3rd Grade Lesson
ENGINEERING FOR A NEW ECONOMY

OPENING SCROLL

SCENARIO

Product engineers develop new products and design process for how these products will be manufactured. ​You are a product engineer for a big, new toy company on your Star Wars planet. Your job is to develop new toys and to design a process for how these toys will be manufactured. 

Your company has asked you to develop the next, “must have” electronic toy. ​You have noticed that kids all over the galaxy idolize the New Jedi Order. 
You hear kids talking about how they want to be a Jedi one day and it gives you an idea.... ​Light up toy lightsabers!

BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE

The toy lightsabers you see in stores work using an electric circuit, LED light, and switch. Watch the video below to see how circuits, lights, and switches work.

YOUR TASK

You have been given a materials bag.  Make sure you keep all your materials in your taped off section of the table. The bag should contain:
  • 1 Boba Straw
  • 1 CR1220 Battery
  • 10mm LED
  • A Roll of Electrical Tape
  • Scissors
  • Ruler
​Keeping in mind all you learned about circuits in the previous video, you will construct the light up lightsaber prototype.  Use the video tutorial below to help you if you get stuck. ​

Reflection

All professionals reflect at the end of a project. They think about several things when they reflect. They ask themselves questions to make sure they met the requirements of their task, job, or project. Then, they identify the problems or issues, brainstorm improvements, implement those improvements, and test those improvements.
CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
  • What is the power source in your toy lightsaber?
  • Describe how the circuit works in your toy lightsaber. 
  • Explain what happens with the circuit when you turn the toy lightsaber on and off.
  • What is the switch on your toy lightsaber.

​LESSON
​TERMS TOOLBOX

circuit:  a complete path around which electricity can flow

open circuit:  a break along the circuit line that causes the current to stop (off)
​
closed circuit:  when there are no breaks in the circuit line allowing electric current to flow 

conductor:  a material in which electricity can flow through

Light Emitting Diode:  (LED) or a bulb that emits light when energy flows through it

profits:  the money that is made on a product after you subtract what it cost to make it 

UNIT
​Terms Toolbox

prototype:  the original product or model before any improvements or innovations

product: any item or service you sell to serve a customer's need or want

Infrastructure:  the word used to describe all the things that a town or city needs to support the people living there like water/sewer systems, power systems, transportation systems, communications systems, industries, and public service facilities

economy:  the way a city, state, country, or planet makes and spends money and gets resources

society:  a group of people who live together in a region and share the same culture

industry:  companies that process and refine raw materials, manufacture products, or provide services

innovation:  an improvement on a thing, process, or idea

republic: a form of government in which citizens or members elect representatives and government officials

democracy: a free society in which the government reflects the will of the people 
EVALUATE WHETHER THE PROTOTYPE MEETS THE REQUIREMENTS
  • Think back to the credits and scenario. How do you know kids all over the galaxy will want your product?
  • Profits are the money that is made on a product after you subtract what it cost to make the product.  Why do you think this toy will have high profits? (Hint: think about the materials you used and how difficult it was to make it.) 
INNOVATIONS TO BUILDING AND MANUFACTURING YOUR PROTOTYPE
  • What problems or issues did you experience as you were building your prototype? How might you change the building process to solve the problem or avoid the issue?
  • Does your prototype have any problems or issues? How could you fix these problems or issues?
  • How could you improve your prototype? What resources would you need to make this improvement? How would it impact the profits you make?