sterlite bin at each station. Fill each Sterlite bin with water deep enough for students to clearly see which items will sink and which can float. Evenly distribute the different kinds of materials at each station for testing.

With the Students: Day 3

1. Divide the class into five groups. (Each group will be at a different float tank station as they research the problem.)
2. Teacher says: “Engineers test materials to make sure they are using the best materials for their design. Testing and evaluating is the sixth step of the engineering design process. Today we are going to test a variety of materials to determine which materials will sink and which materials will float, this is called buoyancy. The more buoyant a material is, the better it floats.”
3. Students test each material that could possibly be used to make a boat float.
4. Students record their results for each material in their science notebook.
5. When students finish their tests, they should share their results with others to make sure their results are correct. Each student should find a someone not in their group and compare results.
6. Have students share (one-at-a-time) which materials sank and which floated. Record on a class list. If students disagree, test that material again.

Before the Activity: Day 4 – Research the Problem (Boat Properties)

• Gather materials: Blank posters for students to present their research; markers, crayons and pens; tape or push pins to attach posters to wall.
• Set up laptops or tablets for students to explore the research links (page 4 and 5 from Resource Binder).
• Print copies of the Recording Sheet (page 8 from Resource Binder) for each student.

With the Students: Day 4

1. Teacher says: “There are many other properties that we need to be aware of when we are building our boats. You are going to work with your group to become experts on one of these properties. It is important that you learn as much as you can about this property because you are going to make a poster to share with others. Engineers become experts on specific topics too and share their knowledge with other engineers.”
2. Split students into seven groups and assign each group a different property to research that a boat might need to be successful: size, shape, temperature, weight, texture, magnetism, and buoyancy.
3. Have students research their assigned property via laptop or tablet.
4. Students record their findings on their poster. When the posters are complete, students should hang them around the room.
5. Have students rotate to the left in 3-minute intervals to view each poster. When the timer goes off, students walk to the next poster.
6. As students view each poster, they should think about how each property might apply to their boat design.
7. Students should record key facts on their Recording Sheet. (page 8 from Resource Binder.)

Before the Activity: Day 5 – Research the Problem (Testing More Boat Properties)

• Gather materials: Clay, 5 Sterilite bins with water, balance scale
• Set up 5 stations with one Sterilite bin with water and some clay.
• Print copies of the Clay Investigation Sheet (page 9 of the Resource Binder) for each student.
• Print copies of the Recording Sheet (page 10 of the Resource Binder) for each student.

With the Students: Day 5

1. Divide class into 5 groups. Each group goes to a separate station.
2. Teacher says: “Were there any properties that stood out to you as important to consider for your boat design? (Potential answers: shape, size, and weight.) How can we test these properties using clay?”  
3. Give students time to work in their groups and mold the clay in different ways and then test if it floats. Guide students to investigations such as: reshaping clay and placing it in the float tank, placing different sizes of clay in the float tank, or using a balance scale to determine if heaviness of clay impacts floatation.
4. Have students record their observations on the Clay Investigation Sheet (page 9 of the Resource Binder).
5. After testing these other properties, like shape, size, and weight with the clay,
1. Have each student write a list of materials they would like to use to build their boat in their science journal or in the Materials for Boat Chart (page 10 from Resource Binder).
2. Have each student write down how they would use the properties of shape, size and weight to make a boat in their science journal.
6. After they identify their materials, they should circle their top three choices. (Note: This sheet can be used by the teacher as an exit ticket.)

Before the Activity: Day 6 – Research Boat Propulsion

• Set up laptops or tablets for students to explore the research links on page 5 of the Resource Binder to find boat movement videos.

With the Students: Day 6

1. Teacher says: “Now that we’ve thought about what our boat will be made of and how our boat will look, we need to think about how we are going to get our boat to move! Now, getting our boats to move is going to be difficult but with a little research we can come up with some good ideas. Engineers research what others have done before. They use this information to be more successful in their own designs.
2. Have students use page 5 of the Resource Binder to find and watch boat movement videos.
3. As students watch the videos, have them draw diagrams in their science journals of each type of boat movement.
4. Have circle the movements that they think they will use to make their boat move.
5. Have students move to step 3 of the engineering design process (imagine) and draw a full sketch of their boat design with materials to be used, the shape of the boat and the propulsion to be used. They can add color or patterns to indicate different materials.

