In this unit, students will study the materials and designs used in construction tasks. They will compare paper, clay, cardboard, styrofoam, and other available materials to see which are the strongest—which ones resist bending, crushing, or tearing—and which are the most easily shaped and joined. They will test different shapes and thicknesses to find out what makes a structure strong and stable and to find out how much material is needed. Students will learn that many factors are considered the materials and designs are selected and that different tasks may require different materials and designs.
In the coming weeks, students will learn to:
- Recognize that functional structures must be sufficiently strong and stable and that unstable or weak structures are often unsafe to use
- Compare and evaluate the strength and stability of different models or objects constructed
- Describe the distinctive properties of some common solids, such as wood, paper or plastic, that make them suitable for use as building materials
- Apply procedures to test the strength of construction materials, in particular, different stocks of papers, plastics or wood
- Apply procedures to test different designs. 6. Apply procedures to test the strength of different methods of joining
- Identify and apply methods for making a structure stronger and more stable; e.g., by adding or joining parts to form triangles