Summary
In this activity, students design and construct a protective container to prevent a raw egg from breaking when dropped from a height. They will apply the engineering design process to brainstorm, to create a prototype, to test, and to refine their designs, emphasizing iteration, problem-solving, and teamwork.
Essential Question
How can we use the engineering design process to solve real world problems?
Learning Objective
Students will use the engineering design process to solve a real-world problem related to STEM.
Snapshot
Question
Present students with the problem/scenario and criteria.
Brainstorm
Students work in small groups to brainstorm a solution using a KWHL chart.
Plan and Design
Given design criteria, students will research, plan, and prepare their prototype graphic organizer.
Build and Create
Students use kits and online software to build models based on their designs.
Test and Analyze
Students will test their designs according to the goal of the performance task and analyze them for future design considerations.
Reflect and Improve
Students will reflect on the test analysis document and plan design improvements.
Communicate
Students will draft the best way to communicate their ideas in a real-world setting.
Engineering Design Process Debrief
Students will share what worked and what didn’t work using the Elevator Speech instructional strategy and then reflect on their experiences using the 3-2-1 instructional strategy.
Materials List
Activity Slides (attached)
Facilitator Guide handout (attached; teacher copy)
Engineering Notebook Materials handout (attached; one per student; optional)
3-2-1 handout (attached; one half-page per student)
Student Checklist handout (attached; one per group)
Engineering Design Process poster (attached; optional)
Composition Notebooks (1 per student)
Pen/pencil
Sticky Notes and Chart or poster paper (optional)
Scissors
Tape or glue
Materials for STEM Activity: Eggs (6 per group), Cups (assorted sizes; 5 per group), Pipe cleaners (15 per group), Scrap paper (plain, cardstock, or newspaper; 15 sheets per group), Tongue depressors / craft sticks (20 per group), Tape (masking or painter’s; 2 rolls per group), Rubber bands (15 per group), Cotton balls or other cushioning material (20 per group), Straws (10 per group), Glue sticks (2 per group), White glue (1 bottle per group), Scissors (1 per student in group), Ruler or measuring tape (1 per group), Timer (shared classroom timer or slide-based timer)
Preparation
35 Minute(s)
Facilitator Guide
The Facilitator Guide handout is designed to support you in leading a successful STEM Challenge session. It includes setup instructions, best practices for creating an authentic and engaging learning environment, and images of sample notebooks to model expectations for students. The materials list provided is suggested but not exhaustive—you are encouraged to adapt or supplement as needed to fit your group’s interests and resources.
Engineering Notebooks Materials
To best model authentic scientific discovery we highly recommend having students keep a composition or spiral notebook specific for all STEM Club activities. The provided Engineering Notebook Materials handout contains headings, prompts, and other useful recording templates that you can print and have students cut out then glue/tape into their notebooks. See the Facilitator Guide handout for a model. However, we have also provided instruction slides (5, 10, 12, 14, 16, & 19) before each phase that show students what should be on the next page(s) of their notebooks if you would prefer them to handwrite the headings, prompts, etc. Feel free to hide these slides if needed.
Student Checklist
We recommend printing and laminating the Student Checklist handout for each student to add to their notebook or have out on their desk.
Optional 3D Printer Integration
Students can 3D print custom egg holders, parachute connectors, or lightweight cushioning supports to protect the egg during drops. Prints allow for rapid testing of shapes and designs.
Question
25 Minute(s)
Use the Activity Slides to facilitate the following STEM Club session. Transition through slides 2-4 to introduce the lesson title, essential question, and learning objective. The essential question should be the guiding force throughout the activity and can help shape your probing questions as needed. Move to slide 5 which shows how students should set up the first sections of their notebook. If you are using the provided Engineering Notebook Materials handout, pass one copy out to every student along with scissors and tape or glue. Give students time to set up the Question & Brainstorm sections of their notebooks.
