Design & Build an Insulated Food Container
Insulated food containers (natalie_board, iStockphoto)
Insulated food containers (natalie_board, iStockphoto)
How does this align with my curriculum?
Students will design and build a prototype of a device to keep food cold for a specified time.
Overview
| Activities | Timing | Student Grouping | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minds-On: Research and Understand the Problem | 20 minutes | Large group | Students will learn/review the characteristics of insulators and will look at examples of good insulators. They will also activate prior knowledge of the negative environmental impacts of using certain materials. |
| Action: Design, Build and Test and Share a Prototype | 40 minutes | Small group | Students will design, build and test a device that keeps food cold for a specified time. |
| Consolidation: Analyzing the Results | 20 minutes | Whole class Small group | Students will review class data from prototype testing and consider which design features worked well in preventing heat transfer. |
This lesson can be done over a few days.
Students will:
- Use their knowledge of heat transfer and insulation to create a container that keeps heat transfer to a minimum
- Use a collaborative engineering design process and associated skills to safely design and build a structure
- Understand that the use of insulating materials can have a negative environmental impact
Learning Goals
Students will:
- Use their knowledge of heat transfer and insulation to create a container that keeps heat transfer to a minimum
- Use a collaborative engineering design process and associated skills to safely design and build a structure
- Understand that the use of insulating materials can have a negative environmental impact
Students can:
- Identify the potential sources of heat transfer from insulated food containers
- Successfully create an insulated food container that meets established criteria
- Identify environmental issues associated with use of single use takeout food containers
- Take into consideration both the insulating properties as well as the environmental impacts of their chosen building materials. (Optional)
Success Criteria
Students can:
- Identify the potential sources of heat transfer from insulated food containers
- Successfully create an insulated food container that meets established criteria
- Identify environmental issues associated with use of single use takeout food containers
- Take into consideration both the insulating properties as well as the environmental impacts of their chosen building materials. (Optional)
This icon indicates potential assessment opportunities
Observations
- Observe and record anecdotally students’ ability to actively listen and share ideas during large group discussions (Minds-on).
- Observe and record anecdotally students' ability to follow an engineering design process (Action).
- Observe and record using audio or video how students plan to go about building their insulated food containers (Action).
- Observe and record students’ safe use of tools and materials (Action).
Conversations
- Talk with students about their design sketches. Encourage students to describe their sketches in words and explain how their ideas meet the design criteria (Action).
- Talk with students about the process of building their insulated food containers, including challenges they encountered and how they overcame them (Consolidation).
Products
- Review student notes and drawings that are part of the Design Planning Journal (Action).
- Conversations about finished prototypes is captured in the Keeping it Cold: Single Point Rubric (Consolidation).
Evidence of Student Learning
This icon indicates potential assessment opportunities
Observations
- Observe and record anecdotally students’ ability to actively listen and share ideas during large group discussions (Minds-on).
- Observe and record anecdotally students' ability to follow an engineering design process (Action).
- Observe and record using audio or video how students plan to go about building their insulated food containers (Action).
- Observe and record students’ safe use of tools and materials (Action).
Conversations
- Talk with students about their design sketches. Encourage students to describe their sketches in words and explain how their ideas meet the design criteria (Action).
- Talk with students about the process of building their insulated food containers, including challenges they encountered and how they overcame them (Consolidation).
Products
- Review student notes and drawings that are part of the Design Planning Journal (Action).
- Conversations about finished prototypes is captured in the Keeping it Cold: Single Point Rubric (Consolidation).
