Engineers, Don’t Flood the Fidgits!

Students will:

• Design a city to house the Fidgits and keep them safe from flooding.
• Be introduced to the design process.

Vocabulary Words:

1. Design Process: The design process is an approach for breaking down a large project into manageable chunks.

2. Engineers: Engineers are people who design and build things to solve problems that we have and invent things we use every day.

To prepare for this lesson:

• Review the PBS Kids Design Squad game.

• Review the optional video that introduces students to engineers.

See the Accommodations Page and Charts on the 21things4students website in the Teacher Resources. 

Directions for this activity:

1. Explain to students that they will be using the engineering design process to help them build a city to protect Fidgits from flooding. You may show the optional video that explains the process. The first step is to define the problem, and that is the city needs to be built in a way that Fidgits will have homes to live in even when it floods.

2. Open up the game and model how to find it. Watch the opening video sequence that explains what flooding and hurricanes are. The video will then explain to students how to play the game.

3. Review key points with the students on how to build a city. Explain that they will collect information to better design a city. Select an option (river, island,etc.) and model how to choose and place materials. Build a first attempt at the city. Together brainstorm ideas and solutions, and connect it to the design process. Gather input from the class as you work. Note to students that some building options are only available for the island, such as a seawall, and sometimes the item is placed in the water and not on land.

4. Flood the city. Connect this to gathering feedback so you can improve the design. Be sure to explain at the end they are given hints on what helped and suggestions. For non-readers have them notice the different icons used. Explain how the design process they will now start again with defining the problem (e.g., The houses were built too close to the ocean.) and repeat the design process.

5. Model two more series of designs and floods to finish the game, connecting it to the design process as you work.

6. The students will complete the game independently.

Optional: Students may record themselves, write a journal entry, or share with a partner explaining what worked well in their design and how it solved the problem of protecting Fidgits.

Different options for assessing the students:

• Observations
• Check for understanding
• Create a rubric to check off and assess that they have completed the design.