Squished sandwiches and warm drinks are the problem students solve in this 3-page 5th grade engineering worksheet. The sheet follows the first three steps of the Engineering Design Process, in line with NGSS 3-5-ETS1-1. Students name the two problems their lunchbox must fix, brainstorm two ideas to protect the sandwich, and draw a labeled diagram of their prototype. An Engineering Tip lists materials to label, like foam, metal, hard plastic, and foil.
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.”
Step 1, where students state the two problems the design must solve, and Step 3, where they pick materials such as foam or foil to meet them.
Students read about the school's lunchboxes, where sandwiches get squished and drinks turn warm, and write the two problems the new design must solve.
Students describe two different features they could add to keep the sandwich from getting crushed.
Students draw a detailed diagram of their lunchbox, with arrows labeling the materials and the features that fix both problems.
First engineering lesson
Use it on day one of the design unit. Every student knows a squashed sandwich, so the time goes into design thinking rather than the context.
Build extension
Give groups cardboard, foil, and foam and let them build the Step 3 drawing. Test each lunchbox with a real sandwich and a cold drink.
Adding constraints
After Step 1, add a limit such as a cost or a size and ask students to rewrite the problem. It moves them toward criteria and constraints.
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