Work by yourself to answer the following questions. Record your answers in your technology notebook.
Do you think testing the house your team built was helpful? If so, what did you gain from the test? If not, explain why it was not helpful.
Can you think of other examples in which testing ideas led to improved designs? Give an example and an explanation.
Would your team’s design be different if the goal were to stand up to floodwater instead of wind? Explain your answer.
- Your team’s paper house was a model of a
real house.
- List two ways that the paper house was like a real house.
- List two ways that the paper house was different from a real house.
Answers to Reflect and Connect
Allow students time to answer these questions. Once they have had time to complete their responses, you may want to hold a class discussion on some or all of them.
Do you think testing the house your team built was helpful? If so, what did you gain from the test? If not, explain why it was not helpful.
Can you think of other examples in which testing ideas led to improved designs? Give an example and an explanation.
Would your team’s design be different if the goal were to stand up to floodwater instead of wind? Explain your answer.
Your team’s paper house was a model of a real house.
List two ways that the paper house was like a real house.
List two ways that the paper house was different from a real house.
Question 4 is meant to help students think about the strengths and limitations of a model. Students should state that the model had the same parts (roof, walls, and foundation) as a real house or that it had the same shape as a real house.
Students may state that real houses are not built out of paper, that the model was much smaller than a real house, or that the model did not have features such as doors and windows.
Most students will probably feel that the ability to test the paper house against the wind was helpful. Most likely, the test revealed some problems with the design that could be changed before testing again. Without a test, it could not be determined whether the team’s design choices improved the ability of the paper house to survive the wind. Students may feel that the test was not helpful because although it revealed design problems, it made no suggestions about which design changes to make.
Students’ responses will vary depending on their experiences. Most students should be able to think of some example in which they did something in a different way that led to improved results.
This question again asks students to think about the relationship between function and location. Students may suggest that they would want to use different materials if they were designing a model house to resist water damage. They might also suggest that the basic design of the house would be different. Previously in this module, students saw a photograph of a house built on stilts over water. They may suggest that they would want to build the model house on stilts.