Students will:
- Use their knowledge of heat transfer and insulation to create a container that keeps heat transfer to a minimum
- Use a collaborative engineering design process and associated skills to safely design and build a structure
- Understand that the use of insulating materials can have a negative environmental impact
Learning Goals
Students will:
- Use their knowledge of heat transfer and insulation to create a container that keeps heat transfer to a minimum
- Use a collaborative engineering design process and associated skills to safely design and build a structure
- Understand that the use of insulating materials can have a negative environmental impact
Students can:
- Identify the potential sources of heat transfer from insulated food containers
- Successfully create an insulated food container that meets established criteria
- Identify environmental issues associated with use of single use takeout food containers
- Take into consideration both the insulating properties as well as the environmental impacts of their chosen building materials. (Optional)
Success Criteria
Students can:
- Identify the potential sources of heat transfer from insulated food containers
- Successfully create an insulated food container that meets established criteria
- Identify environmental issues associated with use of single use takeout food containers
- Take into consideration both the insulating properties as well as the environmental impacts of their chosen building materials. (Optional)
This icon indicates potential assessment opportunities
Observations
- Observe and record anecdotally students’ ability to actively listen and share ideas during large group discussions (Minds-on).
- Observe and record anecdotally students' ability to follow an engineering design process (Action).
- Observe and record using audio or video how students plan to go about building their insulated food containers (Action).
- Observe and record students’ safe use of tools and materials (Action).
Conversations
- Talk with students about their design sketches. Encourage students to describe their sketches in words and explain how their ideas meet the design criteria (Action).
- Talk with students about the process of building their insulated food containers, including challenges they encountered and how they overcame them (Consolidation).
Products
- Review student notes and drawings that are part of the Design Planning Journal (Action).
- Conversations about finished prototypes is captured in the Keeping it Cold: Single Point Rubric (Consolidation).
Evidence of Student Learning
This icon indicates potential assessment opportunities
Observations
- Observe and record anecdotally students’ ability to actively listen and share ideas during large group discussions (Minds-on).
- Observe and record anecdotally students' ability to follow an engineering design process (Action).
- Observe and record using audio or video how students plan to go about building their insulated food containers (Action).
- Observe and record students’ safe use of tools and materials (Action).
Conversations
- Talk with students about their design sketches. Encourage students to describe their sketches in words and explain how their ideas meet the design criteria (Action).
- Talk with students about the process of building their insulated food containers, including challenges they encountered and how they overcame them (Consolidation).
Products
- Review student notes and drawings that are part of the Design Planning Journal (Action).
- Conversations about finished prototypes is captured in the Keeping it Cold: Single Point Rubric (Consolidation).
Materials and Preparation
Teaching and Learning Activities
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Minds-On: Research and Understand the Problem (10 minutes)
| Instructions | Teaching Tips |
|---|---|
|
In order to keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold, food containers must be designed to prevent the 3 methods of heat transfer. Activate prior knowledge by having students share what they know about methods of heat transfer (conduction, convection and radiation). Review these methods using the first slide of the slide of the Preventing Heat Transfer slideshow [Google slides] [pptx] [PDF]. 
Continuing with the slides, explain to students how the design features of an insulating flask or thermos prevents various methods of heat transfer. Review the difference between insulators and conductors and ask students which material would work best for keeping something the same temperature. Discuss examples of insulators and conductors. Ask students to consider the environmental impact of using different insulating materials (e.g., can the material break down naturally (biodegrade), is the material made from harmful chemicals, etc.). |
LanguageCreate a word wall of important terms and their definitions from the slideshow, |
Action: Design, Build, Test and Share Prototype (40-50 minutes)
| Instructions | Teaching Tips |
|---|---|
|
Organise students into pairs or small groups. Students could also do this task individually. Provide students with a copy of the Keeping it Cold: Design Planning Journal reproducible [Google doc] [Word doc] [PDF]. 
Review the various sections with students and what you expect them to complete in each. Encourage the students to use the checklists on each page to track their progress. Also provide students with the Keeping it Cold: Single Point Rubric reproducible [Google doc] [Word doc] [PDF] and review the criteria listed in the centre column. Their prototypes will be assessed against these criteria. 
|
LanguageA prototype is an early model of a finished product, usually built for testing purposes. You could add this term to a word wall. 
IdeaExplain to students that the engineers, electricians, plumbers, carpenters, etc. who build buildings in the real world, have to follow specifications to ensure safety of the people living or working in the building as well as features the person paying for the building wants included. Checklists, such as the ones students are using, are often used to make sure nothing is missed when designing, building and testing real-world objects.
