Designing a toy
Summary of task
As part of their teaching and learning unit on physical sciences, students had investigated different types of forces and simple machines. Students had been explicitly taught how to draw force diagrams and how to scientifically communicate designs that incorporate simple machines.
Students were asked to design and build a toy that incorporated at least one moving part and identify the forces and simple machines present. During each lesson, students were asked to reflect on their planning and design process and record their thoughts about the design choices they had made in a journal, using a given template. As final assessment, students were asked to create a presentation to explain the forces and simple machines present within their design. They were encouraged to incorporate mathematical and scientific language within their presentation and journal. Students were required to reference all the sources they had used during their research.
Students worked individually in class and at home over a period of three weeks.