Lesson 7: Sports
Engineering
Suggested Time: 60
minutes
Overview
Students will examine how clothes and accessories are designed for the
needs of athletes, and consider how they would design items for their
favorite sports. Then they will engage in a fun exercise in which they
design their own shoes!
Vocabulary
- Problem
-
Research
-
Solution
-
List of Materials
-
Design Sketch
-
Prototype
-
Testing
-
Evaluation
Objectives
-
Students will practice rudimentary planning and design skills used in
all design-based disciplines, including engineering and architecture.
-
Students will combine aesthetics with the functional attributes of
engineered design features.
Next Generation Science
Standards
- MS-PS-1, MS-PS-4. Developing and Using Models.
-
MS-PS1-3. Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information.
-
ETS1.A, B, and C. Defining and Delimiting Design Problems, Developing
Possible Solutions, and Optimizing the Design Solution.
Required Project
Materials
- Sketch paper and pencils for concept designs
-
Copies of National Geographic’s “Engineering Process” worksheets
(provided)
-
Computer lab
Multimedia Resources
- The Kids’ Guide to Sports Design and Engineering (SI Kids Guide
Books). Thomas K. Adamson and Robert L. McConnell.
http://amzn.com/1476551871
-
“A Cross Culture Study on Phone Carrying and Physical
Personalization.” Yanqing Cui, Jan Chipchase, and Fumiko Ichikawa.
Nokia study. Article provided and available at
https://research.nokia.com/files/45590483.pdf
Optional Multimedia
Resources
Before the Lesson/ Background
Information
- Copy excerpts of The Kids’ Guide to Sports Design and
Engineering to pass out to the class.
-
Print out copies of “A Cross Culture Study on Phone Carrying and
Physical Personalization” to hand out in class as homework.
The Lesson
Part 1: Considering Sports Design (20
mins)
- Read The Kids’ Guide to Sports Design and Engineering with the
class, engaging the students with reading sections of the material.
-
Go around the room and ask the students to declare their favorite
sport. Then have the students consider difficulties or obstacles
related to that sport. Can they identify a problem that needs to be
solved? Discuss ways of solving each problem.
Part 2: Design Your Own Kicks* (40
mins)
- Now the students will work on designing their own sports shoes. Tell
them to consider both function and form in the design.
-
As the students develop the design, have them fill out a National
Geographic “Engineering Process” worksheet.
-
The next step is to perform any necessary research on the product in
the computer lab.
-
Finally, the students will complete a sketch and color it. They should
label any important details, then present the design to the rest of
the class.
-
Time each task. Just like “Project Runway”, the students will have
to show whatever they were able to finish!
*This can also be a group activity
Homework Due Next Class
- Students should think of a need that is not well served by an item of
clothing—and how they would solve that need. They can think about
problems they have encountered, or problems they’ve heard about from
family members.
-
Students should read “A Cross Culture Study on Phone Carrying and
Physical Personalization” to prepare for the next class.
Copyright 2018 © STEM.org All Rights Reserved.