8/14/2019 The Three Pigs Design Brief

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Design Brief The Three Pigs

Situation/ChallengeOnce upon a time – o.k. o.k. – there are these three pigs. They want to build a safe hometo live in. Their main concern is the BIG BAD WOLF. They heard he likes to show upunannounced for a pork dinner. This wolf is full of hot air and loves to huff and puff andblow in the homes of unsuspecting victims.

Not wanting to be the BIG BAD WOLF’S next meal, the 3 pigs are asking you for help indesigning and constructing a home that is safe for them to live in. You and your workstation partner should work at the same pace, unless you have been absent fromclass.

Criteria & Constraints• Your home must be at least 2” above the building site and fit in your workstation

drawer – if you have a workstation partner, both houses must fit in the drawer.• Each person must build a model of the home they design.

• You may use only ONE of the following for your main building material – wood or 

straw or brick. (Scrap paper may also be used as a construction material.)

• You may not change the size of your building site (colored paper).

Tools, Materials, Equipment• Scrap paper 

• 30 wood sticks or 35 straws or 100 styrofoam blocks

• 1 sheet of colored paper – 8 ½” x 11” – used for building site

•

Glue, Scissors, Ruler, Square, File• Wire Brush – used to clean file

• Vice – used to break the wood sticks

• Mallet – used with vice to break the wood sticks

Procedure

1. Identify the Need or Problem

• In your Engineering Notebook, write the word PROBLEM.

• After the word “PROBLEM,” restate the problem in your own words using at least

one complete sentence.

2. Research the Need or Problem

• In your Engineering Notebook, write the word RESEARCH. You will record all your 

research under/after this heading.

• So the pigs will have a good home, you need to have an understanding of buildings

and how they are constructed.o Turn to chapter 20 in your textbook. Use this chapter to record the following

in your Engineering Notebook:

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8/14/2019 The Three Pigs Design Brief

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a. Name the five types of buildings and give as example of each type.b. List and describe the steps in the construction process.

o In order to build a structure, you need to know what kinds of external forces

will affect it.

- Open an Internet browser and load this page:

  http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/lab/loads.html

-Do the LOADS LAB – be sure to click on each load to see how itaffects structures.

- In your Engineering Notebook, sketch and record what each loads’

affect is.

3. Develop Possible Solutions

• Use your research and creativity to sketch at least three possible solutions for the 3

pigs.

• Label all details on your sketches. (Good examples of labeling can be found in your 

textbook on pages 478 & 480.)

4. Select the Best Solution

• Look at each of your sketches – remember you can combine your ideas.

• Sketch your best solution.

• Using at least 2 complete sentences, state why you feel this choice (the one you

sketched) is the best.o You must use at least three words from your research in your statement.

o Underline these three words from your research.

5. Construct the Prototype/Model• Construct a model of the home you sketched using the construction process you

described in your research. The building site will be the colored paper.

6. Test and Evaluate the Solution

• The BIG BAD WOLF will put your home to the test. The 3 pigs will be counting on

you to have it done by the due date.

7. Communicate the Solution

• In large group, you will communicate your solution by telling about your home and

the construction techniques you used.

8. Redesign or Improve

• You will not be doing this step.

9. When you’ve completed your home, explore some of the games at the TryEngineering website: http://www.tryengineering.org/play.php

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For this design brief and more, visitour webpage:

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