IdeaAdjust the rubric to suit the needs of your students and any specific curricular outcomes you wish to assess. |
|
Designing the Prototypes Show students the materials that will be available to them. Note: You will want to edit the reproducible to match what you will be providing students. Clarify with them that before they can access the materials, they must have sketched and labelled the container they plan to build (i.e., they can not start construction until they have an approved plan). Once their plans are approved, they can build their containers. |
TechnologyStudents could use a digital program such as Google Draw or Jamboard to design their prototypes.
IdeaStudents could use the Keeping it Cold: Environmental Cost List [Google Doc] [Word doc] [PDF] for the building materials they will use. This list places value on the environmental cost of different materials. Explain that students can use materials like styrofoam but that it will cost a certain amount of environment points. Students should include a tally of the environment points that their design will cost on their sketched plan. ( Less environment points = more environmentally friendly design). |
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Building the Prototypes Have a spare can of pop or another sparkling beverage available for students to use to check that their containers are large enough. Provide students with a label to affix a number to their prototype. This number will correspond to their row of data on the Prototype Class Data Sheet [Google doc] [Word doc] [PDF]. 
This allows students to remain anonymous while comparing their results against the rest of the class data.
As students are working, have conversations with students about the engineering design process. |
SafetyYou may want to have any high-risk tools or materials (e.g., hot glue gun), at a centre that you supervise. 
DiscussionsDiscussion prompts can include:
IdeaUsing the board or a digital projection device, you could model how to label a design sketch. Including how to incorporate measurements. |
|
Testing the Prototypes On testing day, take all of the cans of pop out of the fridge. Open the control can of pop. Using the sterilized thermometer, take a temperature reading. This will be the baseline measurement for testing. Have students write this down as the start temperature in their Design Planning Journal on the Prototype testing page. Have students place their cans of pop inside their prototypes and tightly seal up the containers. |
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While they are waiting for the test to be over, have students answer the questions about fair testing on the Prototype testing page of the Design Planning Journal. If necessary, teach or review the concept of variables. |
Nature of ScienceIn a fair test, only one thing (the independent variable) is changed at a time. Everything else (the controlled variables) are kept the same. That way, only the independent variable leads to the results (dependent variable). In the class prototype testing, the independent variable is the type of container, the controlled variables are the cans of pop and the time in the containers, and the dependent variable is the temperature change. |
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After approximately 3 hours have passed, test each prototype starting with group number 1. Ask the first student group to open their insulated container and take out the can of pop. Insert the sterilized thermometer into the liquid and wait for the thermometer to register a reading. Have the group record the temperature in their Design Planning Journal as well as the class data sheet. Repeat for the remaining prototypes. |
IdeaIf you have more than one thermometer, you can test the prototypes in small batches. |
Consolidation: Analyzing the Results (20 minutes)
| Instructions | Teaching Tips |
|---|---|
|
Review class data of end temperatures, and highlight 2-3 prototypes with the least temperature difference.
Look at the prototypes with students and have them identify what design features they think worked well to prevent heat transfer in the top performing prototypes. You can also ask students to think about which designs scored well from an environmental perspective. To help students consolidate their learning, have them complete the reflection questions on the last page of the Design Planning Journal. |
TechnologyAs you look at the prototypes, you could collect information using a program like Google Jamboard. |
Background Information for Teachers
Designing and Building in the Real World
Image - Text Version
Shown is a colour photograph of two people talking and looking at a laptop.
Both people are sitting at a table, looking at the screen of a silver coloured laptop.
The person on the left is talking and gesturing towards the computer with their hands. They have thick, dark, curly hair and light brown skin.
The person on the right has their arms crossed, and is leaning over to get a closer look at the computer. They have short, light brown hair and a beard, and pale skin.
In the background is a grey cement wall and dark hallway.
Image - Text Version
Shown is a colour photograph of a person looking at an illustration of a machine on a computer screen.
The person has their back to the camera. They are wearing a pale blue shirt and they have black hair tied in a bun. Their hands are on the mouse and keyboard in front of the computer.
We can see the computer screen over the person's shoulder. Most of the screen is filled with an image of a metallic structure. It is long and spherical, with what looks like rotating wheels and gears.