Display slide 6. Introduce the scenario for this session to the students and remind them to fill in that part of their notebooks Scenario: Today’s challenge is all about protecting something fragile. Imagine you are engineers tasked with designing a device that can keep an egg safe when it’s dropped from a significant height. Eggs are fragile like many real-world objects we try to protect—such as satellites during transport, or safety equipment like helmets. Your job is to design a protective structure that will absorb impact and prevent an egg from breaking when dropped.
Transition to slide 7. Present the criteria for this engineering challenge. Suggested Criteria:
Your design must keep the egg from cracking or breaking when dropped from [insert drop height—recommend 8–10 feet].
You may only use the materials provided (e.g., straws, paper, tape, rubber bands, plastic bags, etc.).
Your design must be small enough to fit in the testing container/within the designated size limits.
You will have a limited time to plan and build your design.
Bonus consideration: Can your design use the least number of materials and still protect the egg?
Display slide 8. Using the KWHL Graphic Organizer strategy, have each student go to or create their own KWHL chart in their notebooks by writing the following questions at the top of four columns:
Know: What do I know about the task?
Wonder: What do I not know (and want/need to know) about the task?
How: How will I find the information I need to complete the task?
Learn: What have I learned about the task?
Guide students through the K (What I Know) section by encouraging them to share prior knowledge, experiences, and assumptions related to the problem without judgment. Then, move to the W (What I Want to Know) section, prompting them to generate focused, curiosity-driven questions that highlight gaps in understanding. Allow students time to work.
Next, move to slide 9 and have students interact with their notebook by creating their initial hypothesis or prediction based on their K and W responses. Remind students that this initial prediction will be revised and revisited often throughout the engineering design process.
Brainstorm
30 Minute(s)
Display slide 10 and revisit the KWHL chart introducing the H (How I Will Learn) section. Guide students to think about specific strategies they can use to find the answers to their W questions. This may include online research, hands-on experiments, interviews with experts, reviewing data, or consulting books and credible websites. Encourage students to match each question with at least one method or resource, considering the reliability and accessibility of their sources. With these strategies in mind, students should begin generating and sharing potential solutions to the problem, using their K and W entries as a springboard for idea creation. All ideas are recorded without judgment in the space after their KWHL charts to promote creativity and ensure a wide range of possibilities for the next phase of planning.
As students are wrapping up their Brainstorming phase, transition to slide 11 and remind students to revise their predictions based on the new knowledge gained. Explain that in the real world, scientists do this all the time. A well-trained scientist isn’t someone who’s always right the first time—they’re someone who’s willing to update their ideas as new evidence appears. Changing your mind isn’t a mistake; it’s part of the process and how real discovery happens.
Plan and Design
55 Minute(s)
Display slide 12 which shows how students should set up the next sections of their notebook. Give students time to set up the Plan & Design sections of their notebooks.
Move to slide 13. Explain that now students will review their brainstormed ideas and select the most promising option or combination of ideas that best meet the problem’s criteria and constraints. Students will draw detailed sketches and model their design, either physically, digitally, or both, to clearly show how the solution will be built.
The plan should include labeled diagrams, a materials list, precise dimensions or measurements, and a step-by-step process for construction. Emphasize clarity—anyone who reads the plan should be able to understand and replicate the design. This phase bridges creative ideas with practical action, ensuring that the concept is ready for the build phase.
As students are wrapping up their Plan & Design phase, transition to slide 14 and remind students to revise their predictions based on the new knowledge gained.
Build and Create
55 Minute(s)
Display slide 15, which shows how students should set up the next sections of their notebook. Give students time to set up the Build & Create sections of their notebooks.
Display slide 16. Using their completed plan, students begin building the first version of their design: the prototype. They should follow their drawings, models, and step-by-step instructions carefully, using tools and materials safely and responsibly. While building, students should document their progress through photos, notes, or sketches to capture changes or adjustments made along the way. The goal is to create a testable version of the solution, knowing that it may require improvement in later phases.
