The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project
STEM Building Shelters
*Shelter Design Challenge
STEM Building Shelters
A 2nd, 3rd, & 4th grade STEM lesson
*Shelter Design Challenge
Kasi Johnson
9-4-2024
Notes for teachers
In this unit, students will identify what a shelter is and why we need it.
Students will identify the different types of shelters and materials needed depending on climate.
Students will engineer their shelter based on the given materials and their climate, environment plus solving the shelter challenge problem.
List of Materials
Standards
K-2-ETS1-1. Ask questions, make observations, and gather information about a situation people want to change to define a simple problem that can be solved through the development of a new or improved object or tool.
K-2-ETS1-2. Develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model to illustrate how the shape of an object helps it function as needed to solve a given problem.
K-ESS3-3. Communicate solutions that will reduce the impact of humans on the land, water, air, and/or other living things in the local environment.
K-ESS2-2. Construct an argument supported by evidence for how plants and animals (including humans) can change the environment to meet their needs.
3-LS4-3. Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all
Standards
3-5-ETS1-1. Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.
3-5-ETS1-2. Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
3-5-ETS1-3. Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.
5-ESS3-1. Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect the Earth's resources and environment.
Standards
Mathematical Practices
The Standards for Mathematical Practice complement the content standards so that students increasingly engage with the subject matter as they grow in mathematical maturity and expertise throughout the elementary, middle, and high school years.
1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
4. Model with mathematics.
5. Use appropriate tools strategically.
6. Attend to precision.
7. Look for and make use of structure.
8. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.
4.MD.A.3: Apply the area and perimeter formulas for rectangles in mathematical problems and problems in real-world contexts including problems with unknown side lengths
Objective(s):
Today, students will be able to understand how people around the world adapt, through shelters, the physical conditions in the place that they live.
Students will be able to recognize the different shelter constructions in different regions across the continents.
Students will be able to understand the development of shelter and the cultural aspects that go along with it.
Students will design and engineer their shelter based on the materials that they are given to use for the shelter design challenge problem.
Agenda (120 min)
Students will discuss:
What is a shelter? What shapes can shelters be designed in?
Why humans and animals need shelters to survive?
What types of shelters animals and humans need?
What materials are needed to build their shelters ?
What role the environment and climate play in building their shelters? What dimensions would your shelter need to be to fit your entire family in? (Area, Volume, Shape, LxWxH)
After given the shelter challenge, students are to engineer their shelter only using the materials given taking into consideration their spatial relations (taking area and volume, LxWxH, shape), environment, and climate.
Students will bring their created shelters up to the teacher to go through the wind, rain, and weight test.
After completing the test trials, students can write out a reflection sheet of their STEM shelter creation and the findings after the trial testing.
What is a shelter?
Shelter is a form of protection, which helps people survive in the world. The reason we live in shelters is to shield us from harm such as extreme weather conditions like wind, snow, and rain, as well as protection from animals. Also, we use shelters to store our possessions and typically we grow as a family in our shelters. Without shelter, survival would be difficult.
Why do we need shelters?
A shelter
Are all shelters the same? Why or why not?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-om4CNdFM8
Listen to the story “The Village of Round and Square Houses”
Why do you think people live in different types of shelters? This story takes place in South Africa, what materials do you think they used to create their shelters in that part of the world?
2 Types of Shelters
Permanent Shelter - place where humans and animals live for a very long duration and spend most of their lifetime becomes their permanent shelter. (Ex House, animal caves, bird nests)
Temporary Shelter - place where humans and animals live for a very short duration and for specific purposes are called temporary shelters. (Ex. hotel, tent, caravan, camper, house boat, migratory bird nest)
What materials are used to create shelters?
Animals make shelters by burrowing into the ground, building lodges from tree branches and mud.
Birds build their nests on the trees.
Humans build houses out of wood, mud, bamboo, and stone according to the environment conditions and the availability of materials.
