StEm

(capitalize letter to denote focus)

Title: Mass Matters

Grade Level: 5th
Science Standard:
SC.5.P.8.1 Compare and contrast
basic properties of solids, liquids,
and gases, such as mass, volume,
color, texture, and temperature.

Learning Outcomes:
Students will be able to calculate
the mass of a solid, liquid, and gas
by using balance scales to record
the masses .

Math Standard:
MAFS.3.OA.3.7 Fluently multiply
and divide within one hundred,
using strategies such as the
relationship between multiplication
and division or properties of
operations.

Career Connection:
Structural Engineer: Design
structure to withstand various
loads.

Essential Question/s:
How can you determine the mass
of a solid, liquid, and gas?

Engineering Practices:

Vocabulary:
Structural Engineer
Blueprint
Client
Request for Proposal
Prototype
Design Process
Mass
Matter
Grams
Gram masses
Balance scale

Materials:

Design a prototype of a bridge that

can support weight
Calculate loads
Decide on structural system

Balance scale for each

group
Gram masses
Balloons
Graduated cylinders for
each group
100 mL of water
10 snap cubes
Data chart
Venn diagram
Planning guide
Up to 50 popsicle sticks
for each group
Up to 50 spaghetti for
each group
Up to 10 lasagna for
each group

 Up to 50 toothpicks for
each group
Marshmallows
Elmers glue
4 textbooks for each
group
Meter sticks

Day 1/Part 1: From this plan students will walk away knowing
how to calculate the mass of a solid, liquid, or gas.
(Write out your step-by-step plan. Include the role of the students
and the role of the teacher.)
1. Review pre-assessment from day before where students write down
everything they know about mass for one minute to help group students for
the exploration in step 3.
2. Create heterogeneous groups of students based off of the pre-assessment
from the day before.
3. Ask students, Why might scientists need to know the mass of a solid,
liquid, and gas?
Possible student responses:
To know how big something is.
To know if it can fit somewhere.
To know how big they need to make something.
Actual answer:
General: To know how much matter an object has.
Connection to lesson: In our lesson, we will need to know how
much mass cars and water have in order for a bridge to hold up.
4. Pose the essential question: How can you determine the mass of a solid,
liquid, and gas?
Break down what the term mass means (Mass is the measure of how much
matter is in an object or material). Share data charts with the students and
explain that they will now get the opportunity to investigate how they can
determine the mass using the material that will be dispersed.
5. Materials (Balance scale, graduated cylinders, 100 mL of water, gram
masses, 10 snap cubes, balloons, meter stick, and data chart) will be
dispersed to each group.
6. Students will complete the task of measuring masses with a balance scale
and record in their data chart. Common misconception: The snap cubes can
be used as gram masses with solids and liquids. Students can use this as a
benchmark unit, but need to know how much the snap cubes are in grams.
Common misconception: Students do not factor in the mass of the graduated
cylinder when measuring a liquid. Some students also just poured water into

the holder of the balance scale, which worked for measuring the mass of a
liquid and teacher needs to make sure to highlight that both methods can be
used.
7. Once students finish, students will open envelope that reveals the correct
way to measure for a liquid and solid. Students will compare and contrast the
their created method with the correct method and reflect on it in their science
journal.
8. Have students think about how they could possibly measure the mass of a
gas and whether this is even possible. Common misconception: Gas has no
mass.
9. Demonstrate how the proper way to measure gas: Use a meter stick and
put inflated balloon on one side and deflated balloon on the other to show
how the gas has mass because the side with inflated balloon sinks. Common
misconception: oxygen is in the balloon, but it is actually carbon dioxide.
10. Class will create a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the method for
measuring a mass of a solid, liquid, and gas.
Use the Venn diagram as a formative assessment tool to
determine grouping for the day 2 design challenge.

Day 2/Part 2: Students will apply their understanding of the

mass of matter to solve this problem through the design
process.
(Write out your step-by-step plan Include the role of the students
and the role of the teacher.)

Learning into Practice:

Problem/Challenge
Show and read the Request for Proposals Form (RPF).
Discuss with your students:

 Who is your client? (Hillsborough County Structural Engineering

Department)
What type of product do we need to create? (A bridge that can
withstand the mass of 100 grams)
What criterion is listed on the Request for Proposal Form? (The
bridge must use only the materials listed, span the distance of at least
12 inches, use at least two textbooks on either side of the bridge,
withstand the mass of 100 grams of snap cubes (or teacher can
choose any solid they have available) and water.)
Explain to the students that they will become structural engineers. Read the
Structural Engineer Profile, Structural engineers work to effectively design,
construct, and maintain bridges, buildings, sporting arenas, and other types of
buildings. As a structural engineer, your main goal will be to ensure that your project
is able to withstand all types of stress. You'll play a vital role in the safety and
efficiency of many different types of urban environments.

http://learn.org/articles/What_Does_a_Structural_Engineer_Do.html

Brainstorm/Investigate (Focus Concepts):

Talk about students about what they know about bridges. Allow the students
to look up more pictures and structures of the bridges.
Put students in triads of engineering teams based off of their performance on
the Venn diagram. Give them a few minutes to start brainstorming together
about possible prototypes and let them know they will begin the Design
Challenge Planning Sheet later today.
Pass out the Design Challenge Planning Sheet and tell the students they will
complete the Brainstorming and Plan/Designing sections.
Refer students to the Design Challenge Cycle (poster) and explain to students
that every design challenge begins with a problem. Restate the problem that
the Hillsborough County Structural Engineering Department would like
engineering teams to solve.
Review classroom norms for working in groups and fair ways for everyone to
share their ideas. Direct the groups to record their brainstorming/two
possibilities of prototypes on the Design Challenge Planning Sheet. Although
the groups may have come up with several ideas for their prototypes, they
should only choose two to record on their sheets. Discuss how they can
narrow down their brainstorming ideas to only two.
Discuss with your students:
Why did your groups choose one design possibility over the
other?
How did everyone in the group contribute?

