Grade 9

Topic: Habitat Design

Self and Society

It is expected that students will:

• contribute to group success by encouraging others to fulfil their responsibilities
• evaluate design ideas based on assessments by others
• demonstrate a willingness to look for and develop improved solutions to problems that arise during the design process
• demonstrate confidence and positive attitudes when solving problems that arise during the design process

It is expected that students will:

• communicate ideas for designing products and systems using various drawing projection methods, spreadsheets, graphics, or other media
• use information-gathering and communication methods to solve problems during the design process and to create effective presentations
• develop two
• and three-dimensional graphics using manual and computer-assisted processes
• identify how information and concepts from other fields of knowledge are used in the design process

It is expected that students will:

• classify and describe the characteristics of industrial materials
• investigate and select materials to meet design specifications
• devise and use assembly-sequence diagrams and flow charts to explain a process or system
• select and use a variety of finishes on products to improve their appearance and durability
• select and safely use hand and power tools in the manufacture of products

Planning for Assessment

• Students were asked to design an d model a functional habitat for an identified occupant. Completed submissions were to include a floor plan, rendered exterior and interior views, and a model. This activity provided opportunities for students to engage in critical thinking, technical design, communication, and graphics and modelling techniques. The design solutions they developed included a cabin, a small house, and an animal house.
• Students initially worked in small groups to brainstorm ideas, including a list of the needs of different occupants and design ideas based on a selected occupant. This information formed the parameters for problems involving design. Each group was asked to present their three best ideas to the class.
• Students worked individually to gather necessary information and to provide preliminary sketches that they presented to their groups for feedback. Students then worked individually to:
  • revise their preliminary plans based on feedback
  • complete a final floor plan, by hand or using a computer
  • complete rendered images, by hand or using a computer
  • experiment with a variety of materials to determine their suitability for modelling
  • select tools, materials, and processes to produce a final product
  • present their model and a flow chart of their design stages to the class (e.g., oral, video, multimedia, computer).
• As students worked, they developed design portfolios in which they collected their researched design ideas, a series of developmental designs, feedback on their designs, and reflective notes. Sometimes the teacher provided a framework for the reflections. For example, these sentence stems were provided for the final reflection:
  • Three alternatives I considered when I started planning my project were____.
  • One part of the project I had to plan ahead for was____.
  • One design issue I had to find background information on was____.
  • One thing about my habitat I would change if I made it again is____.
  • One piece of advice I would give someone else designing a habitat for this user is____.

Defining the Criteria

To what extent is the student able to:

• identify design issues and explore alternative solutions
• access a variety of information sources to solve problems involving design
• develop sketches and drawings that clearly communicate design ideas

1. Presentation

• explanations clear and easy to understand
• relevant background information presented
• ideas sequenced in a logical way

• reflects a logical progression of construction steps
• highlights key points in the manufacturing process
• shows details

• satisfies user needs
• is aesthetically pleasing
• is innovative in design

Assessing and Evaluating Student Performance

The teacher placed considerable emphasis on the design portfolios, collecting them twice for evaluation-once after the student received feedback on preliminary design sketches from the group, and once at the end of the project. In both cases the design portfolios were evaluated using a performance scale. If a student was able to use the feedback from the first evaluation to get a higher grade on the second one, the teacher gave the student the higher grade. If the student received the same or a lower mark on the second evaluation, the grades from the two evaluations were averaged.

Excellent
The student's divergent approach to designing shows confidence. An exceptionally broad range of design issues have been identified, thoroughly researched, well explained, and dealt with in innovative ways. Drawings are exceptionally professional in appearance. Reflections are insightful and indicate a thorough and deep commitment to, and valuing of, design work.

Very Good
A wide range of design issues are dealt with in depth. Background information from a variety of sources is incorporated. Drawings are detailed and easy to follow. There is evidence that a variety of design ideas were explored. Reflections indicate an ability to identify and respond to strengths and weaknesses identified by self and others.

Good
The student is able to identify some design issues and deal with them in personal plans, although complex issues may be dealt with at a superficial level. There is evidence of the use of background information from general knowledge or research. A variety of sketches and drawings are included, although some may be difficult to follow. Reflections indicate that the student can recognize the pros and cons of design solutions, and often justify reflective comments, such as "Good because____."

Satisfactory
Design ideas are presented and developed to some extent, although these may not always be realistic. User needs are identified, and some are incorporated into the design. Issues identified and dealt with may be obvious or superficial. Drawings are included but may be difficult to understand. The student is able to identify some strengths and weaknesses but may not act on them or on feedback from peers.

Minimally Acceptable
Some design ideas are presented, although these may be poorly developed or hard to follow. There has been some attempt to consider user needs, but the design solutions may be incomplete or impractical. Drawings may be incomplete. Some reflection is present, but the student may not always be realistic about strengths and weaknesses.

In Progress/Failing
Few if any design ideas are presented or developed. Drawings are absent or incom plete. There is little or no evidence that the student is able to identify user needs or access background information. Reflection may be absent or unconnected to the problem involving design.

Presentations

The students' presentations to the class were assessed using the scale on the following page. Self-assessment and scores given by the teacher and peers were combined to arrive at the student's grade. Having the same number of criteria for each aspect of the presentation ensured that they received equal weighting.

Key:
5-Excellent: criterion met to an exceptional or unusual degree
4-Very good: criterion met in a very effective way
3-Good: criterion met in a competent and effective fashion
2-Satisfactory: criterion met but with considerable room for improvement
1-Minimally acceptable: criterion met to some extent
0-Not evident: criterion not met

Table of Contents

Province of British Columbia
Ministry of Education
MOE Curriculum Branch

© 1996 Copyright

Maintained by: Technology Education Coordinator

Revised: February 27, 1996

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