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In this module, students learn that scientific knowledge is not just accumulated,
it is also applied, helping peole in many ways.
The four activities in the Models and Designs module provide
students with experiences that develop the concept of a scientific
model and engage them in the processes of design and construction.
The activites encourage students to use creative thinking and problem-solving
skills to build working models, including a model of a device that they
can hear but cannot see.
The atmosphere generated by this module is one of open discussion,
free exchange of ideas, and the development of ideas into products.
In activity 1, Black Boxes, students use multisensory
methods to investigate sealed black plastic boxes in order to come up
with a model to explain what the boxes look like inside. They work
first in pairs and then in conference groups to refine and communicate
their models. They then construct physical models of the black boxes
to test their ideas against the sealed black boxes.
In activity 2, Hum Dingers, the students ponder a
concealed device that hums when its string is pulled and dings when
the string is released. The students work in groups of four with a
set of construction materials to make a model of the hum dinger.
In activities 3 and 4, Go-Carts and Cart Tricks
, students work in pairs to exercise problem-solving and
engineering skills to design, construct, test, and refine a
self-propelled cart that performs a set of predetermined functions.
As the students grapple with ideas and struggle to transform their
visions into functional objects, they develop important collaboration
skills.
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