As students are wrapping up their Build & Create phase, transition to slide 17 and remind students to revise their predictions based on the new knowledge gained.
Test and Analyze
55 Minute(s)
Display slide 18 which shows how students should set up the next sections of their notebook. Give students time to set up the Test & Analyze sections of their notebooks.
Display slide 19. As a group, brainstorm and determine what a collection tool (i.e. table or graph) would look like. If needed, model what data would look like within your chosen tool.
Invite students to put their prototype to the test, using the criteria and constraints from the Question phase as their guide. Testing should follow a consistent process so that results are reliable and measurable. Students should gather data through observations, measurements, and feedback, looking for evidence about how well the design performs and where it might fall short. The purpose of this phase is to learn from the prototype, not to prove it’s perfect.
As students are wrapping up their tests and data collection, transition to slide 20 and explain that now they need to brainstorm the best mode for representing their collected raw data for analysis. If needed, review the examples on the slide. Allow students time to brainstorm the best tools for displaying their data. Consider checking in on their ideas periodically. They can use the variables table to outline what variables their experiment(s) yielded and what they would change in the future.
As students are wrapping up their Test & Analyze phase, transition to slide 21 and remind students to revise their predictions based on the new knowledge gained.
Reflect and Improve
25 Minute(s)
Transition to slide 22 and remind students to revise their predictions based on the new knowledge gained.
Display slide 23 which shows how students should set up the next sections of their notebook. Give students time to set up the Reflect & Improve sections of their notebooks.
Display slide 24. Students review their test results and analysis to determine how well their prototype met the criteria and constraints. Using their collected data, they identify specific strengths to keep and weaknesses to address. Students then propose targeted changes to improve the design, considering materials, measurements, features, or construction methods. Remind students that the goal of this phase is to make the design more effective, efficient, and reliable before retesting or final presentation.
Display slide 25. Have students return to their KWHL charts and direct them to complete the “L” column: “What I learned.”
Communicate
30 Minute(s)
Display slide 26 which shows how students should set up the next section of their notebook. Give students time to set up the Communicate section of their notebooks.
Display slide 26 and instruct students to reflect and plan how they would communicate their experience in a real-world setting.
Engineering Process Design Debrief
45 Minute(s)
Display slide 27. Announce to students that they have been selected to share their findings at the annual Stark Expo. Have them discuss the best medium to present what they now know.
Move to slide 28, where they will learn to plan their presentation. Using the Elevator Speech instructional strategy, students will present their final design in a concise and engaging way, telling the story of how their solution developed from the initial problem to the completed product. Presentations should include the problem definition, criteria and constraints, brainstormed ideas, plan and design details, building process, testing results, and improvements made. Students should also highlight challenges they faced, how they overcame them, and what they learned along the way. The purpose is to explain the solution and process clearly so that others can understand, replicate, or build upon the work. Allow students time to draft and practice their speeches. These speeches may be given in person or filmed based on student and/or classroom needs.
To close this phase, move to slide 29, where students will use the 3-2-1 instructional strategy to reflect on their learning. This reflection should summarize three things they learned, two challenges they overcame, and one improvement they would make if given more time. Pass out one half-page of the 3-2-1 handout and allow students time to work. Note: you may either choose to pick up these responses or have students add them to their notebooks.
Resources
K20 Center. (n.d.). 3-2-1. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/117
K20 Center. (n.d.). Canva. Tech Tools. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/tech-tool/612
K20 Center. (n.d.). Elevator speech. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/57
K20 Center. (n.d.). Figma. Tech Tools. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/tech-tool/3756
K20 Center. (n.d.). Glow and grow. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/4962
K20 Center. (n.d.). KWHL graphic organizer. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/127
K20 Center. (n.d.). Plus delta chart. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/2904
K20 Center. (n.d.). SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats). Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/4056