Egg Drop

Duration
Multiple days
Lesson Type
Project Based Lesson
Collections

Essential Question

How 

Grade(s):

  • 5

Subject(s):

Recommended Technology:

Other Instructional Materials or Notes:

Materials: 

  • Raw eggs (one per team, with adult supervision)
  • Cardboard boxes (cut into squares)
  • Craft materials (straws, pipe cleaners, cotton balls, tape, rubber bands, etc.)
  • Rulers
  • Markers
  • Paper towels (for clean-up)
  • Optional: other building materials like cups, fabric scraps, packing peanuts

Lesson Progression

Lesson Sequence:

Day 1: Introduction and Brainstorming (20 minutes)

  1. Hook (5 minutes): Begin with a captivating demonstration of an unprotected egg drop (adult supervision required). Discuss the importance of protection and different strategies engineers might employ.
  2. Essential Question (3 minutes): Introduce the question: "How can we design and build a container that will best protect an egg from a fall?"
  3. Engineering Design Process (5 minutes): Briefly introduce the steps of the engineering design process: Ask, Imagine, Plan, Create, Test, Improve.
  4. Brainstorming (7 minutes): Divide students into teams of 3-4. Pose the challenge: "Design and build a container that will protect an egg from a drop from a specific height." Have them brainstorm ideas and materials they could use. Encourage them to sketch their ideas on paper.

Day 2: Design and Build (20 minutes)

  1. Review (2 minutes): Briefly review the engineering design process.
  2. Planning (8 minutes): Teams finalize their designs, considering materials, cushioning, and potential weak points. Encourage them to think about the science behind their design (impact absorption, distribution of force).
  3. Building (10 minutes): Teams use the provided materials to construct their protective containers for the eggs. Offer guidance and support as needed.

Day 3: Testing and Improvement (30 minutes)

  1. Testing (15 minutes): Each team carefully drops their egg-filled container from a predetermined height. Observe and document the results (intact egg, cracks, complete breakage).
  2. Discussion (5 minutes): As a class, discuss the results. Which containers were most successful? Why? Encourage students to analyze the design elements that contributed to success or failure.
  3. Improvement (10 minutes): Based on their observations, teams have time to improve their designs (optional: allow them to use additional materials). They can add more cushioning, modify the shape, or strengthen weak points.

Day 4: Final Testing and Reflection (30 minutes)

  1. Final Testing (15 minutes): Teams conduct a final test run with their improved containers. Celebrate success stories and discuss the learning experience.
  2. Reflection (15 minutes): Have students write a short reflection on the process. What challenges did they face? What did they learn about the engineering design process? They can also include diagrams of their final designs and explanations of their success.

Teacher Notes

Extension: Research real-world examples of protective packaging (airbags, bike helmets). Challenge advanced students to incorporate specific scientific concepts in their designs, like using specific shapes for optimal impact absorption or exploring different cushioning materials.

Differentiation: Provide pre-cut materials or templates for struggling students.

Egg Drop Example

Consider sharing a short snippet of this video with students to give some ideas.

View Resource

Assessments

Use the day 4 short reflection as an assessment piece.