Before the Activity: Day 7 – Sketch, design and plan prototype

• Gather building materials and set out on a surface that all students can reach.
• Print Material Price List and Budget Sheet for each pair of students (pages 12 and 13 from Resource Binder)

With the Students: Day 7

1. Assign students into pairs.
2. Teacher says: “Now that we have identified our problem, researched our topic thoroughly, and tested materials, we are ready to begin designing our boats. Remember, engineering is a process. It should take more than one try to accomplish our goal. Just like it took the girl in The Most Magnificent Thing several tries. Take a minute to look over your ideas for your boat. How do you plan on building your boat so far? Be prepared to explain to your partner.”
3. Have students share their boat designs with their partners. Students explain their ideas and then their partner tells them what they like about it.
4. Introduce students to their limited budget for this project by handing out the Material Price Lists and Budget Sheets (pages 12 and 13 from Resource Binder) to each student. Emphasize that engineers have engineering constraints for their projects and often must make decisions based on the money they have available for a specific project. 
5. Give each pair a new piece of paper and tell them they have to design a boat on a $100 budget.
6. Students sketch out a new $100 boat design.
7. Students complete a Budget Approval Form (page 13 from Resource Binder).
8. As students design their boats and build their budgets, the teacher should walk around and ask probing questions to help students through this process such as:
1. Why do you think this material will be helpful with your boat?
2. Which material is more affordable?
3. Is there a more affordable option?
4. Why did you choose this one?
9. When their design is complete and budget is set, each pair shares their design and budget with their “primary investigator” (teacher).
10. Students can only “purchase” materials after their budget is reviewed and approved. Have students turn in their Budget Approval Form (page 13 from Resource Binder).

Before Activity: Day 8 – Build and test prototype

1. Gather materials: All materials available for students to build their boats, Sterilite bins with water, stopwatch, measuring stick/tape
2. Set up testing area.

With the Students: Day 8

1. Students create their boats from the materials they have chosen. Teacher says: “Now that we have our designs and our materials, we are ready to begin creating our boats by moving to step 6 of the engineering design process: test. Remember, successful engineers try more than once to create their best work.”
2. Students test their boats. Teacher says: “When your boat is complete, you may bring it to the water for testing. Engineers test their designs to collect data and see if they need to make any improvements. Often, they test their designs more than once to see if they get the same results.”
3. When testing, students measure how far the boat travels from one side of the Sterilite bin to the other. Students also use the stopwatch to measure how fast the boat travels from one side of the Sterilite bin to the other side. 
4. Students should record their observations and measurements.
5. Have students think about how they can make the boat travel farther or how they can make the boat travel faster” and write down their ideas in their science journal.   
6. Students record what changes are necessary changes and why.
7. Students make design changes in response to their data and retest their upgraded boat. (optional)

Vocabulary/Definitions

boat: A vessel moved on water by oars, sails, or an engine.

budget: A total sum of money set aside, or needed, for a purpose and with a plan for how that money will be spent.

buoyancy: The ability to float in a fluid.

float: To rest or move on or near the surface of a liquid without sinking.

property: An essential or distinctive attribute or characteristic of an item.

sink: Go down below the surface of something, especially of a liquid; become submerged.

Assessment

Pre-Activity Assessment

KWL Chart: Complete the KWL chart. See page 2 in the Resources Binder.

Pre-Assessment: Optional: Have students complete the Pre-Assessment.

Activity Embedded Assessment

Question Cards: See the Question Cards on page 11 of the Resource Binder.

Post-Activity Assessment

Self-Assessment: Have students take the Self-Assessment on page 15 of the Resource Binder.

Post-Assessment: Optional: Have students complete the Post-Assessment.

Activity Extensions

• After engineering your rescue boat, you decide you want to open a boat building company. Create an advertisement about why people should select you to be their boat builder. What makes you a successful boat builder? What qualities do your boats have that make them the best? Why?
• Once you have your boat built for buoyancy and speed, consider the variable of weight. Test how strong your boat is by seeing how many yellow counter chips (“minions”) it can hold before sinking. Examine ways to improve your boat design to carry more weight.

Additional Multimedia Support

See pages 4 and 5 in Resource Binder.

Copyright

Contributors

Supporting Program

Acknowledgements

This curriculum was based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under RET grant no. EEC 1711543— Engineering for Biology: Multidisciplinary Research Experiences for Teachers in Elementary Grades (MRET) through the College of Engineering at the University of Florida. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.