A Worksheet Containing Directions, Recording Information, and Evaluation Information

Group Organization:

Choose one person from your group to be the Contractor (materials manager).

Contractor:_________________________

Choose one person from your group to be the Blueprint Specialist (recorder of the group's problem solving).

Blueprint Specialist:__________________________

Choose one person from your group to be the Architect (checker).

Architect: __________________________

Choose one person from your group to be the Building Inspector (recorder of the group's self-evaluation).

Building Inspector: __________________________

Materials Per Group:

• 100 straws
• 1 roll of masking tape
• 1 set of small group directions

Social Skills: Coming to consensus within each thinking phase and encouraging each other to contribute ideas.

The Blueprint Specialist reviews the rules with the group, asks the following questions, and records the responses.

Rules of Play:

• Your team's task is to build a "straw house" that is sturdy and attractive.

• Each individual will be given some drinking straws, and each team will be given one roll of masking tape. These are the only materials that you may use in construction.

• You may communicate within your team in whatever way you wish.

• You will have approximately 20 minutes in which to complete this task.

• At the end of that time period, someone in your group should be prepared to explain why your team considers your "straw house" to be both sturdy and aesthetically pleasing.

Consider these questions:

What are the essential characteristics of a "house"?

What is necessary in order for a model of a house to be considered "sturdy"?

What makes a house "attractive"?

The Architect will use the agreed-upon answers to check the "house" as it is under construction and to ask pertinent group questions for reflection.

The Blueprint Specialist records what the group plans to do before they begin building the "house":

The Contractor passes out a handful of straws to each person in the group. The house is built using the straws and tape, following the plan outlined above.

The Architect checks the house against the criteria developed by the group and encourages others to consider the criteria.

The Building Inspector asks questions and records the group responses on the rating form and below.

How would your team rate the sturdiness of your house? Why?

How would your team rate the attractiveness of your house? Why?

What, if anything, did your team do to test/verify your house's qualities?

How would your team rate its use of the Social Skills identified in this lesson?