Study guide: Design a Paper Shelter
Choose, compare and improve drawings using a clear goal.
Ideas to explain in your own words
- A design goal says what a solution should do. A drawing helps explain an idea before building. Our pretend goal is a dry toy space, not a real emergency shelter.
- Both supplied shelters have the same base. One roof has a gap. Look for a path through which water could reach the toy; appearance alone does not show performance.
- A supplied test record shows dry or wet toy spaces. Read each record once. A design meets this one goal when the stated test leaves the toy space dry.
- A useful improvement connects a change to a specific problem. Draw your change and point to the expected water path. A prediction still needs a test record.
Useful vocabulary
- goal
- keep the drawn toy space dry
- covered
- roof spans the whole toy space
- passes
- toy space stays dry in the record
- close gap
- blocks the shown path through the roof
Watch your reasoning
- Check what goal and material each mean. They describe different clues.
- Check what covered and gap each mean. They describe different clues.
- Check what passes and fails each mean. They describe different clues.
A worked review example
Worked reference-card problem: a card states “keep the drawn toy space dry”; a second states “card used for the drawn roof.” The first fits goal and the second fits material. The reason is the described function or change, not the order of the cards or a favorite name. If their descriptions exchange places, their category labels exchange too. Keep the supplied descriptions attached to the correct case. Worked reference-card problem: a card states “roof spans the whole toy space”; a second states “roof leaves an opening.” The first fits covered and the second fits gap. The reason is the described function or change, not the order of the cards or a favorite name. If their descriptions exchange places, their category labels exchange too. Keep the supplied descriptions attached to the correct case. Worked reference-card problem: a card states “toy space stays dry in the record”; a second states “toy space becomes wet in the record.” The first fits passes and the second fits fails. The reason is the described function or change, not the order of the cards or a favorite name. If their descriptions exchange places, their category labels exchange too. Keep the supplied descriptions attached to the correct case. Worked reference-card problem: a card states “blocks the shown path through the roof”; a second states “helps a sagging roof stay up.” The first fits close gap and the second fits add support. The reason is the described function or change, not the order of the cards or a favorite name. If their descriptions exchange places, their category labels exchange too. Keep the supplied descriptions attached to the correct case.
Make a practice plan
- Use an example from Name a shelter goal. Say what happens and point to the clue that helps explain it.
- Complete Compare shelter drawings and correct the specific misconception in its feedback.
- Resolve a changed case from Use a pretend shelter test, then combine the four ideas in the transfer task.