Think of the story of the 3 Little Pigs and the materials that each pig used for their shelter. Which one was the best to use and why?
Let's look at this chart together.
What do you notice?
Living Beings and Their Shelters - Humans
The shelter of human beings is known as their “house”. It can be 2 types depending on the type of materials used to build them.
Kutcha House-these houses are not very strong and are built from mud, wood, and straw, etc.
Pucca House- these houses are strong as they are made from cement, bricks, irons, wood and steel.
What type of environment would you live in if you had a Kutcha House? How about a Pucca House?
Let’s look at the examples on the following slide.
Materials a house may need:
Animals and Their Shelter
Animals that live on land and forests - cow, dog, donkey, horse, lion, elephant, deer, etc.
Animals that live in/on trees - monkeys, birds, sloth, apes, etc.
Animals and Their Shelters
Animals that live in burrows- rabbits, snakes, ant, scorpion, etc
Animals that live in land and water- frogs, snakes, crocodiles, etc.
Birds Shelter
Birds usually make their shelter or their nest out of a variety of materials, such as grass, twigs, branches, leaves, wool, wood, wire, and hair. The place they create their nests depends on the type of bird. Can you name a type of bird and where their nest is located?
Insects Shelters
Look at these types of insects and their shelters. Let’s compare and contrast these different types of insect shelters.
Important Factors behind the Choice of Shelter
Location and Geography - the choice of house differs on the basis of area. For example, the house in the desert areas will be very different from the houses in hilly areas.
Environmental Conditions - the type of environmental conditions and the climate present in an area will play an important role in deciding the type of house that should be built.
Raw material availability and economic status of the individual- the raw materials that are easily available in the particular area make a good choice for building the house.
*Challenge Questions*
What type of houses are found in both snowfall and rainfall? What materials can withstand both of these conditions?
What are the mathematical dimensions (LxWxH) that your built shelter would need to be to fit your entire family in safely? What is the area of the ground? Volume of the shelter? What shape would your shelter need to be to comfortably fit your family?
How would you build a shelter for your family if they were out in the wilderness? What shape would you use?
Hands-on Activity Instructions
*Allow students to finish last minute touches on their shelter.
Assessment
Shelter engineered paper design: Check the students design at each step and make sure they have adequately completed the associated task. For instance, the final design should include several different viewpoints and be adequately labeled with the materials needed taking into account climate, city surroundings, raw materials availability and the mathematical dimensions that the shelter would need to be to fit the entire family in. (LxWxH) What would the area and volume of the shelter need to be to fit your familY? Shape?
Physically created Shelter - make sure that students engineered a shelter that is based on their surroundings,climate, and their environment which was a solution to the Shelter Building Challenge question measuring the length, width, and height of your created shelter and documenting it in a chart. What is the area and volume of your shelter that it needs to be to fit your entire family? What shape would it need to be to keep everyone comfortable under your shelter?
Shelter building Reflection-students can write a reflection of each step that they took to provide a solution to their shelter building challenge problem. Focus on how they created the design and if it withstood the different trial tests given. (wind, weight, rain). What could they have done to build it stronger and what are the dimensions of the shelter they would need for their entire family to fit?
Differentiation
Students may ask their table group questions that they do not understand.
Students may talk with teacher one on one after the slide show presentation for more clarification on concepts they did not understand.
Remediation
Extension/Enrichment
Students may dive in to engineering their shelter by using all of the supplies given and create a story based on the shelter they made.
Students can research further shelters used in the continents throughout the world. Give a presentation on their findings.
Students could select an animal to research and how they can survive in their chosen habitat. The animal will need to have the necessary adaptations to survive. (For example, an animal in a polar habitat might need to have blubber to stay warm. An animal in the desert might need to have a way to store water for a long period of time)Present their findings to class.
Make a geometrically designed extension on to your shelter to fit any animals or extra people you may need to pull in to your shelter.