Plan/Design (Blueprint):
Show students that the next step in the cycle is Plan/Design. Remind them
that each group must choose their best brainstorming idea to create a
blueprint.

Guide your students to have discussions among their engineering teams to

support why one out of the two prototypes would be more successful than the
others from their brainstorming section.
When the engineering teams have made their decision on which prototype
idea they are going to move forward with building, they should sketch their
blueprint in the space provided on Design Challenge Planning Sheet.
Encourage engineers to be as detailed as possible, and to keep in mind that
they are making a scientific engineering sketch. Their completed sketches
should serve as a guide when they get to the building phase. This means that
sketches should include labels which list all materials needed and where they
are in the design. Remind engineers that when they are in the next step,
build/test, that their prototype should match their blueprint as much as
possible. Relate this back to the real world by pointing out that if an engineer
shows a project manager a blueprint of a design, but they build something
that looks very different, the project manager may possibly not pay that
engineer because they did not provide the structure that the project manager
was expecting.

Build/Test:
Show students that the next step in the cycle is Build/Test. To complete this
part of the cycle, the engineers will receive their materials (popsicle sticks,
spaghetti, lasagna, or toothpicks, Elmers glue or marshmallows, snap cubes,
water in graduated cylinder, gram masses, and balance scale) and actually
construct their prototypes. Make sure their blueprint has the labeled materials
before giving them their supplies.
Remind engineers that during the construction of their prototype, they should
refer often to their blueprint to be sure that the design of their prototype is as
accurate as possible.
Hand out class data collection chart.
Have engineers prepare to test their prototypes by having students measure
out 100 grams of snap cubes (or other available solid) and 100 grams of
water.
Remind engineering teams that the design challenge focus is the bridge
which will follow all the requirements on the RFP.
Have each group test their prototypes.

Collect/Analyze Data:
Discuss as a class that it is important to collect data to prove which prototype
is the best. Refer to the Design Challenge Cycle to highlight that the next step
is to Collect and Analyze Data.
Show students how to create a simple data chart in the Collect and Analyze
Data section of the Design Challenge Planning Sheet for them to record the
data of their groups prototype.
Be sure that the engineering groups are recording their data correctly.

Continue to test and record data. Hopefully, engineers will complete at least
three trials with their prototype to show effective data collection. Teacher will
record data on class data chart and students will record on individual group
data on their Design Challenge Planning Sheet chart.
Have a discussion about the results of the data.
Discuss:
Which teams of engineers have the most effective prototypes?
What trends or differences were there between the prototypes?
Which prototype do you think the client will like the best?

Reflect on Improvements:
Refer students to the next step in the Design Challenge Cycle, which is
Reflect/Improve. Talk with students about how engineers take time to think
about their design and what they can do to make it better.
Give engineers time to turn and talk with their groups about what they can do
to improve their design and allow them to share out.
Remind students that engineers are never finished; they continue to make
their design better.
Direct students to record their reflections about their improvements on their
Design Challenge Planning Sheet. This is what should guide engineers as they
work to possibly re-design.
Allow groups to re-design a prototype to present to the project manager. This
part of the process allows students to understand how engineers take time to
make their prototypes even better before submitting.
When re-designing, students will collect and analyze data again, then reflect
on their prototypes again. When going through a re-design, have students
record their data and reflections with a colored pencil so that they are able to
see easily the difference between their first prototype and their second
attempt.
Engineering teams should now prepare for the next step, which is to prove to
the Hillsborough County Engineering Department why their prototype is the
best.

Evaluate/Justify:
Show the evaluate/justify step on the Design Challenge Cycle poster and
explain to engineers that in this step, several prototypes are evaluated.
Engineers must justify why their prototype is the one that should be selected
by the Hillsborough County Engineering Department.
Give engineering teams time to talk about what they will say to justify their
prototype.
Engineers should use evidence from the data collected to support their
justification.
Allow engineers to use the evaluate and justify section of the design
challenge planning sheet as a guide prior to presenting their prototypes.
Groups will present their prototype to you (project manager) one at a time so

that all engineers may benefit from hearing the explanations of the others.
After all prototypes have been shared, engineers might now have further
ideas about re-design! You can point out to students that this is why our
design challenge works in a cycle!
Remind students to keep thinking like those engineers and get ready for our
next design challenge!

Lesson Components:
RFP- Request for Proposal
Planning Sheet for the Design Process
Notebook Stops- Reflection and record of student learning
Career Connection
Real world application
Common Vocabulary
Blueprint
Client
Request for Proposal
Prototype

Questions to consider when writing:

1. When are you going to introduce the design process?
2. What content do the students NEED to know to be successful?
3. What specific content do you want the students to use in their design process?
4. Part of day one should be introducing the RFP and the real world career
connections so the students are engaged.
5. What type of engineer uses this in the real world?
6. What real world problem are we solving?
7. How will you determine if your learner met their learning goals and successfully
demonstrated mastery to the essential question?
8. How much time have you allotted for this cycle to occur?