Polar Exploration
Use the context of polar exploration to have a go at engineering activities which link to the curriculum areas of D&T, science and literacy.
This list is part of the Polar Explorer Resource Collection for STEM teaching using the context of the design, construction, and subsequent research activities of the RRS Sir David Attenborough, and its auto long range submersible, Boaty McBoatface. The Polar Research Vessel began its first expedition in 2019 and continues to engage and enthuse students across all key stages for many years to come.
Visit: https://www.stem.org.uk/polar-explorer-educational-resources.
Ocean Grabber
In this resource learners will explore why scientists are engaged in research at the bottom of the Antarctic and Arctic Oceans. They will understand the importance of collecting samples of organisms that make the sea floor their home and what these can tell us about global concerns. They will explore the challenging conditions faced by Remotely Controlled Vehicles performing sampling missions and the scientists that control the vehicles. Learners will also explore the most appropriate sampling tool for use in marine sampling and design their own ‘grabber’ for the ROV. After designing a sampling tool they will create a prototype robot arm grabbing tool and evaluate their design with their knowledge of existing grabbing tools.
Design a boat
Water pushes upwards with a force called ‘upthrust’. (You can feel this if you try to push a light object such as a balloon or aeroboard under water). The shape of a ‘boat’ affects the weight (passengers/cargo) it can hold. The more water that the boat displaces the more it will float and therefore the more weight it can take.
This lesson examines the relationship between the shape of a boat and the amount of passengers it holds. Children will investigate different shaped boats to discover the best design.
Welding with Chocolate
This activity gives students the opportunity to build structures made from chocolate. In the example given, a box-section is compared with a flat plank of chocolate, to see which is the strongest when spanning a gap. The structures are readily related to the context of bridge-building.
Students join flat pieces of chocolate using 'welds' made by melting the chocolate using a bottle of hot water.
The activity is simple and can be used to demonstrate ideas such as the strength of structures, welding, melting, reversible change, strength testing and the properties of materials. It is suitable for primary and secondary school students. The complexity of the task, and the structures built, can be readily tailored for individual groups.
Periscope
Aimed at primary level, this activity links to the topic of light. Using the fact that light reflects away from a mirror at the same angle that it hits the mirror, children follow a set of instructions to design and make a periscope to look around corners.
Ticket to Ride
The activity on page 12 is to design and test a paddleboat made from an empty carton and powered by an elastic bands. Boats can be tested for by varying the load they can carry, without sinking. Children can also race their boats and consider ways in which they may be modified to go faster.
Loading Cargo
Have you ever travelled on a large vehicle ferry? How are the vehicles loaded? Why do you think it matters which vehicles go on first or where they are put on the car deck?If you are loading cargo (into a rucksack, onto a boat, onto a plane etc.) it’s important to balance the load. If the load isn’t balanced properly, not only is there danger of tipping over, it impairs movement.
In this unit learners will explore the balancing point of a boat when adding cargo and how this can be overcome with a keel (particularly a weighted one).
Ice breaker
In this resource learners will explore the relationship between a ship’s hull and the job it does. In particular, the lesson will look at the difficult job a polar ship faces when having to break through sea ice and the importance of the design of the shape of the hull. Learners will also examine the forces acting on a polar ship.
Cosy Toes: Winter-Proof a Pair of Shoes
This resource provides a cross-curricular design and technology and science project aimed at primary children. Using the context of the school class going to Greenland and forgetting all their shoes, children are asked to construct shoe soles that will insulate them as they take part in a dog-sled trip. Children learn about heat transfer, thermal conduction and investigate materials that are thermal insulators.
