This document outlines an egg drop challenge where students work in teams to design and build a container to safely carry a raw egg from a roof. It provides the challenge details, design requirements, evaluation criteria, and timeline. Students will go through a problem-solving process of brainstorming, prototyping, building, and testing their designs. Their containers will be launched from a roof and graded based on a scoring system accounting for the container's weight and how long it takes to impact the ground without breaking the egg. Awards will be given for various categories like lightest or smallest successful design.

1. Egg Drop Challenge:
A Design Problem
BCSD
What are we doing?
You have been Problem Solving Steps
granted access to
take part in a new 1. Mental inventory of materials
challenge. This
challenge is going 2. Sketch 10 brainstorms
to require you to
3. Determine best idea
work as a team to
design and create 4. Make final drawing
a contraption to
help keep an egg 5. Construct according to design
safe. There are
rules to this chal- 6. Make trial drops and modifica-
lenge and you will tions
have to do some
initial learning Problem Based Learning and
Teamwork
7. Evaluate package and design
before you begin
to experiment 8. Final preparations and drop
with your designs
9. Post Analysis
and contraptions.
You want me to do what?
You are going to be working Bettendorf Middle School terials, design ideas, etc.
in your teams to design a and the egg and contrap- However, in the end each
container for one raw egg, tion will not break. student will be able to cre-
that will be strong and flex- Students are going to be ate their very own contrap-
ible enough so that during working in groups tion for the egg drop if they
the product testing it can throughout the process in wish.
be dropped from the roof of gathering knowledge, ma-

2. 5th Grade ELP Page 2
Process
1. Assemble students into teams idea that your contraption is
2. Begin to research and sketch best. These commercials will
prototype designs with labels be uploaded to my blog and
explaining materials and why elementary and middle school
you think it will work. Try to students will vote on their
come up with at least 10 de- favorites.
signs. 7. Egg Drop Launch Day
3. Submit prototype designs to 8. Post Egg Drop Analysis
teachers.
4. Decide on what prototype you
will be building and fill out
Design Application
5. Once approved, then you may
begin to build your contrap-
tion.
6. Prior to dropping the egg you
will have to create a 30 se-
cond commercial selling your
Egg Drop Design Requirements
Packages must dents. You are not allowed Students are responsible
to buy one from a store. for cleaning up any mess
Free fall and hit the
You are not allowed to use from the egg drop.
ground (no bungee cords,
landing platforms, etc.) any existing commercial
stuffing/packing materials
Be self explanatory—
suck as Styrofoam, pack-
students are not allowed
ing peanuts, air pillows,
on the roof so Mr. Maurer
etc. This is to be a NEW
must know what to do
design. A cardboard box is
with contraption
allowed for use.
Easy to use—should be
Egg must be able to be
able to prepare and pack-
easily removed from craft
age in about 60 seconds
to pass inspection before
Weight at least 1 lb with and after
egg, but no more than 3.5 the drop
lbs i.e. no
Package of design must wrapping
meet this formula L + W + tape
H <= 30 around
entire
Parachutes can be used, container.
but only created by stu-

3. Volume 1, Issue 1 Page 3
Evaluation of Egg Drop Design Project
Final Egg Drop off the Roof Challenge Competition
I will give all students 1 minute to load eggs. I will then take them to the roof and
launch one at a time. The ones that have no damage to container or egg will be
considered successful.
In the event of a tie breaker, the person/team that has created the lightest con-
traption will be declared winner.
Scoring will be based on the following equation:
Score = Mass + (10 * Time)
where,
Mass = mass of the egg container in grams (not including the egg) and
Time = time in seconds from release of the device until its impact.
Online Blog Voting Awards and other Awards
1. Lightest design surviving drop
2. Smallest design surviving drop
3. Most unusual design surviving drop
4. Online voting for favorite design

4. OCTOBER 2010
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
Explain Project and 1 Begin to brainstorm de- 2
Research signs
3 4 5 6 7 Seek approval of 8 Begin to assemble design 9
designs and choose and trial drops
one design
Commercial Work
Commercial Work
10 11 12 13 14 Finalize Designs 15 No Class 16
and prepare project
Film Commercials
and load to blog
17 18 19 20 21Egg Drop Day 22 No Class 23
and Post Analysis
Awards and Discus-
sion
24 25 26 27 28 No Class 29 No Class 30
31