Guide

www.SquishyCircuits.com Page 9
Time:

Pair students and hand out materials: 5 minutes

Discovery time (Steps 2-3): 10 minutes

Sharing: 5 minutes

Redesign, retest: 10 minutes

Data recording: 5 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Instructor Procedure:
1. After students have been divided into pairs or trios, provide each student with the materials
listed above
2. Provide students with the following directions:
a. With your partner, discuss different ways you think you could make the LED light up.
(Use this time to investigate your materials, but don’t hook anything up yet)
b. Draw in your science journal how you will attempt to solve the challenge: “Make your
LED light up using only the materials in front of you.”
c. Using the materials, work with your partner as a team to create working circuit.
3. Spend time wandering the classroom to identify student misunderstandings, comprehension,
and answer questions as well as ask questions. Provide guidance as you see fit.
4. When students have completed the challenge, ask pairs to share with neighboring groups. Allow
students one minute to do this.
5. Bring the class together. Invite a few groups to share.
6. Provide students with another challenge: “Using what you learned from the first challenge as
well as hearing from your classmates, design a new way(s) to make your LED’s light up.”
Encourage students to plan and document in their journals or handout as a way of emphasizing
the engineering design process.
Optional: Allow groups to join together.